IT'S AN EMOJI DAY!

I love those little graphics, don’t you? They are definitely an example of visual literacy that we use every day as we text and email. You can find images for facial expressions, animals, plants, places, foods, drinks, celebrations, sports, activities, flags, weather, etc. at many sites including:

http://emojipedia.org

http://getemoji.com

http://emojidictionary.emojifoundation.com

So, how do we take something that is popular and “child friendly” and turn it into a learning opportunity? Well, I used my   and have come up with a few activities I’ll share today and tomorrow.

Matching 

Make two copies of emoji animals or faces. Glue one copy to a file folder and cut the other into separate pieces. Children match up the ones that are alike.
                                      

Memory 

Cut poster board into 3” squares. Glue two if each emoji to the squares. Mix up the pieces and place face down on the floor. Children take turns looking for matching pairs by turning over two at a time. They may keep the pairs they match up.
          
*Hint! Start with 8 pairs and add more as the children become more confident playing the game.

Sorting

Provide children with emojis from different categories, such as animals, people, holidays, transportation, food, etc. and challenge them to sort these. What was their sorting rule?

Feelings

Discuss different emotions that emoji are illustrating. What makes you feel that way? Remind the children that we all have different emotions and that’s O.K.!

Sign In 

Children write their name under the emoji that reflects how they are feeling when they come to school each morning.

Puppets 

Glue emoji to crafts sticks and let children use them to work out problems or create stories.
                                               

Can you think of other activities with emojis?