In this video, Al talks to children about feelings they might be having from missing their friends and teachers and staying home, and the importance of staying healthy. Al sings the “I’m a Healthy Child” song that reminds children that being healthy means taking care of their bodies and talking about how they feel.
In this video, Al encourages children to talk to trusted adults about feelings they may have from missing fun events and friends due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Al sings the “Be My Friend” song and reminds children that he will always be their friend.
Select a color for each feeling that you have felt in the last week. Write the color and feeling on the right and color how much you have felt each feeling in the heart.
Example: If you use the color pink for happy and you’ve felt mostly happy in the last week, use more pink to color inside your heart.
Discussion about Expressing Feelings
You might begin the activity by talking with children about the importance of expressing our feelings in a constructive way – and of understanding others’ feelings. Expressing and acknowledging feelings is an important tool for resolving conflicts. And trying to understand another person’s feelings can help de-escalate conflict.
When someone doesn’t use words to say what they’re feeling we often try to guess what they feel by interpreting their facial expression or their body language.
In Feelings Charades, students will have a chance to demonstrate one emotion. The rest of the family or class will guess what the emotion is. The person who is doing the charade cannot speak – they must use facial expressions or body language to get classmates to guess the emotion.
Write down different feelings/emotions on slips of paper. Place them in a bowl and take turns pulling them and acting them out. Once the correct feeling/ emotion is chosen the person that guessed correctly gets a turn.
*This activity can help expand vocabulary as there are many similar emotions. (See emotions wheel below.)
Yoga helps kids relax, relieve stress and anxiety, sleep better, improve emotional regulation, increase empathy, and improve mood and affect. Try these fun poses with your kids at home!
Source: 5 Zoo Yoga Poses for Kids (Printable Poster) – Kids Yoga Stories
Play the game UNO with the standard deck, set up, and game rules. To add the twist, each color represents a different emotion:
- When a player lays a yellow card, the player shares a time they felt happy or something that makes them happy.
- When a player lays a blue card, the player shares a time they felt sad or something that makes them sad.
- When a player lays a red card, the player shares a time they felt mad or something that makes them mad.
- When a player lays a green card, the player shares a time they felt calm/relaxed or something that makes them feel calm/relaxed.
- On the next page is a 5-Point Scale that you and your child can complete together.
- This scale will not only allow your child to understand their emotions, but you as a parent or guardian can gain a better perspective.
- These scales provide a guide that assists students with becoming more self-aware.
- After completing, try and think of coping and calming skills to utilize while in those escalated stages.
When trying new things like exercising Mindfulness, your child may wonder what it even means to be mindful. You can explain mindful as a skill that helps you:
- Pay attention better
- Be less distractible
- Learn more
- Stay calm under stress
- Avoid getting too upset about things
- Slow down instead of rush
- Listen better to others
- Be more patient
- Get along better
- Feel happier and enjoy things moreIf this sounds like a superpower, it is! Being mindful helps people in just about every part of life. Learning how to be mindful when you’re young gives you a chance to get really good at it and use it always.
Source: KidsHealth
- Write down different emotion words on slips of paper. Some examples: happy, sad, scared, angry, calm, excited, frustrated, worried, embarrassed, joyful, disgusted, etc.
- Once emotion words are written down on slips of paper, have the parent or caregiver hide them throughout the house.
- When children find each emotion word, have them read it out loud and share something that causes them to feel that emotion.
- Once the children have found all of the slips of paper, have them hide them and the parent or caregiver takes their turn next!