Helping Children to Recognise Their Emotions

 

No, they weren't completely bored by the childminding group..... they were making 'emotions faces' as part of our ideas sharing about activities to help young children recognise their own and other's emotions.  It was really funny and made me realise how hard it is to pull a face when you are thinking about it!!  Everyone at the group 'made a face' and we are going to have copies of the photos each to use with our mindees!

 

other ideas we talked about were:

• A decorated box with a mirror inside stuck to the bottom, tell the children that the box has something special and important inside and invite them to open it and look!
• Hold a teddy and say that teddy is excited because he is going swimming later, encourage the other children to say why teddy isnt excited as they pass him round, this helps children to recognise feelings and teddy can experience any feeling you want him to!
• Print this template of a face out on skin tone paper or on white and colour it in with skin tones, then laminate it and use it as a playdough mat, helping the children to model sad and happy faces on it.
• This sheet can be used to draw faces that have been talked about or experienced in stories etc.
• I found some simple faces to make puppets with - you could call out emotions and the children can pop them up, or they could have one or two each and if you call out that emotion they have to hop on one leg, or run to the corner etc, or you could read a book that involves emotions and the children can identify them as they come up.
• Here are some stories that you can print out or read online, some are to do with emotions, others carry a moral story.
• These pictures can be used to make bingo cards, but I think they are quite complex for young children so I would either use them with older children, or pick some contrasting ones for the littler children.
• A feelings and emotions colouring and puzzle book that supports diversity too (4 years plus).
• Dice to use for 'pull a face' games (perrhaps we should have used these at the group today!!).
• Photographic posters of adult emotion faces.
• Flashcards of clipart type emotions faces.
• This article talks about strategies to help child control their emotions.
• Emotions Bingo
• Lots of lovely ideas here to explore different aspects of emotions