Feeling Guess

TOPIC: Identifying and Expressing Feelings

CONCEPT: Often children have difficulty identifying their feelings and don't realize that in one day many feelings might be expressed. Helping children learn to identify their feelings and talking about them enables children to feel comfortable expressing feelings rather than holding them inside. When children don't feel comfortable expressing their feelings they often choose alcohol and other drugs to cover the feelings.

GRADE LEVEL: K - 2nd

ACTIVITY: Have the children sit in a semi-circle. Ask for a volunteer to come forward. The child whispers a feeling in the teachers ear and turns his back to the group. When the child turns around he/she should have an expression on his/her face that shows the feeling that was whispered in the teachers ear. The class then guesses what the feeling is. You may need to provide some help to the students in picking a feeling or making the facial expression. After the feeling is identified have the child share a time that he/she felt that feeling. Give other class members an opportunity to tell about a time they also experienced the feeling. Give each class member an opportunity to show a feeling. Encourage using a variety of feelings.

DISCUSSION:

• Did everyone have the same feeling? Why not?

• How many different feelings did you see?

• Do we have more than one feeling?

• Are there good and bad feeling? Why or Why not?

• What might happen if you kept your feelings to yourself?