Warm-Up: Emotion Charades

Objective: Practice recognizing and labeling emotions in ourselves and others to build social awareness.

Materials Needed:

• A set of emotion prompt cards (e.g., happy, sad, surprised, angry, excited, scared)

Preparation (5 minutes)

• Create 12–15 cards, each with a single emotion word printed clearly.
• Place cards face down in a container or hat.

Instructions (5 minutes total)

1. Explain the Game (1 minute)
   • Gather students in a circle.
   • Tell them they’ll play Emotion Charades: each student will silently act out an emotion on a card, and classmates will guess what it is.
2. Act and Guess (3 minutes)
   • Invite one volunteer to draw a card and act out the emotion without using words or sounds.
   • Classmates raise their hands to guess; allow 2–3 guesses before revealing the correct answer.
   • After the group identifies the emotion, confirm and briefly discuss any clues that helped them guess.
3. Connect to Personal Experience (1 minute)
   • Ask the actor (or another volunteer) to share a time they felt that emotion.
   • Prompt: “What happened, and how did you feel or react?”
4. Repeat with 2–3 More Students (if time allows)
   • Continue the act-and-guess cycle with new volunteers until the 5-minute warm-up concludes.

Activity: Empathy Match-Up Cards

Objective: Practice perspective-taking by matching real-life scenarios to emotions and representing those feelings through block structures.

Materials Needed:

• Preprinted scenario cards (cut apart)
• Block-building kits for each group

Preparation (5 minutes)

• Print and cut out the scenario cards listed below.
• Shuffle cards and place face down in a stack.
• Organize students into groups of 3–4 and distribute a block kit to each group.

Instructions (15 minutes)

1. Each group draws one scenario card and reads it aloud.
2. Discuss within the group: “How might the person in this scenario feel?”
3. Using blocks, build a structure or scene that represents that emotion.
4. When built, share out:
   • Describe the scenario to the class.
   • Name the emotion you chose.
   • Explain how your block design shows that feeling.
5. Classmates can ask questions or guess the emotion if it isn’t immediately clear.
6. Return the card to the bottom of the stack and draw a new one. Aim for each group to build two scenarios.

Scenario Cards (cut apart)

• “Your friend lost a game and feels disappointed.”
• “A classmate forgot their lunch and looks hungry and worried.”
• “Someone complimented your friend and they feel proud.”
• “Your friend saw another student sitting alone and feels lonely.”
• “A peer is nervous about speaking in front of the class.”
• “Your friend’s art project was praised by the teacher; they are excited.”
• “A student accidentally breaks a classmate’s pencil; they feel guilty.”
• “Your friend’s family is moving, and they feel sad.”

Reflection (5 minutes)

• Have students open their Empathy Reflection Journal.
• Prompt:
  “Which scenario was hardest to represent, and why? What did you notice about how emotions can look?”

Empathy Reflection Journal

Use these prompts to think deeply about empathy and your own experiences. Take your time and write complete sentences.

1. Think of a time someone showed you empathy. Write about what happened, how it made you feel, and why it was important to you.

1. Describe a moment when you helped someone feel understood or supported. What did you do, and how did they respond?

1. What is one new thing you learned today about seeing things from another person’s point of view? How can you use this idea in your everyday life?

1. Sometimes it’s hard to show empathy. Write about a time you found it difficult to understand or connect with someone else’s feelings. What could you try differently next time?

1. Draw or describe a symbol, color, or object that represents empathy to you. Explain why you chose it.