Feelings Game: Identify Emotions & Emotional Equality (SEL)

The Feelings Game: Everyone Can Feel Everything!

Materials Needed:

• 3-5 Simple Emotion Cards (Happy, Sad, Mad, Excited) – Pictures or drawn faces work best.
• A large, clear space for movement.
• Optional: A small mirror for learners to check their faces.

Learning Objectives (Tell them what you'll teach):

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

1. Identify three common emotions (Happy, Sad, Mad).
2. Understand that all people (boys, girls, and everyone) can feel all kinds of feelings.
3. Act out an emotion using your body and face (Charades!).

Introduction (10 minutes)

Hook: Mirror, Mirror!

Educator Talk: "Hello, super scientist of feelings! Can you show me your very best face right now? Look at your hands and your feet. Do you feel big and jumpy, or small and quiet? Today, we are going to learn that feelings are like magic clothes—they fit absolutely everyone! It doesn't matter if you are a boy, a girl, or grown-up; every single person gets to have all the feelings."

Success Criteria:

"We will know we are successful if we can act out three feelings and say, 'This feeling belongs to everyone!'"

Vocabulary Check:

• Feeling: How your body and heart feel inside (like happy or sad).
• Charade: Acting something out without talking.

The Core Lesson: Feelings Are for Everyone (25 minutes)

I Do: Modeling Emotions (5 minutes)

Activity: Introducing the Feeling Cards

1. The Educator holds up the "Happy" card. "This is HAPPY! When I am happy, my face smiles big, and I might jump or clap." (Educator models a big, exaggerated happy action).
2. The Educator holds up the "Sad" card. "This is SAD. When I feel sad, my shoulders drop, my lip might wobble, and I might need a big hug." (Educator models a quiet, slumped sad action).
3. The Educator holds up the "Mad" card. "This is MAD. When I feel mad, my body feels tight, I might stomp my feet, and my face might get wrinkles." (Educator models stomping and crossing arms).

Transition: "Wow, that was a lot of moving! Now let's try it together."

We Do: Guided Practice and The Equality Rule (10 minutes)

Activity: The Shared Feelings Circle

1. The Equality Talk: The Educator explains the concept simply. "Listen carefully: Sometimes people say that only boys can be loud and rough, or only girls can be gentle and cry. That is silly! A boy can cry when he is sad, and a girl can be loud and mad! Feelings fit all people."
2. Practice Round: The Educator calls out an emotion, and everyone acts it out together.
   • "Let's all be Excited!" (Encourage high energy, jumping, and big smiles).
   • "Let's all be Sleepy!" (Encourage yawning, slow movement, and slumped bodies).
3. Quick Check (Formative Assessment): After each feeling, the Educator asks: "Did [Learner's name] act that out? Yes! Did I act that out? Yes! Do both boys and girls get to feel sleepy? Yes! Great!"

You Do: Emotion Charades (10 minutes)

Activity: Independent Acting

Instructions: "Now it's time for you to be the star actor! You will pick a card, but don't say the name of the feeling! Only use your body and face."

1. The Learner chooses one of the emotion cards (or the Educator whispers an emotion if cards are too distracting).
2. The Learner acts out the feeling for 30 seconds (stamping, jumping, sighing, etc.).
3. The Educator tries to guess the feeling.
4. After the feeling is guessed, the Educator reinforces the core lesson: "That was a perfect MAD! And guess what? Mad feelings are totally okay for everyone to have!"

Scaffolding (If needed): The Educator acts out the feeling first, and the learner copies them, focusing on one body part (e.g., "Just make your eyes look mad.").

Conclusion and Recap (5 minutes)

Closure Activity: High-Five Feelings

The Educator asks the learner to show three different faces (Happy, Sad, Mad) one last time. As the learner makes the face, the Educator names the feeling and gives a high-five, saying:

• "That is a Happy face! Happy feelings are for everyone!" (High-five)
• "That is a Sad face! Sad feelings are for everyone!" (High-five)
• "That is a Mad face! Mad feelings are for everyone!" (High-five)

Recap:

Educator Talk: "Today, we learned that feelings are super important and they don't have special rules about who gets to have them. If your heart feels it, you get to show it! You did an amazing job acting out all those big feelings!"

Assessment and Differentiation

Formative Assessment (Ongoing checks):

• Did the learner successfully identify and name the three modeled emotions during the "We Do" section? (Observation)
• During Charades, was the learner able to use their body to communicate the emotion without speaking? (Observation)

Summative Assessment (Demonstration of Skill):

The learner successfully performs a "Feelings Check" by naming and acting out three distinct emotions when prompted by the Educator, confirming that the learner recognizes the emotion and can physically express it.

Differentiation Options:

Scaffolding (Support for Struggling Learners):

• Focus on Verbals: Instead of charades, the learner identifies the emotion card when the Educator says the name aloud.
• Mirror Work: Use the mirror to help the learner manipulate their face and body posture until they match the feeling shown on the card.
• Limited Choice: Only use two emotion cards initially until mastery is achieved.

Extension (Challenge for Advanced Learners):

• Complex Emotions: Introduce more nuanced feelings (e.g., Confused, Shy, Proud). The learner must explain *why* someone might feel that way.
• Scenario Charades: The Educator provides a short scenario (e.g., "You dropped your ice cream," "You got a new puppy"), and the learner acts out the appropriate emotion, explaining which feeling applies and why it's okay for any person to feel that way.
• Create New Cards: Ask the learner to draw or describe a new feeling card that the class can try acting out.