Lesson Plan
Feelings Fun: My Emotion Toolbox
Students will be able to identify and name basic emotions (happy, sad, angry, surprised) and understand that everyone experiences different feelings.
Understanding and expressing emotions is a fundamental life skill that helps children develop self-awareness, build healthy relationships, and navigate social situations. This lesson provides a foundational understanding of emotional literacy.
Audience
Kindergarten
Time
30 minutes
Approach
Through an engaging story, interactive discussion, and a creative drawing activity.
Materials
Feelings Fun Slide Deck, Emotion Matching Cards, My Feeling Faces Worksheet, Crayons or Markers, and Paper
Prep
Preparation
15 minutes
- Review the Feelings Fun Slide Deck content.
- Print and cut out the Emotion Matching Cards.
- Ensure you have enough My Feeling Faces Worksheet copies, crayons/markers, and paper for each student.
Step 1
Warm-up: Emotion Check-In
5 minutes
Begin with the Emotion Check-In Warm Up to gauge students' current feelings and introduce the concept of emotions.
Step 2
Introduction to Emotions
5 minutes
Use the Feelings Fun Slide Deck to introduce the idea that everyone has feelings and that it's okay to feel them. Discuss basic emotions like happy, sad, angry, and surprised.
Step 3
Story Time & Discussion
10 minutes
Read a short, age-appropriate story about a character experiencing various emotions. Use the Feelings Fun Slide Deck to prompt discussion. Show Emotion Matching Cards and ask students to identify the emotion and when they might feel that way.
Step 4
My Feeling Faces Activity
7 minutes
Distribute the My Feeling Faces Worksheet and art supplies. Guide students to draw different feeling faces, reinforcing the emotions discussed.
Step 5
Cool-down: Feeling Reflection
3 minutes
Conclude with the Feeling Reflection Cool Down to allow students to share one thing they learned or how they are feeling now.
Slide Deck
Feelings Fun: My Emotion Toolbox
Let's explore our amazing feelings!
Welcome students to the lesson and introduce the exciting topic of feelings!
What Are Feelings?
Feelings are special messages our bodies send us.
Everyone has feelings, and that's okay!
Explain that feelings are signals and that everyone has them. Emphasize that all feelings are okay to have.
Happy!
What makes you feel happy?
Show me your happy face!
Ask students to share things that make them happy. Encourage them to make a happy face.
Sad!
What makes you feel sad?
Show me your sad face!
Ask students what makes them feel sad. Reassure them it's okay to feel sad sometimes. Encourage sad faces.
Angry!
What makes you feel angry?
Show me your angry face!
Discuss what might make them feel angry and how their body feels when they're angry. Practice angry faces.
Surprised!
What makes you feel surprised?
Show me your surprised face!
Talk about surprising moments and what a surprised face looks like. Practice surprised faces.
Story Time!
Let's read a story about feelings!
What feelings do the characters have?
Prepare to read your chosen story about emotions. Prompt students to listen for feelings.
My Feeling Faces
Time to be artists!
Draw different feeling faces on your worksheet.
(See: My Feeling Faces Worksheet)
Introduce the drawing activity. Explain that they will draw different feeling faces on their worksheet.
All Feelings Are Okay!
Remember, all your feelings are important.
It's good to talk about them!
Conclude by reiterating that all feelings are valid and important. Thank students for sharing and learning.
Warm Up
Emotion Check-In
Teacher: "Good morning, everyone! Let's start our day with an 'Emotion Check-In.' How are you feeling right now? Think about it in your head."
-
Option 1: Thumbs Up/Down/Sideways
- "If you're feeling happy or great, give me a thumbs up!"
- "If you're feeling a little bit sad or just okay, give me a thumbs sideways."
- "If you're feeling a bit grumpy or upset, give me a thumbs down. It's okay to feel that way!"
-
Option 2: Show Me Your Face
- "Show me with your face how you are feeling right now. Are you happy? Sad? Silly?"
Teacher: "Thank you for sharing your feelings! Remember, it's okay to feel all sorts of things, and we'll talk more about feelings today!"
Script
Feelings Fun: My Emotion Toolbox Script
Warm-up: Emotion Check-In (5 minutes)
Teacher: "Good morning, wonderful learners! Let's start our day by checking in with our amazing feelings. How are you feeling right now? You don't have to say it out loud, just think about it in your head."
(Pause for a moment, observe students.)
Teacher: "Let's show our feelings with our thumbs! If you're feeling happy or super great, give me a thumbs up! (Demonstrate thumbs up)"
(Wait for responses.)
Teacher: "If you're feeling a little bit sad, tired, or just okay, give me a thumbs sideways. (Demonstrate thumbs sideways)"
(Wait for responses.)
Teacher: "And if you're feeling a bit grumpy or upset, give me a thumbs down. It's totally okay to feel that way! (Demonstrate thumbs down)"
(Wait for responses.)
Teacher: "Wow, thank you all for sharing! Look around – we all have different feelings, and that's perfectly normal. Today, we're going to talk all about feelings!"
Introduction to Emotions (5 minutes) - Refer to Feelings Fun Slide Deck Slide 2-3
Teacher: "Let's look at our first slide! Our lesson today is called 'Feelings Fun: My Emotion Toolbox!' We're going to learn about the many different feelings we have inside us."
(Advance to Slide 2: "What Are Feelings?")
Teacher: "Look at this slide. What do you see? Feelings are like special messages our bodies send us. They tell us how we are doing inside. Everyone has feelings, and guess what? It's okay to feel ALL SORTS of feelings! Sometimes we feel happy, sometimes we feel sad, and sometimes we might even feel a little bit angry. And that's okay!"
(Advance to Slide 3: "Happy!")
Teacher: "Let's talk about one feeling right now: Happy! What makes you feel happy? Raise your hand if you can tell me something that makes you feel happy!"
(Call on a few students. Encourage them to show a happy face.)
Teacher: "Show me your happiest face! Yes! That's a wonderful happy face!"
Story Time & Discussion (10 minutes) - Refer to Feelings Fun Slide Deck Slide 4-7
(Advance to Slide 4: "Sad!")
Teacher: "Now, sometimes we feel another way. Look at this face. This is a sad face. What makes you feel sad sometimes? Can you show me your sad face?"
(Call on a few students. Reassure them it's okay to feel sad.)
(Advance to Slide 5: "Angry!")
Teacher: "Oh, what about this one? This face looks angry! What might make someone feel angry? How does your body feel when you're angry? Can you show me an angry face?"
(Discuss appropriate ways to express anger, like taking a deep breath.)
(Advance to Slide 6: "Surprised!")
Teacher: "And this one! This is a surprised face! What might surprise you? Maybe a sudden loud noise, or a present! Show me your surprised face!"
(Advance to Slide 7: "Story Time!")
Teacher: "Alright, it's story time! I have a special book about feelings today. As I read, I want you to listen carefully and think about what feelings the characters are having. We'll talk about it after!"
(Read a short, age-appropriate story about emotions. After reading, use the Emotion Matching Cards.)
Teacher: "What feelings did you notice in our story? Can anyone tell me how [Character Name] felt when [event]? (Hold up corresponding Emotion Matching Cards as discussed.)"
(Facilitate a brief discussion, using the emotion cards to reinforce vocabulary.)
My Feeling Faces Activity (7 minutes) - Refer to Feelings Fun Slide Deck Slide 8
(Advance to Slide 8: "My Feeling Faces")
Teacher: "You all did a wonderful job identifying feelings! Now it's your turn to be feeling artists! I'm going to give each of you a My Feeling Faces Worksheet and some crayons or markers. On your worksheet, I want you to draw different feeling faces we talked about today – a happy face, a sad face, an angry face, and a surprised face! You can also draw what makes you feel that way next to it if you like."
(Distribute worksheets and art supplies. Circulate and assist students.)
Teacher: "Remember to draw big, clear faces so we can tell what feeling they show!"
Cool-down: Feeling Reflection (3 minutes) - Refer to Feelings Fun Slide Deck Slide 9
(Advance to Slide 9: "All Feelings Are Okay!")
Teacher: "Alright artists, let's put our crayons down for a moment. Look at all the amazing feeling faces you drew! Today we learned that all our feelings are important. It's good to know what we're feeling and to talk about it with a grown-up if we need to."
Teacher: "For our cool-down, I want each of you to think about one thing you learned about feelings today, or tell me how you are feeling right now after drawing all those faces!"
(Call on a few students to share their reflections.)
Teacher: "Thank you for such a great lesson on feelings, everyone! You all have wonderful emotion toolboxes inside you!"
Worksheet
My Feeling Faces
Draw a face for each feeling!
Happy Face
Sad Face
Angry Face
Surprised Face
Cool Down
Feeling Reflection
Teacher: "Let's take a moment to think about what we learned today about feelings."
- What is one new thing you learned about feelings today?
- How are you feeling right now after our feelings lesson?
Teacher: "Remember, all your feelings are important, and it's always good to talk about them with a grown-up if you need to!"
Activity
Emotion Matching Cards
Instructions for Teacher: Print this page and cut out the cards. Use them during the 'Story Time & Discussion' portion of the lesson to visually reinforce emotion vocabulary. Hold up the relevant card as emotions are discussed in the story or when students share their own experiences.
Card 1: Happy
😊
"I feel happy when..."
Card 2: Sad
😢
"I feel sad when..."
Card 3: Angry
😡
"I feel angry when..."
Card 4: Surprised
😮
"I feel surprised when..."