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Emotion Art Check-In

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Lesson Plan

Artful Emotional Check-In Lesson Plan

Students will identify and express their current emotions and future aspirations through guided art activities, fostering self-awareness and emotional vocabulary.

This lesson builds emotional intelligence by giving students a safe, creative outlet to explore feelings and set personal goals, strengthening classroom community and social-emotional skills.

Audience

K–8 Elementary School Students

Time

60 minutes

Approach

Guided art creation and peer sharing.

Materials

Prep

Teacher Preparation

15 minutes

Step 1

Introduction & Emotional Warm-Up

10 minutes

  • Display first slides from Artful Emotional Check-In Slide Deck to define emotions
  • Lead a brief check-in: ask students to name one feeling word and show a thumbs-up/side/down
  • Explain today’s goal: to express how we feel now and how we hope to feel in the future

Step 2

Create Your Current Feelings Art

15 minutes

  • Distribute Current Feelings Art Template
  • Prompt students to draw colors/shapes that match how they feel right now
  • Differentiation:
    • Struggling artists: use simple smiley/frowny faces and solid colors
    • Advanced students: add symbols or words to convey mixed emotions
  • Circulate and ask individuals: “Tell me about your colors—why did you choose them?”

Step 3

Design Your Aspirational Piece

20 minutes

  • Hand out Aspirational Dreams Worksheet
  • Ask students to illustrate a scene showing how they want to feel or what they hope to achieve
  • Encourage imaginative details: location, people, objects
  • Differentiation:
    • Provide sentence starters for those who need help labeling their hopes
    • Offer extra prompts (e.g., “What colors feel hopeful?”) for advanced thinkers

Step 4

Pair Share & Reflect

10 minutes

  • Students pair up and take turns presenting both artworks
  • Use guided questions: “What makes you feel this way?” and “What can you do to reach your dream feeling?”
  • Emphasize active listening and positive feedback (“I like how you…”)

Step 5

Closure & Formative Assessment

5 minutes

  • Bring class together and ask volunteers to share one insight
  • Formative assessment:
    • Observe each student’s artwork for emotional range and effort
    • Note verbal reflections on goals and next steps
  • Encourage students to keep their artwork visible as a reminder of their goals
lenny

Lesson Plan

Emotion Art Check-In Lesson Plan

Students will identify and express their current emotions and future aspirations through guided art activities, building emotional vocabulary and self-awareness.

This lesson builds emotional intelligence by giving students a safe, creative outlet to explore feelings and set personal goals, strengthening classroom community and social-emotional skills.

Audience

K–8 Elementary School Students

Time

60 minutes

Approach

Guided art creation and peer sharing.

Materials

Prep

Teacher Preparation

15 minutes

Step 1

Introduction & Emotional Warm-Up

10 minutes

  • Display the first slides from Artful Emotional Check-In Slide Deck to introduce common emotions
  • Lead a class check-in: ask students to share a feeling word and indicate their current mood with a thumbs-up/side/down gesture
  • Explain the lesson’s goal: express how we feel now and how we'd like to feel in the future through art

Step 2

Create Your Current Feelings Art

15 minutes

  • Distribute the Current Feelings Art Template
  • Instruct students to use colors, shapes, or simple symbols that represent their current emotions
  • Differentiation:
    • For students who need support: offer simple shape stencils and basic emotion icons
    • For advanced students: encourage adding descriptive words or symbolic imagery
  • Circulate and ask: “Why did you choose these colors or shapes?”

Step 3

Design Your Aspirational Piece

20 minutes

  • Hand out the Aspirational Dreams Worksheet
  • Ask students to illustrate a scene showing how they hope to feel or what they aspire to achieve
  • Encourage imaginative details like setting, people, and uplifting elements
  • Differentiation:
    • Provide sentence starters (e.g., “I will feel ___ when…”) for students needing writing support
    • Offer extra prompts (e.g., “Which colors feel hopeful?”) for students seeking a challenge

Step 4

Pair Share & Reflect

10 minutes

  • Have students pair up and share their current and aspirational artworks
  • Provide guided questions:
    • “What makes you feel this way right now?”
    • “What steps can help you reach your aspirational feeling?”
  • Encourage active listening and positive feedback (“I like how you…”)

Step 5

Closure & Formative Assessment

5 minutes

  • Bring the class together and invite volunteers to share one insight from their art
  • Assess understanding by observing:
    • Emotional range conveyed in artwork
    • Use of emotion vocabulary during reflections
  • Encourage students to display their artworks at their desks as visual reminders of their feelings and goals
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Slide Deck

Artful Emotional Check-In

Exploring Feelings Through Art

Welcome everyone! Today we’re going to check in with our emotions through art. Encourage students to settle in and get ready to express themselves.

What Are Emotions?

• Emotions are feelings inside us.
• They help us understand what’s happening around us.
• Everyone feels different emotions at different times.

Explain that emotions are signals inside us that tell us how we feel. Use simple examples (butterflies in your tummy = nervous). Invite a few students to name times they felt different emotions.

Emotional Vocabulary

Common Feeling Words:
• Happy • Sad • Angry
• Excited • Nervous • Calm
• Proud • Scared

Read each word aloud. Ask students to give a thumbs-up if they know the word, or a thumbs-down if it’s new. Encourage them to share an emoji or face they might make when they feel each emotion.

Create Your Current Feelings Art

  1. Take your Current Feelings Art Template
  2. Choose colors, shapes, or symbols that match how you feel right now.
  3. Add simple faces or words if it helps.
  4. Work for 15 minutes.

Display the template on the screen. Model filling in one section: e.g., using blue and wavy lines when you feel calm. Circulate and ask students why they chose their colors/shapes.

Design Your Aspirational Dreams Art

  1. Grab your Aspirational Dreams Worksheet
  2. Draw a scene that shows how you want to feel in the future.
  3. Include details like people, place, or objects that bring hope.
  4. Work for 20 minutes.

Show an example aspirational piece: e.g., drawing yourself playing with friends to show 'joyful'. Prompt students to think about what makes them feel hopeful.

Pair Share & Reflect

• Partner up. Show your current & dream artworks.
• Ask: “What makes you feel this way now?”
• Ask: “What can you do to reach your dream feeling?”
• Give positive feedback to each other.

Remind pairs to take turns speaking and listening. Model one reflection: “I chose yellow because it feels sunny and happy.”

Wrap-Up & Reminder

• Volunteers share one insight.
• Display your art at your desk or wall.
• Keep using art to check in with your feelings.

Invite a few volunteers to share one insight from their art. Praise effort and courage for sharing. Remind students to display their art as a daily reminder of their feelings and goals.

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Activity

Emotion Art Pair Share Activity

Time: 10 minutes

Materials:

Setup:

  • Arrange desks or tables into pairs so students face each other comfortably.
  • Display the sharing guidelines and reflection questions on the board or projector.

Instructions:

  1. Form Pairs
    Invite students to find their assigned partner and sit facing them with a clear workspace for both artworks.
  2. Share Current Feelings Art
    Partner A begins by holding up their current-feelings artwork. They have 1–2 minutes to:
    • Describe how the colors, shapes, or symbols represent their emotions today.
    • Use one of the reflection prompts if they need inspiration.
  3. Ask & Listen
    Partner B asks one or two questions from the prompt list, then offers positive feedback (“I like how you used…”).
  4. Switch Roles
    Partner B now presents their two pieces (current & aspirational) following the same format. Partner A listens and asks questions.
  5. Group Debrief
    After both partners share, quickly invite any pair to share an interesting insight with the whole class.

Reflection Prompts (display on board):
• What makes you feel this way right now?
• Why did you choose these colors/shapes/symbols?
• What steps can help you reach your dream feeling?
• How might you use this art as a reminder of your goals?

Teacher Tips:

  • Circulate to ensure each student has equal time and is practicing active listening.
  • Model one round of sharing with a volunteer if students are shy.
  • Gently redirect pairs that finish early or need help staying on task.

Assessment & Closure:

  • Observe each student’s ability to articulate feelings and aspirations.
  • Note use of emotional vocabulary and depth of reflection.
  • Encourage students to display their artworks at their desks as a visual reminder of their goals.
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Worksheet

Current Feelings Art Template

Student Name: ____________________ Date: __________

1. Create Your Color Key

Choose a color for each feeling below. Fill in the line with the name of your color and practice coloring a small circle next to it.

  • Happy: __________________ ◯

  • Sad: __________________ ◯

  • Angry: __________________ ◯

  • Excited: __________________ ◯

  • Nervous: __________________ ◯

  • Calm: __________________ ◯

  • Proud: __________________ ◯

  • Scared: __________________ ◯

2. Draw Your Current Feelings

Use the space below to create shapes, patterns, or symbols that show how you feel right now. Think about which colors match your emotions and fill them in.

















3. Word Label (Optional)

If you’d like, write one or two feeling words that describe your artwork above:

______________________________

Teacher Prompt:
• What made you choose these colors/shapes?

• How does this drawing show how you feel?

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Worksheet

Aspirational Dreams Worksheet

Student Name: ____________________ Date: __________

1. Visualize Your Future Feeling

Draw a scene that shows how you want to feel or what you hope to achieve in the future. Think about the setting, people, objects, and colors that make this feeling come to life.













2. Add Important Details

Fill in the blanks below to add more depth to your drawing.

  1. Where am I in this scene? ________________________________

  2. Who else is with me (if anyone)? ___________________________

  3. What is one object or symbol in my scene and why? _________

3. Choose Words & Colors

List two feeling words and two colors that best match your aspirational scene.

  • Feeling Word 1: _______________ Feeling Word 2: _______________

  • Color 1: _______________ Color 2: _______________

4. Write Your Aspiration

Complete at least one of the sentence starters below. Add more details if you like.

  • I will feel ___ when ___________________________________________.




  • My biggest hope is ________________________________________________ because _________________.




5. Reflection & Next Steps

Answer the question below in a few sentences:

What is one small step you can take this week to move closer to your dream feeling?







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