Emotion Charades: Act It Out!

Objective

To provide clinical staff with a fun and interactive way to practice recognizing and expressing a wide range of emotions, which they can then adapt for K-12 students.

Materials

• Small slips of paper with various emotions written on them (e.g., ecstatic, frustrated, confused, proud, shy, anxious, determined, curious, disappointed, relieved).
• A hat or bowl to draw from.

Instructions

1. Introduce the Activity (2 minutes): Explain that this activity helps us become more attuned to emotional cues, both verbal and non-verbal. Emphasize that this is a safe space for exploration.
2. Demonstrate (2 minutes): The facilitator can start by drawing an emotion and acting it out without speaking. Encourage the group to guess the emotion.
3. Round Robin (15 minutes):
   • Each staff member takes a turn drawing a slip of paper with an emotion.
   • Without speaking, they must act out the emotion using facial expressions, body language, and gestures.
   • The rest of the group guesses the emotion. The person who guesses correctly can go next.
   • Encourage discussion after each emotion: "What cues did you notice? How might a student display this emotion differently?"
4. Discussion and Reflection (5 minutes):
   • What was challenging about this activity?
     
     
     
   • How did you differentiate between similar emotions?
     
     
     
   • How might you adapt this activity for different age groups in K-12?
     
     
     
   • Why is it important for students to recognize these varied emotions in themselves and others?
     
     
     

Adaptation for K-12 Students

• Younger Students: Use simpler emotions (happy, sad, mad, scared). Provide picture cards with emotions. Focus on gross motor movements.
• Older Students: Introduce more complex emotions and scenarios. Encourage them to explain why their character might feel that way.

My Feeling Finder: Understanding My Emotions

Objective

To help K-12 students identify and articulate their emotions by exploring how feelings manifest in their bodies, what triggers them, and healthy ways to respond.

Instructions for Students

• For Younger Students (K-2): A grown-up can help you read the questions and write down your answers or draw pictures.
• For Older Students (3-12): Read the questions carefully and answer them with as much detail as you can.

Part 1: What Am I Feeling?

1. Right now, how am I feeling? (Circle or write down as many as apply!)

   • Happy / Joyful / Content
   • Sad / Disappointed / Lonely
   • Angry / Frustrated / Annoyed
   • Scared / Worried / Anxious
   • Excited / Enthusiastic / Eager
   • Confused / Puzzled
   • Proud / Accomplished
   • Shy / Nervous
   • Calm / Peaceful
   • Tired / Sleepy
   • Hungry
   • Other: _____________________________
     
     
     

2. Where do I feel this emotion in my body? (For example, butterflies in your stomach when you're nervous, a tight chest when you're sad, or a big smile when you're happy. You can draw a picture of yourself and color where you feel it!)
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Part 2: What Happened?

3. What happened just before I started feeling this way? (What was I doing? Who was I with? What was I thinking about?)
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

4. Was there something specific that made me feel this way? (A trigger?)
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Part 3: What Can I Do?

5. What is a healthy way I can show or tell someone what I am feeling? (For example, talking to a grown-up, writing in a journal, drawing a picture, taking deep breaths, playing outside.)
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

6. Who is someone I can talk to about my feelings?
   
   
   
   

For Clinical Staff: Discussion Prompts

• How can this worksheet help students build their emotional vocabulary?
• What challenges might students face when completing this worksheet, and how can we support them?
• How can we use students' responses to these questions to develop coping strategies?

Emotional Check-in: Guiding Conversations with Students

Objective

To provide clinical staff with structured prompts and strategies for facilitating meaningful discussions with K-12 students about their emotions, fostering self-awareness and healthy coping mechanisms.

Guidelines for Facilitators

• Create a Safe Space: Emphasize confidentiality and non-judgment. Let students know all feelings are okay to share.
• Active Listening: Listen attentively without interrupting. Validate feelings by acknowledging what students say.
• Open-Ended Questions: Encourage more than just "yes" or "no" answers. Use "how," "what," and "tell me more."
• Normalize Feelings: Remind students that everyone experiences a range of emotions, and it's normal to feel different ways at different times.
• Focus on Solutions (when appropriate): After validating feelings, gently guide students toward identifying healthy coping strategies or solutions.

Discussion Prompts for Students

Opening the Conversation (General Check-in)

1. "How are you feeling today? You can choose a feeling word from our list or use your own words."
   
   
   
2. "If your feelings were a weather report right now, what would they be?"
   
   
   
3. "What's one feeling you've had this week that you want to share?"
   
   
   

Exploring Specific Emotions

4. "Tell me about a time recently when you felt [emotion, e.g., frustrated/excited]. What happened?"
   
   
   
   
   
   
5. "Where do you feel [emotion] in your body?" (Referencing Worksheet: My Feeling Finder can be helpful here.)
   
   
   
6. "What does [emotion] make you want to do?"
   
   
   

Understanding Triggers and Responses

7. "What kinds of things tend to make you feel [specific emotion]?"
   
   
   
   
   
   
8. "When you feel [emotion], what is one healthy way you can respond or take care of that feeling?"
   
   
   
   
   
   
9. "Who is someone you trust that you can talk to when you have strong feelings?"
   
   
   

Empathy and Perspective-Taking

10. "How can you tell how a friend is feeling, even if they don't say anything?"
    
    
    
    
    
    
11. "If a friend was feeling [emotion], what could you do to show them you care?"
    
    
    
    
    
    

For Clinical Staff: Reflection Questions

• Which prompts felt most effective for different age groups of students?
• What challenges did you encounter, and how did you address them?
• How can you integrate these check-ins into your regular interactions with students?