Emotional Musical Chairs
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Activity:
Emotional Musical Chairs
Age Group:
* Lesson plan objective and assessment can be adapted to use this activity with preschoolers and school-age.
Objective:
To help children understand and express their emotions through a fun and interactive game.
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III.8.2b
- Candidate's interactions help children develop positive self-concepts..
example: Helps children understand and appropriately express their own feelings.
Materials:
- Chairs
- Music
- Index cards
- A marker
Procedure:
- Introduction: Begin the lesson by explaining the importance of understanding and expressing our emotions. Introduce the concept of Emotional Musical Chairs and how they will be used to explore different emotions.
- Activity: Start by arranging the chairs in a circle and writing different emotions on the index cards. Attach one card to each chair. When the music starts, the players walk around the perimeter of the chair circle. Once the music stops, each player finds a chair to sit in.
- Discussion: Each player then reads the emotion card they’re sitting on and shares a situation that made them feel that way. For example, if the emotion is “happy,” the player can say, “I feel happy when it’s Friday because that’s when we get pizza, and I love pizza!”
- Reflection: Discuss how this activity helped the children understand their emotions better. Encourage them to share their experiences.
Closure: Conclude the lesson by emphasizing the importance of recognizing and expressing our emotions. Let the children know that they can use these chairs whenever they want to talk about their feelings but find it hard to express them.
Follow-Up: Keep the Emotional Musical Chairs in a common area where children can access them easily. Use them as conversation starters to discuss emotions and feelings in the future.
By the end of this lesson, children will have a better understanding of their emotions and will be equipped with a creative tool to express and communicate their feelings effectively.
Assessment:
- Were the children able to express the emotion on their chair?
- How did children react to the child explaining the emotion?
- Record any emotions that seemed hard to explain and revisit them again.
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Books to Support Emotional Intelligence
1. When I’m Feeling series by Trace Moroney: This series includes books exploring a range of emotions – angry, jealous, kind, scared, lonely, and loved.
2. Today I Feel Silly: And Other Moods That Make My Day by Jamie Lee Curtis: This book explores a wide range of emotions and reasons they can differ vastly even within the same day.
3. The Boy with Big, Big Feelings by Britney Winn Lee: This book is a great read for kids who experience very big feeling.
4. Today, I Feel…: An Alphabet of Feelings by Madalena Moniz: A lovely ABC of feelings book that is fabulous for starting conversations about emotions.
5. All About Feelings by Felicity Brooks: This book explores a range of emotions in depth, making it a great resource for children when learning about feelings.
6. 1-2-3 My Feelings and Me by Goldie Millar: This book talks about how feelings affect our bodies and minds, alongside strategies for learning to manage overwhelming emotions.
7. The Feeling Flower by Lean Dakroub: This book follows a flower named Zippy and her feelings throughout the day.
8. Calm Down Time by Elizabeth Verdick and Marika Heinlen: This book gives toddlers their space during temper tantrums.
9. Me and My Fear by Francesca Sanna: This book follows a young immigrant girl going to her new place.
10. The Feelings Book by Todd Parr: This book helps us explore what faces we make when we’re feeling strongly.
11. When Sadness is at Your Door by Eva Eland: This book helps kids realize that sometimes sadness doesn’t go away so quickly.
12. The Color Monster: A Story About Emotions by Anna Llenas: This book describes emotions, including happiness, sadness, anger, fear, and calm, through the actions of a monster sorting them out.
2. Today I Feel Silly: And Other Moods That Make My Day by Jamie Lee Curtis: This book explores a wide range of emotions and reasons they can differ vastly even within the same day.
3. The Boy with Big, Big Feelings by Britney Winn Lee: This book is a great read for kids who experience very big feeling.
4. Today, I Feel…: An Alphabet of Feelings by Madalena Moniz: A lovely ABC of feelings book that is fabulous for starting conversations about emotions.
5. All About Feelings by Felicity Brooks: This book explores a range of emotions in depth, making it a great resource for children when learning about feelings.
6. 1-2-3 My Feelings and Me by Goldie Millar: This book talks about how feelings affect our bodies and minds, alongside strategies for learning to manage overwhelming emotions.
7. The Feeling Flower by Lean Dakroub: This book follows a flower named Zippy and her feelings throughout the day.
8. Calm Down Time by Elizabeth Verdick and Marika Heinlen: This book gives toddlers their space during temper tantrums.
9. Me and My Fear by Francesca Sanna: This book follows a young immigrant girl going to her new place.
10. The Feelings Book by Todd Parr: This book helps us explore what faces we make when we’re feeling strongly.
11. When Sadness is at Your Door by Eva Eland: This book helps kids realize that sometimes sadness doesn’t go away so quickly.
12. The Color Monster: A Story About Emotions by Anna Llenas: This book describes emotions, including happiness, sadness, anger, fear, and calm, through the actions of a monster sorting them out.