Emotion Dance Party Activity

Description:
Students will freely move and dance to express different emotions, practice identifying feelings in themselves and others, and build social connection through shared movement. This lively activity reinforces emotional vocabulary and encourages students to notice how emotions feel in their bodies.

Duration: 15 minutes

Materials:

• Upbeat Music Playlist
• Emotion Chart Poster
• Emotion Flashcards

Instructions

1. Introduction and Ground Rules (2 minutes)

   • Gather students in a clear space. Explain that they’ll dance their feelings to music.
   • Review the safe-movement rules: personal space, no touching others, and using “indoor feet.”

2. Warm-Up Emotion Check (2 minutes)

   • Show one Emotion Flashcard at a time.
   • Students call out the emotion and quickly make a face or gesture for it.

3. Dance Rounds (8 minutes)

   • Play a song from the Upbeat Music Playlist.
   • Call out an emotion (e.g., “Happiness!”) and have students dance in a way that shows that feeling (jumping, spinning).
   • After 30–45 seconds, switch to a new emotion (e.g., “Anger!” stomp stomps).
   • Continue through 4–5 different emotions.

4. Freeze and Reflect (2 minutes)

   • Sudden “freeze!” stops the music. Students hold their final pose.
   • Ask one or two volunteers: “Which emotion did you just dance? How did it feel in your body?”

5. Partner Share (1 minute)

   • Students pair up and take turns showing a quick movement for an emotion while their partner guesses which feeling it is.

Follow-Up Discussion Questions

• Which dance movement did you enjoy the most, and why?
  
  
  
• How did your body help you understand the emotion you were dancing?
  
  
  
• Can you think of a time when you might use movement or dance to feel better?

Encourage students to link physical sensations to emotions and to use movement as a healthy coping tool.

Emotion Reflection Chat

Duration: 8 minutes
Purpose: Help students articulate felt emotions, connect them to bodily sensations, and share strategies for understanding and coping with feelings.

Materials:

• Emotion Chart Poster
• Emotion Flashcards
• Emotion Reflection Worksheets

Discussion Guidelines

• Listen when others speak and wait your turn.
• Use kind words and respect everyone’s feelings.
• It’s okay to share or pass – everyone’s comfort matters!

Discussion Flow

1. Warm-Up (1 minute)
   • Show one Emotion Flashcard.
   • Invite students to name the emotion and make the matching face or gesture.

2. Key Questions (6 minutes)

   1. How did your body feel when you moved like [Emotion]?
   (e.g., “Did your heart beat fast? Did your arms feel heavy or light?”)
   
   
   
   

   2. Which movement helped you understand the emotion best? Why?
   (Link to the movements you practiced during the Emotion Dance Party.)
   
   
   
   

   3. Can you remember a time you felt this emotion in real life? What happened?
   
   
   
   

   4. What can you do with your body or your words to help yourself feel better when you feel [Emotion]?
   (Prompt ideas: deep breaths, slow arms, counting to five, talking to a friend.)
   
   
   
   

3. Wrap-Up (1 minute)
   • Re-visit the Emotion Chart Poster and ask:
   “Which emotion are you glad we practiced today?”

Teacher Tips & Follow-Ups

• If a student is shy, allow them to point on the chart or nod.
• Record key student words on chart paper for a “Word Bank” of feelings.
• Later, students can illustrate one of these moments on their Emotion Reflection Worksheets.

Encourage using movement and words together as a healthy way to know and share our feelings!