How well do we really know where all the different parts of a face belong? We see faces every day and look at our own face in the mirror, but could you place the eyes, nose and mouth in the right spots without actually seeing what you were doing?
This funny place the face activity puts children’s internal body map to the test. Kids have to create a face while their view is completely blocked, placing each feature using their understanding of where the different parts of a face belong.
The results can be hilarious, especially when an eye ends up on the chin or the mouth is somewhere near the forehead, but there is a really interesting learning experience behind all the fun.
Watch the Video
Want to see how it works? Watch the video below to see the Place the Face challenge in action, from placing the features without looking to the hilarious final reveal!
@intheplayroom Place the face body awareness activity for kids. Without looking, place each feature where the different parts of the face belong
♬ original sound – intheplayroom
What Is Body Schema?
Body schema is our brain’s internal map of the body. It helps us understand where different body parts are and how they relate to one another.
Children gradually build this understanding as they grow. They learn that their eyes are above their nose, their mouth is below it, their ears sit on either side of their head and all the different parts of the body have a particular relationship to one another.
In this activity, children cannot rely on sight to copy or check the face as they create it. Instead, they have to draw on their internal understanding of what a face looks like and where each feature belongs.
Can they remember that the eyes should sit beside one another? Can they judge where the nose belongs in relation to the eyes? Will they leave enough room underneath for the mouth?
It is a simple and very funny way to explore body schema and body awareness.
Is This a Proprioception Activity?
Proprioception does play a part in this activity, but it is not the main reason that creating a face without looking is so interesting.
Proprioception is sometimes described as a hidden sense. It helps us know where our own body parts are and how they are moving without needing to look at them. For example, you can close your eyes and touch your nose because your brain has a sense of where your hand and your nose are in space.
While playing this game, children use proprioception to move and position their hands even though they cannot see them. However, the fact that they are specifically trying to create a recognisable face brings in body schema.
They are using an internal mental map of the human face to decide where the eyes, nose, mouth and other features should go.
A Fun Body Awareness Activity for Kids
This activity is a brilliant way to get children thinking about the human body in a completely different way.
Usually, when children draw a face or build one from loose parts, they can constantly look at what they are doing. They can see that an eye is too low, move the nose a little higher or adjust the mouth until the face looks right.
Take away that visual feedback and suddenly the task becomes much more challenging.
Children have to think about the relationships between the different facial features. The eyes are above the nose. The mouth is below the nose. Two eyes need to sit beside one another. The features need to fit within the shape of the face.
This makes the activity useful for exploring body awareness, spatial awareness and positional concepts while still feeling like a silly game.
What You Need
You will need a large face picture or template, separate facial feature pieces and a large piece of cardboard or another way to completely block the child’s view.
The child should be able to reach their hands around or through the board to place the pieces, without being able to see the face they are creating.
You can include eyes, eyebrows, a nose and a mouth. For an extra challenge, add ears, glasses, hair or other details too.
How to Play Place the Face
Set up the large face in front of the child with the board blocking their view. Make sure they can reach the face comfortably but cannot peek over the top or around the sides.
Give them the facial features one at a time and ask them to place each piece where they think it belongs.
They can use their understanding of the human face to guide them, but they cannot look at the picture while they are working.
Once every piece has been placed, it is time for the big reveal!
Move the board away and let the child see the face they have created. Some features may be surprisingly accurate, while others may have ended up in completely unexpected places.
Place the Face Activity
Can you build a face without seeing where the pieces go? This hilarious Place the Face activity challenges kids to use their body awareness and internal body map to position the eyes, nose, mouth and ears, with some very funny results!
Materials
- Large cardboard box
- Printable Place the Face pack
- Printer
- Paper or cardstock
- Scissors
- Craft knife
- Glue or tape
- Markers or colouring pencils, optional
Tools
- Printer for templates if not drawing free hand
Instructions
- Print the face base and facial features from the printable Place the Face pack.
- Cut out the face pieces, including the eyes, nose, mouth and ears.
- Attach the blank face to the front of a large cardboard box.
- Cut two holes into the front of the box, one on either side of the face, large enough for your child’s arms to fit through comfortably. Using a craft knife like an xacto knife will be easiest for this.
- Add tape or blue tak to the back of the face pieces
- Place the loose facial features in front of the box where your child can pick them up.
- Ask your child to sit or stand behind the box and put their arms through the holes.
- One at a time, have them pick up each facial feature and place it where they think it belongs, without peeking over the box.
- Once all the pieces are in place, reveal the finished face and enjoy the hilarious results!
- Try again with the monster and alien faces for an extra silly challenge.
Questions to Ask After the Activity
After the big reveal, talk about what happened. Ask your child which facial feature was easiest to place and which was the hardest. Did they think their pieces were in the right places while they were working? Were any of the results surprising?
You could also talk about why the activity was so much harder without sight. How did they know where the features were supposed to go? What helped them decide where to place the nose or mouth?
These simple questions can lead to a really interesting conversation about how our brains build an internal understanding of our bodies.
Try It Again
One of the best parts of this activity is trying it for a second time.
After seeing the first result, children may start thinking more carefully about the space available and the position of each feature. Will their second face be more accurate, or somehow even funnier?
You could also let siblings or friends take turns and compare the finished faces. Just make sure everyone gets their own big reveal at the end.
A Funny Activity With Plenty of Learning
The silly finished faces are definitely part of the appeal, but this activity also gives children an unusual way to explore body schema and body awareness.
By removing the ability to see what they are creating, kids have to rely on their internal map of the face and their understanding of where facial features belong in relation to one another. At the same time, they are using spatial awareness, touch and proprioception to move their hands and place each piece.
It is simple, funny and much more thought-provoking than it first appears, which is exactly the kind of hands-on activity kids remember.
Printable Place the Face Activity Pack
To make this activity even easier to set up, we have created a printable Place the Face pack ready for you to use. The pack includes regular human faces as well as silly monster and alien faces, so kids can try the challenge again and again with completely different results.
Simply print the pages, cut out the separate face pieces and add the face to a cardboard box as shown. The box blocks children from seeing what they are creating while still allowing them to reach around and place each feature. It saves you time drawing and preparing all the pieces yourself, so you can get straight to the fun part and see just how accurate, or hilariously strange, each finished face turns out!
DOWNLOAD THE FACE PIECES PDF BELOW
More Fun DIY Games for Kids
If your kids enjoyed this funny face challenge, keep the fun going with even more DIY games you can make and play at home. Simple homemade games are a great way to turn everyday materials into something exciting, while encouraging kids to think, move, laugh and play together.
- Caterpillar diy Alphabet Matching Game for Kids
- DIY Multiplication Game with Bottle Tops
- DIY Personalised Magnet Dress Up Dolls Game for Kids
- DIY Drawing Board for Kids
- Toy Shape Match DIY Puzzle
More Body Activities for Kids
Learning about the human body can be so much more fun when kids get hands-on. From exploring the five senses to learning about body parts and discovering how our bodies work, these activities are perfect for curious kids who love to learn through play.
- Emotions Playdough Mats (Free Printable)
- Free Human Body Printables for Kids
- 16 Brilliant Human Body Crafts For Kids to Make Science Come Alive
- 20+ Empowering Emotions and Feelings Activities For Kids
If you enjoyed this Place the Face activity, please share this blog post with friends, family or anyone else who might like to try it with their kids. Sharing helps us continue creating more free printables and fun activities for families to enjoy!
