Shape face
In this playful shape-face drawing challenge, you’ll discover how much expression you can create using only three basic shapes: a circle, a triangle and a line.
- 1+ players
- Pen and paper
- Scissors
Aim of the activity
Use your imagination to make faces using only the 3 shapes. See how many different characters, moods and funny expressions you can invent.
Have you ever noticed how even the simplest shapes can suddenly look like faces?
You can reuse shapes as many times as you like, join three lines together to make a smile, stack shapes to build a nose, or use lines as dramatic eyebrows. A simple set of shapes… and endless faces waiting to appear.
You can reuse shapes as many times as you like, join three lines together to make a smile, stack shapes to build a nose, or use lines as dramatic eyebrows. A simple set of shapes… and endless faces waiting to appear.
how to play
Draw the faces
Try drawing the same faces as the picture at the top of the page using only a circle, a triangle and a line. Easy huh!
Experiment with size
Try making some of the shapes smaller and some bigger. How does that look?
Try cutting the shapes out
Ask a parent to help with this bit. Draw lots of the 3 shapes in different sizes and cut them out or use this printable activity sheet
Now mix them up!
Move the shapes around and mix them up. Hey presto, you made lots of new faces!
How do your faces look?
What expressions do your faces have? Are they happy, sad, angry, asleep?
Share your faces
Share your photos in the Facebook group the Facebook group. Our favourites get added to this page!
Face making activity downloads
Cut out the shapes and mix up the sizes to create lots of different expressions and faces.
Black and white
Colour
Some tips
- Try making the shapes out of paper, cutting them out and moving them around. We've made this Shape face activity sheet to print
- Try using different sizes of the same shapes and mix them up. How does that change the expressions on the faces?
- Try using all circles, all triangles or all lines. What does the face look like?
- Try drawing one of the shapes really big to make a head, then use the smaller shapes as the features.
- If you're feeling adventurous, you could even try making a stop motion film.
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