“Where’s your nose?” I must have asked my daughter that question ten thousand times when she was a toddler. And every single time, she’d poke her little finger right up my nostril instead of her own. Charming, right?
Teaching kids about the parts of the face feels like a parenting rite of passage. You start with the basics—eyes, nose, mouth—and eventually work up to eyebrows, eyelashes, and the mysterious “chin” that somehow always gets forgotten. It’s simple stuff, but it’s also the foundation for body awareness, communication, and even early reading skills.
So whether you’ve got a toddler just learning to point or a preschooler ready for more detailed vocabulary, I’ve got you covered. Here are 10 hands-on, slightly messy, totally fun activities for teaching the parts of the face.
Sensory Play & Hands-On Learning
Let’s start with activities that engage those little senses. Because nothing sticks like something they can touch, feel, and probably taste.
1. Mirror Exploration Game
Grab a unbreakable mirror and sit with your child. Point to your own nose and say “nose.” Then point to theirs. Then point to the mirror and let them see their own nose.
Sounds simple, right? It is. But the magic happens when you start asking questions. “Where’s your eye? Can you blink it?” “Where’s your mouth? Can you open it wide?”
Pro tip: Make silly faces. Cross your eyes. Wiggle your ears if you’re one of the lucky people who can. Kids remember the silly moments. My daughter learned “tongue” because I spent an entire afternoon making funny faces with her. Priorities. 😀
2. Playdough Face Building
Roll out a flat circle of playdough as the “head.” Then provide separate playdough pieces in different colors for the features. Let them roll small balls for eyes, snakes for eyebrows, and a curved snake for a mouth.
This activity kills two birds with one stone: fine motor skills and facial vocabulary. Plus, you can make a million different faces. Happy face, sad face, surprised face—talk about how the mouth changes or how the eyebrows move.
Fair warning: the noses always end up looking like potatoes. Embrace the potato nose.
3. Sensory Bag Faces
Fill a zip-top bag with clear hair gel or shaving cream. Add a few drops of food coloring if you want. Seal it tight—like, double bag it and tape the top, unless you want blue gel all over your kitchen.
Draw a simple face outline on the outside of the bag with a permanent marker. Let the kids squish the gel around to “color in” the features. They can practice making the eyes, tracing the mouth, or just enjoying the squishy sensation.
FYI: This is zero mess. Zero. Put it on a cookie sheet and hand it over. You’re welcome.
Arts & Crafts
Time to break out the art supplies. These crafts are great for quiet afternoons or preschool groups.
4. Paper Plate Faces
Give each child a paper plate, some construction paper, glue sticks, and markers. Let them cut or tear paper into facial features and glue them onto the plate.
Want to level it up? Provide yarn for hair, buttons for eyes, and maybe some fabric scraps for funny mustaches. My son once made a face with three eyes and a mustache but no mouth. When I asked him about it, he said, “He doesn’t like to talk.” Fair enough, buddy.
Talk about each feature as they add it. “What color eyes does your person have?” “How many ears do we need?” “Where should the nose go?”
5. Face Collage from Magazines
Gather old magazines and let the kids cut out pictures of eyes, noses, mouths, and ears. Provide a blank piece of paper and let them arrange the features into a totally ridiculous face.
Ever wonder why magazine eyes are always huge? They’ll end up with giant celebrity eyes next to a tiny cartoon nose, and honestly, it’s art. It also sparks great conversations about how faces look different but all have the same basic parts.
6. Paint Your Own Face Mirror
This one requires a bit of setup but delivers huge engagement. Tape a piece of clear acetate or a plastic page protector over a printed outline of a face. Give the kids washable paint and let them paint the features onto the plastic.
They can wipe it off and start over. It’s like having a reusable face. We did this at a playdate once, and the kids repainted the same face about seventeen times.
IMO, washable paint is one of the greatest inventions in human history.
Music & Movement
Get those bodies moving while they learn. Because sitting still is overrated.
7. “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes” (Face Edition)
You know the song. But this time, focus only on the face. Sing it slowly and touch each part:
Eyes and ears and mouth and nose, mouth and nose…
Eyes and ears and mouth and nose, mouth and nose…
And chin and cheeks and eyebrows, oh!
Eyes and ears and mouth and nose…
Make up your own verses. Add “tongue” and “teeth” and “eyelashes.” The sillier, the better. My kids demand the “tongue version” where we all stick out our tongues at the end. Classy, I know.
8. Facial Expression Charades
Take turns making different facial expressions. Happy, sad, surprised, angry, scared, silly. The other person has to guess the feeling and point to which parts of the face changed.
“How did you know I was surprised?” “My eyes got big and my mouth opened!” Boom—learning without a worksheet in sight.
This also builds emotional intelligence, which is a whole other win. You’re basically parenting on expert mode.
Snack Time Fun
Because food motivates everything.
9. Fruit Face Snack Boards
Grab a plate or a small cutting board. Give each kid a round rice cake, cracker, or pancake as the “face.” Then provide bowls of different fruits and let them build a face.
- Blueberries or chocolate chips for eyes
- A strawberry slice for the nose
- Apple slices for the mouth (arrange them in a smile!)
- Banana slices for ears
- Shredded coconut or raisins for hair
The best part? They eat it when they’re done. We’ve made so many fruit faces that my kids now demand their snacks be “face-shaped.” I created monsters.
10. Cookie Decorating
Sugar cookies + icing + assorted candies = face decorating time. Set out round cookies, colored icing, and a variety of candies: M&Ms for eyes, licorice for mouths, sprinkles for freckles.
Let them go wild. Some faces will look like Picasso painted them. Some will look like they’ve seen things. All of them will be delicious.
Pro tip: Do this on a Friday afternoon when you need to kill an hour before dinner. It works every time.
Bonus: Books About Faces
Okay, I know I said 10 activities, but here’s a bonus because I love you. Read books about faces! Some favorites:
- Baby Faces by DK Publishing
- Making Faces: A First Book of Emotions by Abrams Appleseed
- Go Away, Big Green Monster! by Ed Emberley (perfect for learning features)
Reading these together reinforces all the vocabulary from your activities. Plus, cuddling on the couch counts as quality time, right?
Why This Matters
Teaching kids about the parts of the face isn’t just about passing some developmental checklist. It’s about helping them understand themselves and others. It’s about communication—pointing to what hurts, describing how they feel, connecting with the people around them.
My daughter, now four, recently looked at me and said, “Mama, your eyes look tired. You need more sleep.” Rude. But also? She’s noticing. She’s connecting. She’s using her vocabulary in the real world.
That’s the goal, right?
Wrapping It Up
So there you have it—10 activities that turn “parts of the face” from a boring lesson into playtime. Whether you’re squishing sensory bags, building fruit faces, or just making silly expressions in the mirror, you’re teaching them something essential.
Start with one or two this week. See what clicks. Maybe your kid will love the playdough faces. Maybe they’ll beg for the cookie decorating again. Meet them where they are and have fun with it.
Now go forth and make some faces. And try not to get poked in the nose. :/
