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Blooming Feelings

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Ariana Dekeon

Tier 2

Lesson Plan

Blooming Feelings Lesson Plan

Students will recognize and label emotions using spring-themed imagery, share personal experiences, and collaboratively build a “Feeling Garden” to practice empathy and positive social interaction.

Developing emotional literacy helps 2nd graders express feelings, understand peers, and build empathy in a fun, seasonal setting.

Audience

2nd Grade Students

Time

30 minutes

Approach

Hands-on spring activities to identify, share, and display emotions.

Materials

  • Spring Emotion Cards, - Flower Feelings Chart, - Blank Flower Templates, and - Emotion Garden Poster

Prep

Setup Materials

10 minutes

  • Print and cut out the Spring Emotion Cards and Blank Flower Templates.
  • Prepare a display area or bulletin board for the Feeling Garden.
  • Review the Flower Feelings Chart to familiarize yourself with emotion labels and synonyms.
  • Hang the Emotion Garden Poster where all students can see it.
  • Review the overall flow in the Blooming Feelings Lesson Plan.

Step 1

Introduction

5 minutes

  • Invite students to sit in a circle and introduce today’s theme of “Blooming Feelings.”
  • Show the Emotion Garden Poster and explain it represents different feelings as flowers.
  • Briefly discuss what emotions are and how we can recognize them in ourselves and others.

Step 2

Emotion Identification

10 minutes

  • Distribute the Spring Emotion Cards face down around the circle.
  • Students take turns picking a card, naming the emotion, and describing a time they felt it.
  • Reference the Flower Feelings Chart for synonyms or additional examples as needed.

Step 3

Group Garden Activity

10 minutes

  • Give each student a Blank Flower Template.
  • Ask students to draw or write the emotion they selected on a flower petal and add colors or designs.
  • As a group, attach the completed flowers to the display area to create the “Feeling Garden.”

Step 4

Reflection and Closing

5 minutes

  • Gather students around the completed Feeling Garden.
  • Prompt each student to share one insight about their own or a peer’s emotion.
  • Encourage students to offer supportive comments and suggest one positive action when someone shows that feeling today.
lenny

Slide Deck

Blooming Feelings

Spring-Themed SEL Session for 2nd Grade
Time: 30 minutes (Tier 2 Group)

Welcome students and introduce the session. “Today we’re going to explore our feelings with a spring twist! We’ll learn what emotions are, share times we felt them, and build a colorful Feeling Garden together.”

What Are Emotions?

• Emotions are our feelings: happy, sad, excited, nervous, and more.
• Just like flowers bloom in spring, our feelings grow and change.

What feelings do you know?

Ask: “What are emotions? Can anyone name a feeling?” Use student answers and the flower analogy—emotions grow and change like blossoms.

Emotion Identification Activity

  1. Pass out Spring Emotion Cards face-down in the circle.
  2. Take turns picking a card, naming the emotion, and sharing a time you felt it.
  3. Refer to the Flower Feelings Chart for synonyms or examples.

Distribute cards face-down. Model by picking a Spring Emotion Card, naming the emotion and telling your own short example. Encourage use of the Flower Feelings Chart for extra words.

Group Garden Activity

  1. Each student gets a Blank Flower Template.
  2. Draw or write your chosen emotion on a petal and decorate.
  3. Attach your flower to the Emotion Garden Poster to create our Feeling Garden.

Hand out one Blank Flower Template per student. Guide them as they decorate, label petals, then attach to the Emotion Garden Poster. Praise teamwork.

Reflection & Closing

• Look at our completed Feeling Garden.
• Share one insight you gained today.
• Suggest one positive action to support someone feeling that emotion.

Gather students around the finished Feeling Garden. Ask each to share one new insight and suggest a kind action when someone feels that way.

Materials

• Spring Emotion Cards
• Flower Feelings Chart
• Blank Flower Templates
• Emotion Garden Poster

Ensure all materials are prepared before the lesson starts. Quickly review each item.

Great Job, Blooming Feelings!

Thank you for sharing and growing our Feeling Garden today!
Keep noticing and caring for your feelings—and your friends’ feelings—every day.

Praise the class for their participation and creativity. Encourage them to use and share these emotion skills every day.

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Worksheet

Spring Emotion Cards

Print and cut out along the dotted lines to use in the Emotion Identification activity. Each card shows a spring-themed illustration with an emotion word.

🌼 Happy☔ Sad
🐰 Excited😰 Nervous
🌸 Calm🌱 Curious
🌹 Frustrated🌻 Proud
🌷 Surprised🌬️ Scared

(✂️ Cut on the lines to create 10 individual cards.)

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lenny

Worksheet

Flower Feelings Chart

Use this chart to understand each emotion and find other words that describe how you feel.

EmotionDefinitionOther Words
🌼 HappyFeeling joyful or pleased.cheerful, content, glad
☔ SadFeeling unhappy or down.sorrowful, blue, upset
🐰 ExcitedFeeling very happy and eager.enthusiastic, thrilled, pumped
😰 NervousFeeling anxious or worried.uneasy, jittery, apprehensive
🌸 CalmFeeling peaceful and relaxed.serene, tranquil, collected
🌱 CuriousWanting to learn or know more.inquisitive, interested, questioning
🌹 FrustratedFeeling annoyed or stuck.irritated, agitated, exasperated
🌻 ProudFeeling pleased about an achievement.satisfied, accomplished, honored
🌷 SurprisedFeeling amazed or startled.astonished, shocked, amazed
🌬️ ScaredFeeling afraid or frightened.fearful, terrified, anxious
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lenny

Worksheet

Blank Flower Templates

Print and cut out the flower templates below. Each flower has six petals around a center. Students will draw or write their chosen emotion on each petal and decorate with colors or designs.

( ) ( )

( ) ( ○ ) ( )

( ) ( )

(✂️ Cut around the outer edges of the flower.)

Use these templates during the Group Garden Activity to build our Feeling Garden together!

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lenny

Project Guide

Emotion Garden Poster

Use this large, spring-themed poster to display completed flower templates and celebrate our emotions! Print on large paper (e.g., butcher paper or an 11"×17" sheet) and follow the design below.

Design Layout

  1. Title: Centered at the top in large letters: Our Feeling Garden.
  2. Background: Light sky-blue area with a grassy green border along the bottom.
  3. Attachment Area: Leave a spacious blank area (approx. 3–4 rows of flowers) where students will stick or tape their Blank Flower Templates.
  4. Decorations: Add spring elements around the border—sun, butterflies, ladybugs, and additional blooms—to make the garden come alive.
    Our Feeling Garden       















    Grass and blooms border

Attach student flowers here to build our colorful Feeling Garden!

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lenny