Lesson Plan
My Feelings, My Friends Lesson Plan
Students will identify and express basic emotions (happy, sad, angry) using visual manipulatives and non-verbal cues.
Understanding and expressing emotions is a fundamental social skill that helps children communicate their needs, build empathy for others, and navigate social situations effectively. This lesson provides a safe and interactive way for Pre-K students, including non-verbal learners, to explore these important concepts using hands-on methods.
Audience
Pre-K
Time
30 minutes
Approach
Hands-on exploration, visual matching, and non-verbal expression with manipulatives.
Prep
Preparation Steps
15 minutes
- Review all generated materials: the My Feelings, My Friends Lesson Plan, Slide Deck: My Feelings, My Friends, Feelings Faces & Playdough Fun Activity, How Do I Feel? Warm Up, and Show Me a Feeling Cool Down.
- Print and laminate the Feelings Faces Cards and Emotion Playdough Mats.
- Gather playdough in various colors.
- Set up a designated area for the hands-on activity, making sure manipulatives are easily accessible to students.
- Ensure the projector or screen is ready for the Slide Deck: My Feelings, My Friends.
Step 1
Warm Up: How Do I Feel?
5 minutes
Begin the lesson with the How Do I Feel? Warm Up activity. Ask students to show a feeling with their face or body, or point to a feeling card. Encourage them to share their initial thoughts on feelings through gestures or words.
Step 2
Introduction to Feelings (Using Slide Deck)
5 minutes
Use the Slide Deck: My Feelings, My Friends to introduce and discuss basic emotions: happy, sad, and angry. Use simple language, facial expressions, and clear gestures to model each feeling. Ask students to mimic the expressions or point to the corresponding Feelings Faces Cards.
Step 3
Independent Hands-On Activity: Feelings Faces & Playdough Fun
15 minutes
Introduce the Feelings Faces & Playdough Fun Activity. Explain how students will use the Feelings Faces Cards to match emotions and the Emotion Playdough Mats to create feeling faces. Circulate around the room to offer support, ask questions (e.g., "Which card shows happy?" or "What makes you feel happy?" – encouraging pointing or demonstrating), and encourage independent exploration and discussion among students, adapting communication for non-verbal learners.
Step 4
Cool Down: Show Me a Feeling
5 minutes
Conclude the lesson with the Show Me a Feeling Cool Down. Have students draw a feeling, point to a Feelings Faces Cards, or verbally share one feeling they learned about, reinforcing the day's learning.
Activity
Feelings Faces Cards
Instructions for Teachers: Print, laminate, and cut out these cards. Use them as visual aids for identifying emotions, for students to match, or for non-verbal students to point to when expressing how they feel.
Happy Face
(Image of a clearly happy child's face)
Sad Face
(Image of a clearly sad child's face)
Angry Face
(Image of a clearly angry child's face)
*(Teacher Note: For actual classroom use, ensure these are clear, age-appropriate images of diverse children displaying each emotion. The textual descriptions above are for generating the markdown structure.)
Slide Deck
My Feelings, My Friends!
Today we'll learn about how we feel inside and how to show it!
Welcome students to the lesson. Tell them you're going to talk about something very important: feelings! Emphasize that we can show feelings with our faces and bodies, not just words.
What Are Feelings?
Feelings are how we feel inside! Like happy, sad, or angry. We can show them!
Ask students: "What are feelings?" Guide them to understand that feelings are how we feel in our hearts and bodies. Ask them to show a happy face or point to the happy Feelings Faces Cards.
Happy!
When you feel happy, you might smile, laugh, or jump for joy!
Discuss what makes us feel happy and what a happy face looks like. Encourage students to make happy faces or point to the happy Feelings Faces Cards.
Sad!
When you feel sad, you might cry or want a hug. It's okay to be sad.
Talk about feeling sad. It's okay to feel sad sometimes. What makes us feel sad? What does a sad face look like? Encourage students to make sad faces or point to the sad Feelings Faces Cards.
Angry!
When you feel angry, you might frown or stomp your feet. Let's learn to be calm.
Discuss feeling angry. It's okay to feel angry, but it's important to learn how to show it safely. What makes us angry? What does an angry face look like? Encourage students to make angry faces or point to the angry Feelings Faces Cards. Remind them it's good to be calm.
Let's Explore!
Now it's time for some hands-on fun with feelings!
Explain that now they will get to explore feelings using cards and playdough independently. Remind them they can use their hands and faces to show feelings.
Activity
Feelings Faces & Playdough Fun
Objective: To independently identify and express basic emotions (happy, sad, angry) using visual cards and playdough, adaptable for verbal and non-verbal communication.
Materials:
- Feelings Faces Cards: A set of cards (e.g., printed pictures of children) showing clear expressions of happy, sad, and angry. (Teacher will prepare these)
- Emotion Playdough Mats (printed and laminated)
- Playdough in various colors
Instructions:
Part 1: Exploring Feelings with Cards
- Look at the cards: Carefully look at each of the Feelings Faces Cards. What kind of feeling do you see on each face? You can use your words or point to the feeling you see.
- Match the feelings: Can you find two cards that show the same feeling? Or can you sort all the happy faces together, all the sad faces together, and all the angry faces together? Use your hands to sort them.
- Show me: Pick a card and show me with your own face or body how that feeling looks! No words needed if you don't want to use them.
Part 2: Making Feelings with Playdough
- Choose a mat: Pick one of the Emotion Playdough Mats.
- Make the face: Use your playdough to create the feeling on the mat. If it's a happy mat, make a happy face! If it's a sad mat, make a sad face! If it's an angry mat, make an angry face!
- Tell me about it: When you're done, show a friend or your teacher the feeling you made. You can use your words, point to a Feelings Faces Cards, or make the face yourself to share about the feeling and what makes you feel that way. (e.g., student points to happy mat "Happy! Ice cream makes me happy!")
Independent Exploration Tips for Teachers:
- Encourage students to work at their own pace.
- Provide enough materials so students don't have to wait.
- Circulate and observe, asking open-ended questions like: "What feeling is that?" "What does that feeling look like?" "Have you felt that way before?" Remember to accept and encourage non-verbal responses such as pointing, gesturing, or demonstrating the emotion.
Activity
Emotion Playdough Mats
Instructions: These mats provide an outline of a face for students to use with playdough. Provide a mat for each student along with various colors of playdough.
Happy Face Mat
Draw a circle for a head.
Draw two eyes.
Draw a big, curved line for a happy mouth!
Sad Face Mat
Draw a circle for a head.
Draw two eyes.
Draw a small, downward-curved line for a sad mouth.
Angry Face Mat
Draw a circle for a head.
Draw two eyes with angry eyebrows.
Draw a straight line or a small downward curve for an angry mouth.
(Teacher Note: For actual classroom use, these would be printed sheets with simple facial outlines. The textual descriptions above are for generating the markdown structure.)
Warm Up
How Do I Feel? Warm Up
Objective: To activate prior knowledge about emotions and prepare students for the lesson, encouraging both verbal and non-verbal expression.
Instructions:
- Teacher says: "Good morning, everyone! How are you feeling right now? Can you show me with your face or body? You can also point to one of our Feelings Faces Cards if you like!"
- Student participation: Encourage students to make a face or gesture that shows how they are feeling (e.g., happy, sleepy, excited) or point to a card.
- Teacher asks: "Does anyone want to share why they are feeling happy/sleepy/excited?" (Accept verbal responses, gestures, or by having students point to a cause on a picture if applicable).
- Connect to lesson: "Today, we're going to learn even more about feelings and how we can show them in different ways!"
Cool Down
Show Me a Feeling Cool Down
Objective: To help students reflect on the emotions learned and reinforce understanding, accommodating both verbal and non-verbal responses.
Instructions:
- Teacher says: "Great job today exploring all our feelings! Before we finish, I want you to think about one feeling we talked about today."
- Option 1: Draw a Feeling: "Can you draw a picture of a face showing that feeling?" (Provide paper and crayons if applicable, or have them air-draw).
- Option 2: Show and Tell a Feeling: "Or, can you show me with your face or body, or point to a Feelings Faces Cards to tell me about one feeling you learned today? You can also tell me something that makes you feel that way."
- Quick Share: Invite a few students to quickly share their drawing, point to a card, or offer a verbal response. Acknowledge all forms of expression.