Emotion Charades

Objective: To help students physically express and recognize different emotions, getting them comfortable with non-verbal communication.

Instructions:

1. Explain to the students that you're going to play a game called "Emotion Charades" where they will act out feelings without talking.
2. Start by demonstrating a simple emotion, like "happy" (e.g., smiling, jumping up and down). Ask students to guess the emotion.
3. Invite individual students or small groups to take turns acting out an emotion (e.g., sad, mad, silly, excited). You can provide them with an emotion word privately or show them a picture of a face.
4. Encourage other students to guess the emotion. Remind them it's okay if they don't get it right away and that everyone shows feelings differently.
5. Praise participation and effort, emphasizing that it's good to notice and show our feelings, even without words.

Build a Feeling Story

Objective: To encourage indirect expression of feelings and experiences through imaginative play with toys, building rapport and a sense of safety.

Materials: A variety of play therapy toys (action figures, soft animals, building blocks, drawing supplies, puppets, play-doh, etc.)

Instructions:

1. Introduce the "Feeling Story" Concept (2 minutes): Gather the children around a designated play area with a selection of toys. Say something like, "Today, we're going to be storytellers with our toys! Sometimes it's hard to talk about how we feel, but our toys can help us show our feelings and tell stories about them. These toys are like our 'feeling friends' today."
2. Model and Prompt (3 minutes): Pick two or three toys and quickly create a very simple story that involves an emotion. For example, hold up a toy animal and say, "This little bear woke up feeling a bit lonely today. He looked around and wished he had a friend to play with." Then, introduce another toy: "Then, a happy rabbit hopped by! The rabbit saw the lonely bear and invited him to play! How do you think the bear feels now?" (Allow for guesses like "happy," "less lonely").
3. Individual/Small Group Play (8 minutes): Invite each child (or pairs, if comfortable) to choose a few toys that they like. Encourage them to create their own story or a scene with the toys that shows a feeling. Provide gentle prompts:
   • "What is happening in your story?"
   • "How are your toys feeling right now?"
   • "What made that toy feel [happy/sad/mad]?"
   • "What can help the toy when it feels [sad/mad]?"
   • "If your toy could talk, what would it say?"
   • "Can you build something with the blocks that shows a happy feeling? Or a calm feeling?"
4. Observe and Reflect (2 minutes): As children play, circulate around the room. Observe their choices of toys, their play themes, and their engagement. Validate their play and expressions without judgment. For example, "I see your superhero is working very hard in that story," or "It looks like your little animal is having a really strong feeling right now." Focus on empathy and understanding, not analysis. Avoid directly asking, "Are you feeling like that toy?" Instead, keep the focus on the toy and the story.

Feeling Check-In

Objective: To help students reflect on their current feelings after the play session and provide a gentle conclusion.

Instructions:

1. Gathering Time (1 minute): Gently signal that playtime is coming to an end. Ask students to help put away the toys or transition to a designated "check-in" spot.
2. Feeling Scale or Prompt (3 minutes): Present a simple visual aid (e.g., a chart with different emotion faces: happy, calm, a little sad, silly) or use your hand as a 'feeling thermometer' (thumb up for great, sideways for okay, down for not so good). Ask each child, "How are you feeling right now after our playtime?" or "What was your favorite part of playing today?"
3. Positive Reinforcement (1 minute): Thank each child for sharing and participating. Reiterate that it was wonderful to play and explore feelings together. "Thank you for sharing your playtime and your feelings with me today. You did a great job using your feeling friends!"

Playtime Power-Ups: Feeling Friends! - Teacher Script

I. Welcome & Warm-Up: Emotion Charades (5 minutes)

Teacher: "Hello everyone! Welcome! I am so happy to see you all today. My name is [Your Name], and I am so excited to play with you all! Before we start, let's play a fun game to get our wiggles out and learn about feelings. It's called 'Emotion Charades'!"

(Refer to Warm-Up: Emotion Charades for full instructions.)

Teacher: "Wow, you all are amazing at showing feelings! It's so cool how many different ways we can show how we feel, even without using words. Great job, everyone!"

II. Introduce Playtime Power-Ups & Play Rules (5 minutes)

Teacher: "Now that our bodies are warmed up, let's get ready for some 'Playtime Power-Ups!'" (Display Playtime Power-Ups Slide Deck - Slide 1: "Playtime Power-Ups!") "Today, we're going to use the power of playing to help us understand our feelings, just like superheroes use their powers to help others!"

(Display Playtime Power-Ups Slide Deck - Slide 2: "What are 'Feeling Friends'?")

Teacher: "Sometimes, when we have big feelings inside, it can be hard to talk about them with just our words. But guess what? Our toys can be our 'feeling friends'! They can help us show our stories and how we feel, without even saying a word. Isn't that cool?"

(Display Playtime Power-Ups Slide Deck - Slide 3: "Our Play Space Rules!")

Teacher: "Before we start our special playtime, we have a few 'Play Space Rules' to make sure everyone feels safe and has fun. Remember to be kind to our toys and our friends. We'll take turns, and if you need help or want to share something, you can always use your words. This play space is a super safe place for all feelings, big or small!"

III. Main Activity: Build a Feeling Story (15 minutes)

(Display Playtime Power-Ups Slide Deck - Slide 4: "Let's Play!")

Teacher: "Alright, my feeling friends, it's time to play! We're going to use these amazing toys to 'Build a Feeling Story'."

(Refer to Activity: Build a Feeling Story for full instructions and prompts.)

Teacher (during play, circulate and use gentle prompts):

• "I see your superhero is working very hard in that story. What is happening there?"
• "It looks like your little animal is having a really strong feeling right now. What do you think that feeling is?"
• "What can help the toy when it feels a little sad?"
• "If your toy could talk, what do you think it would say?"
• "Can you build something with the blocks that shows a happy feeling? Or a calm feeling?"

IV. Cool-Down & Wrap-Up: Feeling Check-In (5 minutes)

Teacher: "Wow, you all made such wonderful feeling stories! It's almost time for us to finish our playtime today. Let's start by gently helping our toys go back to their homes."

(Refer to Cool-Down: Feeling Check-In for full instructions.)

Teacher (facilitating check-in): "Okay, now that our toys are settled, let's do a quick 'Feeling Check-In'. I have some feeling faces here [or use hand as a thermometer]. How are you feeling right now after our playtime? You can point to a face or use your words. Or, tell me, what was your favorite part of playing today?"

Teacher: "Thank you so much for sharing your playtime and your feelings with me today. You all did such a great job using your feeling friends and showing your big, brave selves! I had so much fun with you. See you next time!"