Feelings Puppet Play

In this hands-on activity, students create and use puppets to explore and express different emotions.

Objective: Students will create a puppet representing a chosen emotion and practice naming and expressing that feeling aloud.


Time: 20 minutes
Materials:

• Feelings Puppet Templates
• Crayons, markers, or colored pencils
• Craft sticks or straws
• Glue or tape
• Scissors
  
  
  Prep (5 minutes):
• Print one Feelings Puppet Template per student.
• Pre-cut craft sticks or straws if needed.
• Arrange art supplies at each table.
  
  

Instructions

1. Select & Decorate (5 min)
   • Distribute a puppet template to each student.
   • Ask them to choose one emotion (happy, sad, angry, surprised, etc.) and color or decorate their puppet’s face and features to match that feeling.
     
     
2. Assemble Puppets (3 min)
   • Guide students to carefully cut out their decorated puppet.
   • Help them attach a craft stick or straw with glue or tape as a handle.
     
     
3. Demonstrate (3 min)
   • Model with your puppet: hold it up, show an emotion, and say, “My puppet feels ___ because ___.”
   • For example: “My puppet feels sad because it lost its toy.”
     
     
4. Student Practice (5 min)
   • Invite volunteers to the front to share their puppet.
   • Each student holds up their puppet and uses the sentence frame:
     “My puppet feels [emotion] because [reason].”
     
     
5. Pair Share (4 min)
   • Pair students with a partner.
   • Each pair takes turns using their puppets to express different emotions and reasons.
   • Encourage them to ask each other, “Why does your puppet feel that way?”
     
     
     Teacher Tips:

• Provide sentence frames on a chart: “My puppet feels ___.” “I feel ___ when ___.”
• Offer prompts if students struggle (“How might your puppet look if it felt excited?”).
• Celebrate all efforts to build confidence in naming and sharing emotions.

This activity supports emotional vocabulary development and gives students a playful way to express and talk about feelings.

Emotion Story Circle

Objective: Students will practice listening, sharing personal feelings, and empathizing by discussing emotions through interactive story scenarios.

Materials

• Emotion Story Cards
• Puppets from the Feelings Puppet Play (optional)
• A cushion or mat for seating in a circle

Circle Guidelines

• Listen respectfully when others share.
  - Speak using “I feel…” statements.
  - It’s okay to pass if you’re not ready to share.
  - Be kind and supportive of everyone’s feelings.

Discussion Steps

1. Gather in a circle with your puppet (optional).
   
   
2. Shuffle the Emotion Story Cards and place them face down in the center.
   
   
3. One at a time, students pick a card, read (or have the teacher read) the scenario aloud, and respond using their puppet or by speaking for themselves.

Story Prompts & Follow-Ups

1. Scenario Sharing

Prompt: “Your card says: ‘You lost your favorite toy.’ Show or tell how your puppet feels.”


– My puppet feels __________ because __________.



Follow-Up Questions:
- Have you ever felt like this? When?

• What helped you feel better?
  
  
  

2. Personal Connection

Prompt: “Think of a time you felt the same way as your puppet. What happened?”



Follow-Up Questions:
- How did you cope with that feeling?

• Who did you talk to when you felt that way?
  
  
  

3. Empathy Building

Prompt: “What could you do to help a friend who feels this emotion?”



Follow-Up Questions:
- What words can we say to make them feel better?

• What actions can we take (e.g., a hug, drawing together)?
  
  
  

4. Feelings Vocabulary

Prompt: “Can you name other words that mean something like this feeling?”



Follow-Up Questions:
- How are ‘sad’ and ‘disappointed’ similar? Different?

• Can you show with your face or body what it looks like?
  
  
  

Closing Reflection

Invite volunteers to share one new thing they learned about feelings today.



End with a group affirmation: “All feelings are okay. We can talk about them and help each other.”