Feelings
Understanding our feelings is the first step towards developing empathy. When children understand what feelings are, where they come from and how they can talk about and regulate them, they are more settled and calm in class and better able to learn and to get on with one another.
http://www.ahaparenting.com/_blog/Parenting_Blog/post/helping-children-develop-social-and-emotional-intelligence-skills/
discuss:
discuss:
brainstorm:
suggest:
create word wall
activities:
http://www.ahaparenting.com/_blog/Parenting_Blog/post/helping-children-develop-social-and-emotional-intelligence-skills/
discuss:
- what are feelings/emotions? Introduce the words;
- what makes us feel good? 'I feel happy when .... " "I feel excited when .... "
- why do we sometimes feel 'not happy'? what kinds of things can make us feel 'not happy'? "I feel sad when .... " "I feel angry when .... " "I feel scared when .... "
- show basic emotions chart or cards (disgust, anger, fear, etc) and discuss. Draw children's attention to eyebrows, mouth, etc.
- have children make a sad face, happy face, etc. Maybe show faces in pairs, to whole group or to teacher? Give them mirrors and ask them to make the faces so they can see how they look;
- explain that we all have these feelings, regardless of age, background, language, etc. It's part of being human;
- are any of these emotions/feelings bad? No. Emotions and feelings are not bad or good. They just are.
discuss:
- is there anything we can do to help ourselves feel better when we feel bad?
brainstorm:
- play
- hang out with a friend
- cuddle with mum or dad
- time alone
- ......
suggest:
- exercise
- meditation
- walk/play in nature
create word wall
activities:
- check in with your feelings every day. How am I feeling today? Why might that be?
- imagine a time when you felt happy. Draw how you felt.
- imagine a time when you felt sad/angry. Draw how you felt.
- act out feelings. Give children a scenario and they act out how they would feel.
- watch a clip showing great expressions - Marcel Marceau?
- play Snap or Go Fish with emotion picture cards or match emotion picture cards to words