Emotion Charades Cards (#emotion-charades-cards)

Overview:
These charades cards help students practice identifying and expressing four basic emotions—happy, sad, mad, and scared—using nonverbal cues. Students will act out the emotion on their card while classmates guess.

Materials Needed:

• Printed and cut-apart charades cards (4 emotions × 3 copies each = 12 cards)
• A small bag or box to hold the cards
• (Optional) Guess Recording Sheet for students to tally correct answers

Cards (12 total):

• 3 × Happy (smiling face icon + word “Happy”)
• 3 × Sad (downturned mouth icon + word “Sad”)
• 3 × Mad (furrowed brow icon + word “Mad”)
• 3 × Scared (wide‐eyed icon + word “Scared”)

Teacher Instructions:

1. Preparation (5 min):
   • Shuffle the Emotion Charades Cards and place them face down in a bag or box.
   • Explain rules: no talking or sounds—only facial expressions and body movements.
2. Playing the Game (10 min):
   a. Invite one student to draw a card and look at it silently.
   b. That student acts out the emotion for up to 30 seconds.
   c. Classmates raise hands to guess. Call on one student to share their guess.
   d. Reveal the card answer. Provide feedback: “Yes! That is a mad face—notice the clenched fists and furrowed brow.”
   e. Return the card to the bottom of the pile. Next student draws.
   f. Continue until each student has had a turn or cards are used.
3. Reflection (3–5 min):
   • Ask: “Which emotion was easiest to show? Which was hardest?”
   • Point out body cues: “How did you know someone was scared?”

Extensions:

• Use a simple Guess Recording Sheet for students to mark correct guesses.
• Have pairs of students act and guess simultaneously.

Color the Feeling Worksheet

Instructions: Look at each face below. Color the face to match its emotion label.

1. Happy
○

2. Sad
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3. Mad
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4. Scared
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Draw Your Own Feeling

Which emotion do you feel today? Draw a face showing that feeling:

Mood Meter Check-In

Purpose: Brief self-check to identify current feelings and build emotional vocabulary.

Materials: Mood meter poster or slide with four faces:

• Happy (green smiling face)
• Sad (blue frowning face)
• Mad (red angry face)
• Scared (yellow surprised face)

Instructions:

1. Display the Mood Meter Check-In so all students can see it.
2. Ask each student to point to or place a small marker on the face that shows how they feel right now.
3. Invite 2–3 volunteers to share why they chose that face and what might help them feel better or stay that way.

Time: 5 minutes

Feeling Faces Teaching Script

Warm-Up: Mood Meter Check-In (5 minutes)

(Display the Mood Meter Check-In so all students can see it.)

"Friends, let’s start our day by checking in with our feelings. Look at these four faces: happy, sad, mad, and scared. When I say go, point to the face that shows how you feel right now."

(Pause while students point or place their markers.)

"Thank you! Would someone like to share why they chose that face?"

(Select 2–3 volunteers.)

"I hear that you feel ___ because ___. That’s great sharing! If you felt sad, what might help you feel better? If you felt happy, what made you smile today?"

Teacher Modeling of Feeling Faces (5 minutes)

(Display the first slide of the Faces & Feelings Slides.)

"Now we’re going to meet our feeling faces so we can spot them on ourselves and on our friends. Let’s look at this first picture."

(Display the “Happy” slide.)

"When you’re happy, your mouth turns up in a big smile, your eyes might sparkle, and your body looks relaxed. Can you show me a happy face?"

(Invite students to make happy faces. Praise briefly.)

(Display the “Sad” slide.)

"When you’re sad, your mouth turns down in a frown, your eyes may look droopy or teary, and your shoulders might slump. Let’s all try a sad face together."

(Invite students. Praise.)

(Display the “Mad” slide.)

"When you’re mad, your eyebrows come together, your lips press tight, and your body can feel tense—maybe even clenched fists. Show me your best mad face!"

(Invite students. Praise.)

(Display the “Scared” slide.)

"When you’re scared, your eyes get big, your mouth might open a little, and your body can freeze or pull in. Who can show me a scared face?"

(Invite students. Praise.)

(Display the final slide, “Can You Spot the Feelings?”.)

"Look around at your classmates. Can you spot someone showing one of our feeling faces? Which feeling do you see, and how can you tell?"

Guided Practice with Charades (10 minutes)

(Show the Emotion Charades Cards bag or box.)

"We’re going to play Emotion Charades! When it’s your turn, you’ll reach in, pick a card, and act out the feeling without talking. We’ll guess which feeling it is. I’ll show you first."

(Pick a card, act it out—for example, a happy face—then reveal:)

"That was Happy! Notice my big smile and relaxed arms."

"Who would like to go next?"

(Invite a volunteer. Repeat acting, guessing, and confirming:)

"Great guess—mad! I saw the tight lips and furrowed eyebrows."

"What cues helped you know it was mad?"

(Continue until several students have had turns or time is up.)

Independent Worksheet Coloring (5 minutes)

"Now let’s practice on our own. I’m handing out the Color the Feeling Worksheet. You’ll see four faces labeled happy, sad, mad, and scared. Color each face to match its emotion. As you color, say the name of the feeling out loud."

(Distribute worksheets and crayons.)

(Circulate and ask prompts quietly at students’ seats:)

"Which feeling are you coloring?"

"What makes that face look ___?"

Reflect & Share Circle (5 minutes)

"Let’s come back to our sharing circle. Who would like to show their worksheet and tell us one emotion they colored and a time they felt that way? I’ll go first. I colored the happy face because I felt happy when I played with my dog yesterday."

(Invite 2–3 students to share.)

"Thank you for sharing! It helps us learn from each other’s feelings."

"Today we met four feeling faces—happy, sad, mad, and scared. Remember, you can look at someone’s face and body to know how they feel. Great job today, friends!"