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Emotional Weather Maps

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Lesson Plan

Emotional Weather Maps Lesson Plan

Students will learn to identify and express feelings by mapping emotions to weather symbols, then create personalized “emotional weather maps” to communicate how they feel.

Developing emotional literacy helps K–2 students recognize and articulate feelings, improving self-awareness, empathy, and communication skills in a supportive classroom environment.

Audience

Kindergarten–2nd Grade

Time

45 minutes

Approach

Storytelling, discussion, and creative art mapping

Materials

Prep

Prepare Materials

15 minutes

Step 1

Introduction and Story

10 minutes

  • Display Slide 1 of the Emotional Weather Maps Slide Deck
  • Read a short story about a character experiencing different “emotional weather” (e.g., sunny for happy, rainy for sad)
  • Pause to ask students: “How do you feel when the weather is sunny? Or stormy?”

Step 2

Emotion–Weather Discussion

8 minutes

  • Show slides mapping common emotions (happy, sad, angry, excited, scared) to weather symbols
  • Invite students to share examples of times they felt each emotion
  • Use weather emoji cards or draw quick symbols on the board to reinforce connections

Step 3

Demonstration

5 minutes

  • Model how to use the Emotional Weather Map Template
  • Choose one emotion, draw the symbol in the center, then add weather details (sun, clouds, raindrops)
  • Talk aloud: “I feel calm like a gentle breeze—so I’m drawing light clouds.”

Step 4

Student Art Activity

15 minutes

  • Distribute the Emotional Weather Map Template and art supplies
  • Ask students to think about how they feel right now and choose a weather symbol
  • Encourage creativity: add color, shapes, and labels (“I feel sunny because…”)
  • Circulate to support students who need help selecting or drawing symbols

Step 5

Share and Reflect

7 minutes

  • Invite volunteers to present their maps to the class
  • Guide positive feedback: “I like how you used bright yellow for happy.”
  • Conclude by asking: “How can we use our maps when talking to friends or family about feelings?”
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Slide Deck

Emotional Weather Maps

Objective:

  • Identify emotions by linking them to weather symbols
  • Create a personal “emotional weather map” to show how you feel

Let’s explore our emotional weather together!

Welcome students to the lesson. Introduce yourself. Explain that today they’ll learn to map feelings to weather.

Script: “Good morning, everyone! Today we’re going to talk about our feelings by using weather. We’ll make our own emotional weather maps!”

Story Time: Sunny’s Day

“Sunny the Cloud woke up feeling bright and warm—just like a sunny day. But as the afternoon came, raindrops began to fall, and Sunny felt a little sad.

Then a strong gust of wind blew, and Sunny felt scared. Finally, after the storm passed, a rainbow appeared—and Sunny felt excited again!”

Read the short story below. Pause after each weather-emotion moment to ask: “How would that feel to you?”

Emotions as Weather

Happy ☀️ (Sunny)
Sad 🌧️ (Rainy)
Angry ⛈️ (Stormy)
Scared 🌬️ (Windy)
Excited 🌈 (Rainbow)

Guide students through each emotion-weather pairing. Show corresponding icons or draw them on the board.

Discussion: Your Emotional Forecast

Which weather symbol matches how you feel right now?

• Think silently for a moment
• Turn to a friend and share your choice
• Be ready to tell the class

Ask students to think quietly for 30 seconds, then invite a few to share their answers.

Demonstration

  1. Grab the Emotional Weather Map Template.
  2. Choose one emotion-weather symbol and draw it in the center.
  3. Add details (e.g., clouds, raindrops, sunbeams).
  4. Label your map: “I feel ___ because ___.”

Model step by step on chart paper or document camera.

Script: “I feel calm, like a gentle breeze—so I’ll draw light clouds.”

Art Activity

  1. Use your template and art supplies.
  2. Think about your feeling today and pick the matching weather.
  3. Draw your “emotional weather” and add colors, shapes, and labels.
  4. Be creative and have fun!

Distribute templates and supplies. Circulate to encourage descriptive language: “Tell me more about your clouds.”

Share & Reflect

• Who would like to show their map?
• Classmates, give positive comments:
– “I love your bright yellow sun!”
• Wrap up: How can these maps help us talk about feelings at home or with friends?

Invite volunteers to come to the front or share in small groups. Encourage positive feedback and connections.

Wrap-Up

Great job today! Remember:

Use your emotional weather map to share your feelings with friends and family.

See you next time for more emotional adventures!

Congratulate students on their work. Remind them to keep their maps.

Script: “Wonderful maps, everyone! Use them anytime you want to share how you feel.”

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Activity

Activity: Emotional Weather Map Creation

Objective:

  • Students will create a visual “weather map” that represents their current emotion, then label and share it to practice emotional expression and communication.

Materials:

  • Emotional Weather Map Template (one per student)
  • Crayons, markers, colored pencils
  • Construction paper (optional for mounting)
  • Glue sticks and scissors (optional for collage elements)
  • Weather and emotion icon cards (happy ☀️, sad 🌧️, angry ⛈️, scared 🌬️, excited 🌈)

Time: 15 minutes

Grouping:

  • Individual work, followed by partner sharing

Instructions:

  1. Reflect & Choose (2 minutes)

    • Display the emotion–weather cards. Ask: “Which weather symbol matches how you feel right now?”
    • Give students a moment to think and point to the card that fits best.

  2. Map Creation (10 minutes)

    • Distribute one Emotional Weather Map Template and art supplies to each student.
    • Ask students to:
      • Draw their chosen weather symbol (sun, rain, storm, wind, or rainbow) in the center circle.
      • Add details around it (clouds, raindrops, sunbeams, wind swirls, rainbow colors).
      • Color creatively to show the intensity of their feeling (bright colors for strong feelings, soft pastels for calm).
      • Write or dictate a simple label: “I feel ___ because ___.”
    • Circulate and prompt: “Tell me more about your clouds—why are they big or small?”

  3. Partner Share (3 minutes)

    • Have students pair up. Each student shows their map and says:
      • “My weather is ___ because I feel ___.”
      • Partner asks one question: “What made you choose that color?” or “How could a friend help you when you feel stormy?”

Reflection Questions (to debrief as a class or in small groups):

  • Which weather symbol did you pick and why?
  • How does your map help you explain your feelings to others?
  • When might you use an emotional weather map at home or with friends?

Differentiation & Extensions:

  • Non-writers: Students draw and speak their sentence; teacher or peer scribe the label.
  • Early finishers: Create a second map showing how they’d like to feel tomorrow.
  • Display: Mount the completed maps on a classroom “Weather Wall” for ongoing check-ins.

Teacher Tips:

  • Encourage descriptive language: “I see you used dark blues—what does that tell me about your feeling?”
  • Validate all emotions: emphasize there is no “good” or “bad” weather—just how we feel.
  • Use maps in future morning meetings as a quick emotional check-in tool.
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