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Friendly Feelings

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Lesson Plan

Friendly Feelings Lesson Plan

Students will identify and communicate basic emotions (happy, sad, angry, surprised) using visual supports to build social awareness and foundational emotional skills.

Recognizing and expressing emotions supports self-awareness and social engagement for nonverbal autistic learners, promoting communication and emotional regulation.

Audience

Nonverbal Autistic Students

Time

30 minutes

Approach

Use visual supports and hands-on matching to teach emotions.

Materials

Prep

Prepare Materials

10 minutes

Step 1

Introduction

5 minutes

  • Greet each student individually using their preferred communication method
  • Explain that today we will learn about four friendly feelings: happy, sad, angry, and surprised
  • Show all Emotion Flashcards laid out on the table

Step 2

Emotion Identification

10 minutes

  • Hold up one flashcard at a time and name the emotion
  • Prompt students to indicate the same flashcard by pointing, reaching, or using their communication device
  • Provide hand-over-hand assistance or model pointing if needed
  • Offer verbal praise or a small tangible reward for each correct match

Step 3

Matching Activity

8 minutes

  • Distribute the Friendly Feelings Matching Worksheet to each student
  • Place the set of flashcards in the center with velcro backing
  • Guide students to match each flashcard to the corresponding picture on their worksheet
  • Use physical prompts and verbal encouragement to support participation

Step 4

Communication Practice

5 minutes

  • Invite each student to choose a flashcard that represents how they feel right now
  • Have them place it on the board or felt surface
  • Model a simple sentence or symbol sequence (e.g., “I feel happy”) to pair with the flashcard
  • Reinforce attempts with positive feedback

Step 5

Wrap-Up

2 minutes

  • Review each emotion by showing the flashcards again
  • Ask students to give a thumbs-up when they recognize the emotion
  • Praise students for their participation and progress
  • Explain that they can use these cards anytime they want to share how they feel
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Worksheet

Friendly Feelings Matching Worksheet

Instructions

Print and cut out the Emotion Flashcards. Look at each picture below and match the correct flashcard by placing it in the space under each picture.

  1. Happy

    [Picture of a smiling face]

    Place flashcard here:






  1. Sad

    [Picture of a sad face]

    Place flashcard here:






  1. Angry

    [Picture of an angry face]

    Place flashcard here:






  1. Surprised

    [Picture of a surprised face]

    Place flashcard here:






My Feeling Right Now

Choose one flashcard that shows how you feel and place it below:












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Friendly Feelings • Lenny Learning