Wednesday, September 11, 2024

FEELINGS

It's important for children to learn how to identify feelings and how to deal with them in appropriate ways. This is a familiar song where you can change the words to act out different emotions.

If You’re Happy and You Know It
If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands.(Clap twice.)
If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands.(Clap twice.)
If you’re happy and you know it, then your face will surely show it.
If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands.(Clap twice.)

If you’re happy and you know it, hug yourself… (Hug self.)

If you’re happy and you know it, kiss your brain… (Kiss fingers & touch head.)

If you’re happy and you know it, wiggle all over… (Wiggle.)

If you’re happy and you know it, shout, “Hoorah!”.. (Put hand in air & shout.)

If you’re happy and you know it, do them all… (Do all 5 motions.)


*Let children suggest other emotions and movements. For example, "If you're sad and you know it cry your eyes..boo hoo." "If you're angry and you know it stomp your foot."

*Discuss what causes different emotions and appropriate responses. What makes you happy? What can you do when you’re happy? What makes you stressed? What can you do when you’re stressed?

*Learn sign language for the different feelings and practice them as you sing the song.


Collaborative Books
Make class books such as “Things to Be Happy About,” “Things that Bug Us,” or “Scary Things.”

Connections with Characters
As you read books to the class, encourage students to describe how characters are feeling. Have they ever felt like that?

Vocabulary
Extend vocabulary by brainstorming different ways to say “happy,” “sad,” “angry,” “surprised,” etc. Draw expressions on paper plates and put them on a bulletin board. Write different synonyms for each emotion underneath.




Dramatize
Let children pantomime different feelings as friends try and guess what they are.

*Make “Feeling Faces” by cutting 7” circles out of the middle of card stock. Write a different emotion on each page, such as “happy,” “sad,” “angry,” “proud,” Children take turns putting their face in a circle and making appropriate facial expressions. Remind the children that it’s O.K. to have different feelings.



Journals
Let children write their names and draw “feeling faces” as they enter the classroom each day.