Lesson Plan
Emotional Explorers: Navigating Feelings Safely
Students will be able to identify and name a variety of emotions, articulate how different emotions feel in their bodies, and practice healthy ways to express their feelings.
Understanding and managing emotions is a fundamental life skill that supports mental well-being, improves social interactions, and helps students navigate challenges with resilience.
Audience
Elementary School Students (K-5)
Time
60 minutes
Approach
Interactive stories, games, and creative expression.
Materials
Whiteboard or projector, Emotional Explorers Slide Deck, Art supplies (crayons, markers, paper), Feelings Faces Worksheet, My Emotion Journal, and Optional: Soft ball or beanbag for activity
Prep
Preparation Steps
15 minutes
- Review the Emotional Explorers Slide Deck and familiarize yourself with the content and teacher notes.
- Print enough copies of the Feelings Faces Worksheet for each student.
- Prepare copies of My Emotion Journal for each student.
- Gather art supplies (crayons, markers, paper).
- Ensure whiteboard or projector is ready for use.
- Optional: Find a soft ball or beanbag for the 'Pass the Feeling' activity.
- Review all generated materials as needed to ensure comfort with the lesson flow and content.
Step 1
Warm-Up: How Are You Feeling Today?
5 minutes
- Greet students and ask them to show with their faces or a thumbs up/down how they are feeling.
- Briefly discuss a few common feelings they share (e.g., happy, sleepy, excited).
Step 2
Introduction to Emotional Explorers
10 minutes
- Display the first slide of the Emotional Explorers Slide Deck.
- Introduce the idea of being 'emotional explorers' and that today they will learn to navigate their feelings safely.
- Discuss why understanding feelings is important (teacher script available in slide notes).
Step 3
Exploring Different Emotions
15 minutes
- Go through slides showcasing various emotions (happy, sad, angry, scared, surprised, etc.).
- For each emotion, ask students: 'What does [emotion] feel like in your body?' and 'What might make someone feel [emotion]?'
- Encourage students to share examples and demonstrate facial expressions.
- Use the Emotional Explorers Slide Deck for visual aids and discussion points.
Step 4
Activity: Feelings Faces
15 minutes
- Distribute the Feelings Faces Worksheet and art supplies.
- Instruct students to draw faces for different emotions and/or draw a time they felt a particular emotion.
- Circulate and provide support, asking students to describe their drawings and feelings.
- Alternatively, play 'Pass the Feeling': Students sit in a circle, one student starts by making a face showing an emotion, and the next student copies it and adds another emotion, passing it around.
Step 5
Journaling Our Emotions
10 minutes
- Hand out My Emotion Journal.
- Explain that journals are a private space to explore their feelings.
- Guide them through the first prompt: 'Draw or write about a time you felt happy and what made you feel that way.'
- Emphasize that all feelings are okay to have and that writing about them can help us understand them better.
Step 6
Wrap-Up: Sharing and Support
5 minutes
- Invite students to share (voluntarily) one new thing they learned about emotions today.
- Reiterate that it's okay to have all kinds of feelings and that talking to a trusted adult can help when feelings are big or confusing.
- Assign optional homework: complete another entry in My Emotion Journal.
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Slide Deck
Emotional Explorers: Navigating Feelings Safely
Your Guide to Understanding Feelings!
Today, we're going on an adventure to explore our feelings. We'll learn to identify them, understand them, and express them in healthy ways. Just like explorers need maps, we need to learn about our emotional maps!
Welcome students and introduce the theme of the lesson. Explain that everyone has feelings and that exploring them helps us understand ourselves and others better.
What Are Emotions?
Feelings in Our Bodies and Minds
Emotions are signals that tell us how we are reacting to the world around us. They can be big or small, and they can make our bodies feel different ways. Knowing our feelings helps us know ourselves!
Ask students: "What are emotions?" Allow for a few student responses. Explain that emotions are feelings that we all experience, and they can change throughout the day.
Happy!
When Everything Feels Right
- What it feels like: Joyful, excited, cheerful, delighted.
- How your body might feel: Light, energetic, smiling, giggling.
- What makes us happy? Playing with friends, getting a treat, sunny days!
Discuss what happiness looks like and feels like. Ask: "What makes you feel happy?" and "How does happiness feel in your body?" (e.g., a warm feeling, a smile, light heart).
Sad...
When Things Don't Go Our Way
- What it feels like: Down, disappointed, lonely, teary.
- How your body might feel: Heavy, tired, tears, wanting to be alone.
- What makes us sad? Losing a toy, saying goodbye, when someone is hurt.
Discuss sadness. Emphasize that it's okay to feel sad. Ask: "What might make someone feel sad?" and "How does sadness feel in your body?" (e.g., a heavy feeling, tears, quiet).
Angry!
When We Feel Frustrated or Mad
- What it feels like: Frustrated, annoyed, furious, irritated.
- How your body might feel: Hot, tense muscles, furrowed brows, fast heartbeat.
- What makes us angry? Someone being unfair, things not working, feeling misunderstood.
Discuss anger. It's important to differentiate between feeling angry (which is okay) and acting aggressively (which is not). Ask: "What might make someone feel angry?" and "How does anger feel in your body?" (e.g., hot, tense, fists clenched).
Scared!
When We Feel Unsafe or Worried
- What it feels like: Frightened, nervous, worried, anxious.
- How your body might feel: Shaky, fast breathing, tummy ache, wanting to run away.
- What makes us scared? Dark places, loud noises, new situations, spooky stories.
Discuss fear. Ask: "What might make someone feel scared?" and "How does fear feel in your body?" (e.g., shaky, fast heartbeat, wanting to hide).
Surprised!
When Something Unexpected Happens
- What it feels like: Startled, amazed, unexpected, shocked.
- How your body might feel: Wide eyes, open mouth, a quick gasp.
- What makes us surprised? A sudden noise, a hidden present, a funny joke!
Discuss surprise. Ask: "What might make someone feel surprised?" and "How does surprise feel in your body?" (e.g., sudden gasp, wide eyes).
Calm
When We Feel Peaceful and Relaxed
- What it feels like: Peaceful, relaxed, content, quiet.
- How your body might feel: Slow breathing, loose muscles, gentle smile.
- What makes us calm? Reading a book, listening to soft music, spending time in nature.
Discuss feeling calm. Ask: "What makes you feel calm?" and "How does calm feel in your body?" (e.g., relaxed, peaceful, slow breathing). This is a good opportunity to introduce simple breathing exercises if time permits.
All Feelings Are Okay!
What We've Learned Today
- Everyone has feelings, and they are all important.
- We can learn to identify how feelings look and feel in our bodies.
- It's always okay to talk about your feelings with a trusted grown-up!
Review that all feelings are okay and that we have ways to handle big feelings. Emphasize seeking help from a trusted adult. Ask students to share one way they can show they understand their feelings (e.g., by talking about them, drawing them).
Worksheet
Feelings Faces Worksheet
Being an emotional explorer means knowing what different feelings look like! For each feeling below, draw a face that shows that emotion. You can also draw a picture of a time you felt that way!
1. Happy
Draw a happy face or a time you felt happy!
2. Sad
Draw a sad face or a time you felt sad.
3. Angry
Draw an angry face or a time you felt angry.
4. Scared
Draw a scared face or a time you felt scared.
5. Surprised
Draw a surprised face or a time you felt surprised.
6. Calm
Draw a calm face or a time you felt calm.
Activity
Pass the Feeling Game
Objective: To help students recognize and imitate different emotional expressions.
Materials: Optional: A soft ball or beanbag.
Instructions:
- Have students sit in a circle on the floor.
- Explain that you are going to play a game where you "pass" feelings around the circle.
- The first student starts by making a clear facial expression that shows an emotion (e.g., a happy smile, a sad frown, an angry scowl).
- That student then "passes" the feeling to the person next to them by making eye contact and showing the emotion.
- The next student copies the first student's emotion and then adds a new emotion with their own facial expression.
- They then pass their new emotion to the next person.
- Continue around the circle, with each student copying the emotion passed to them and then showing a new emotion to the next person.
- If using a ball/beanbag, the student holds it, makes an emotion, and then passes the ball and the emotion to the next person. The next person catches the ball, copies the emotion, makes a new one, and passes it on.
Tips for the Teacher:
- Encourage exaggeration and dramatic expressions.
- Remind students that all feelings are okay, and it's fun to practice showing them.
- If a student is shy, offer to demonstrate with them or suggest a simple emotion like "happy" or "sleepy."
- After the game, you can discuss: "Was it easy or hard to show different feelings?" "Why is it helpful to recognize feelings in others?"
Journal
My Emotion Journal
This is your special journal to explore all your feelings! Remember, all your feelings are important and it's good to think and write about them. You can draw pictures or write words, whatever feels right to you.
Journal Entry 1: Happy Times!
Think about a time you felt really, really happy! What made you feel that way? Who were you with? What did it feel like in your body?
Draw or write about your happy memory here:
Journal Entry 2: When Feelings Are Tricky
Sometimes feelings can be a little tricky, like when you feel sad or a little bit angry. Think about a time you felt a tricky feeling. What happened? What did you do? Who did you talk to?
Draw or write about a tricky feeling here:
Journal Entry 3: What Makes Me Calm?
When you have big feelings, it's good to know what helps you feel calm. What are some things that help you feel peaceful and relaxed?
Draw or write about what makes you feel calm:
Journal Entry 4: My Emotion Word Bank
What new emotion words have you learned? Write or draw them here! Can you think of any other emotion words?