Feelings Check-In: How are we feeling today?

Objective: To quickly engage students and allow them to identify and share their current feelings in a low-pressure way, setting the stage for a discussion about emotions.

Time: 5 minutes

Materials:

• What Are Feelings? Slide Deck (Slide 1 and 2)

Instructions:

1. Welcome and Introduce: Start by welcoming students. Display Slide 1: Welcome! Let's Talk About Feelings.
2. Ask for a Feeling: Ask students: "How is everyone feeling right now?" or "Can you show me with your face how you are feeling today?"
3. Share Out: Invite a few students to share one feeling they are experiencing. You can model this by saying, "I am feeling [your feeling] today."
4. Acknowledge All Feelings: Display Slide 2: What Are Feelings? and reiterate that all feelings are okay. "It's okay to feel happy, sad, silly, or tired. Our feelings help us understand ourselves!"
5. Transition: Transition to the main lesson by saying, "Today, we're going to talk more about our feelings, especially a special kind of sadness called grief."

The Invisible String

(Adapted from the book by Patrice Karst)

Have you ever felt sad when someone you love is far away? Or maybe when something important changed?

This is a story about how, even when we are apart from the people (or pets!) we love, we are always connected by something very special: an invisible string.

This string is made of love. It reaches from your heart to their heart, no matter how far away they are. You can't see it with your eyes, but you can feel it in your heart.

Even if someone goes to school, or on a trip, or even if they are in heaven, the invisible string of love is still there, connecting your hearts. It reminds us that love never goes away.

When you feel lonely or miss someone, you can tug on your invisible string, and they can tug on theirs. You might even feel a little tug back!

This invisible string reminds us that we are always loved, and we always have love to give. It helps us feel safe and connected, even when things are sad or feel different.

My Feelings Faces

Sometimes when we feel sad or miss someone, we have many different feelings. It's okay to feel them all!

Circle or color the faces that show how you feel when you are sad or missing someone. You can color more than one!

How do I feel today?

(A drawing of a happy face)

(A drawing of a sad face)

(A drawing of an angry face)

(A drawing of a surprised face)

(A drawing of a worried face)

(A drawing of a calm face)

Draw your own feeling face here:

Let's Talk About Grief and The Invisible String

After reading "The Invisible String," let's talk about our feelings and connections.

Discussion Questions:

1. What did you think about the invisible string in the story?

   • Follow-up: Do you think you have an invisible string connecting you to people you love?

2. The story talks about love connecting us even when we are apart. Can you think of someone you love who you don't always see? How does your invisible string connect you to them?

   • Follow-up: How does it feel to know you're connected by love, even when you miss someone?

3. We learned that grief is a special sadness we feel when something important is gone or changes. How might the invisible string help us when we are feeling grief or sadness?

   • Follow-up: What are some ways we can remember or honor the people or things we miss?

4. Is it okay to feel sad, even when you know you're connected by an invisible string? Why or why not?

   • Follow-up: What can we do when we feel very sad or miss someone a lot?

5. What is one thing you learned today about feelings or about the invisible string?

Feelings Charades: What Am I Feeling?

Objective: To help students identify and express different emotions in a fun, interactive way.

Time: 5-7 minutes (can be adjusted)

Materials:

• Small slips of paper with different emotions written on them (e.g., happy, sad, angry, surprised, worried, calm, excited, scared, shy, proud).
• A hat or basket to hold the emotion slips.

Instructions:

1. Prepare Emotion Slips: Before class, write one emotion on each slip of paper. Make sure the emotions are age-appropriate and varied.
2. Explain the Game: Tell students they are going to play a game called "Feelings Charades." Explain that one student will pick an emotion and act it out without speaking, and the rest of the class will guess what feeling they are showing.
3. Demonstrate: Model one or two emotions yourself (e.g., act very happy, then very sad) to show them how to play.
4. How to Play:
   • Choose one student to go first. They will pick a slip of paper from the hat/basket.
   • The student silently reads the emotion and then acts it out using their face and body.
   • The rest of the class raises their hands to guess the emotion.
   • Once the emotion is guessed correctly, the student who guessed correctly gets to be the next actor.
5. Reinforce Learning: As emotions are guessed, briefly ask: "What does [emotion] look like?" or "When do you feel [emotion]?" This helps solidify their understanding.
6. Keep it Positive: Remind students that all feelings are okay and it takes courage to show them.

Tips for Teachers:

• If students are shy, you can act out a few more emotions yourself or have a small group act together.
• Encourage big, clear actions and facial expressions.
• Ensure everyone gets a chance to participate, either by acting or guessing.
• Keep the pace lively to maintain engagement.

Feelings Faces: Exploring How We Feel

Objective: To provide students with a visual and creative way to identify and express their current feelings, especially in the context of sadness or missing someone.

Time: 5 minutes

Materials:

• Feelings Faces Worksheet (one per student)
• Crayons or colored pencils

Instructions:

1. Introduce the Worksheet: Hold up a copy of the Feelings Faces Worksheet. Explain to students that sometimes when we feel big feelings like sadness or grief, it can be hard to find the right words. This worksheet helps us show how we feel.
2. Explain the Task:
   • Instruct students to look at the different feeling faces on the worksheet.
   • Tell them to either point to or color the faces that show how they are feeling today or how they might feel when they are sad or missing someone. Emphasize that it's okay to choose more than one face.
   • Encourage them to use different colors for different feelings if they want to.
   • Point out the space at the bottom where they can draw their own feeling face if none of the pre-drawn faces quite match how they feel.
3. Circulate and Support: As students work, walk around the classroom. Offer gentle prompts like, "What color are you choosing for that feeling?" or "It's okay to feel that way."
4. Reiterate Acceptance: Remind students that all feelings are okay and important. There's no right or wrong way to feel.
5. Conclusion: Briefly, once most students have finished, you can ask for one or two volunteers to share (if they are comfortable and if time allows), but do not pressure anyone. Collect the worksheets if desired.

Invisible String Coloring Page: Connected by Love

Objective: To provide a calming, reflective activity that reinforces the concept of the invisible string and emotional connection.

Time: 5 minutes (can be used as a cool-down or transition)

Materials:

• Printable coloring page (Teacher to create or find a simple image of two hearts connected by a string, or a child holding a string leading off the page).
• Crayons or colored pencils.

Instructions:

1. Introduce the Coloring Page: Distribute the "Invisible String Coloring Page" to each student. You can tell them, "This coloring page reminds us of the invisible string of love we talked about in our story."
2. Connect to the Lesson: Briefly reiterate the main idea: "Even when we miss someone, the invisible string of love keeps our hearts connected."
3. Prompt for Reflection: While they color, you can suggest they think about:
   • "Who are the people (or pets!) you feel connected to by an invisible string?"
   • "What colors would you use for your invisible string of love?"
4. Quiet Reflection: Allow students to color quietly. This activity serves as a gentle way to process the concepts introduced in the lesson.
5. Optional Share: If time allows and students are comfortable, invite one or two to share what they colored or who they thought about while coloring, but ensure there is no pressure to speak. This can also serve as an informal exit ticket.