Feelings Theme Day

Pre-school Theme Day

Emotions/Feelings

It’s good to talk to your kids about emotions and let them know that it’s okay to feel different ways. Use this Theme Day to discuss the names of these feelings with your preschooler and to help your child learn how to express what he/she is feeling. Giving your child the ability to articulate what emotions he/she is having will aid in communication and may even curb some temper tantrums!

Print out the Family Theme Day Planner and decide which activities you’d like to do and in what order.

SONGS:

The most obvious Children’s Song for this Theme Day is “If you’re happy and you know it.” Check here for lyrics: http://www.kididdles.com/lyrics/i007.html

For another song about feelings try this: “Don’t Worry Be Happy,” by Bobby McFerrin.

SCRAPBOOK ACTIVITIES:

COLORING PAGES:

You can find many free colouring pages online by using your favourite search engine and typing in “Emotions Coloring Page” or print out my “There Are Many Ways We Feel” Coloring Page.

JOURNALING QUESTION PROMPT:

Write out the following question in your Family Theme Day Scrapbook or on a piece of paper to glue in your scrapbook: What are some different ways people feel?

Note: This is a Theme Day geared more for Preschooler/Kindergartener children. To help your child with this journal entry discuss the answer(s) out loud first. Then you could either write the answer down yourself on a separate sheet for your child to copy or tell him/her the correct letters out loud for him/her to write. You could also write most of the answer yourself but then leaving one or two words for your child to write out himself/herself with your help. You could also encourage him/her to draw a picture as well.

PUZZLES:

Print out my Emotions Word Search and work on it together with your preschooler.

Check here for the answer key: Easy Emotions Word Search Key

BOOKS:

NOTE: When you read books about emotions ask your child if and when he/she has ever felt that way.

Raid your child’s bookshelves to find any books about different emotions and feelings.

Go to the library with your child to find some books about feelings.

Go to the library on your own to find books different emotions and feelings from both fiction and nonfiction to have already on hand for your theme day. Many libraries allow you to go online and search for titles based on subject (Search for “Emotions” under “Children’s Books”). Reserve them if you can to save time.

Try to find some of these nonfiction/learning titles:

· Lots of Feelings, by Shelley Rotner, The Millbrook Press, 2003 – This easy to read book has photographs of children showing various feelings.

· How to Deal with Jealousy, by Jonathan Kravetz, Power kids Press, 2007 – Easy to read and easy to understand, this book gently looks at what jealousy is and discusses positive ways of dealing with that feeling. Other books in this series deal with Anger, Bullies, Fighting, Insults and Teasing).

Here are some picture books:

· All About Faces, by La ZOO, Seven Footer Kids, 2009 – In this English adaptation of the fun Japanese book with colourful whimsical pictures all aspects of the face are considered: shapes, feelings, parts (including things that come out of these parts), makeup, color, aging, etc..

· Everybody Feels...Scared, by Jane Bingham, Crabtree Publishing Company, 2008 – This series of books (there is one on feeling angry, happy and sad) are simple and gentle ways to communicate with your child about various emotions, in this case being scared. It presents questions but also supplies little stories to illustrated children feeling scared in various situations and then offers some solutions.

· I am a Rainbow, by Dolly Parton and illustrated by heather Sheffield, G.P Putnam’s Sons, 2009—This book is a poem about feeling different ways (tickled pink, red with anger, green with envy...) and deals with simple situations that children can relate too. It’s the perfect book for this Theme Day.

· Love is a Good Thing to Feel, written by Barbara Joosee and illustrated by Jennifer Plecas, Philomel Books, 2008 – A little girl and her stuffed bunny explore what love is.

· My Many Colored Days, by Dr. Seuss with paintings by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher, Alfred A. Knopf, 1996 – This rhyming compares different colors to feeling different ways.

· Today I Feel Silly & Other Moods That Make My Day, by Jamie Lee Curtis and illustrated by Laura Cornell, Joanna Cotler Books, 1998 – This rhyming book examines the many moods of a little girl showing that everybody feels differently all the time and it’s ok to feel many ways.

CRAFTS:

HAPPY FACE STICKER COLLAGE:

Materials: Happy Face stickers, a piece of coloured paper, crayons and markers (optional).

Step 1: Let your child choose the colour of paper.

Step 2: Have your child arrange the Happy Face stickers on the coloured paper in any design he/she wants.

Step 3: (Optional) If your child wants to, let him/her decorate the sticker collage with crayons or markers as well.

Step 4: Display or glue into your Family Theme Day Scrapbook.

EMOTION COLLAGE:

Materials: Old magazines that can be cut up, child safe scissors, coloured paper, glue stick, damp cloth for sticky fingers.

Step 1: Flip through old magazines with your child looking at the faces of people in them. Discuss what emotions or feelings the people appear to have on their faces.

Step 2: Cut out pictures of different emotions.

Step 3: Let your child choose the colour of paper.

Step 4: Have your child glue the magazine faces onto the paper.

Step 5: Display or glue into your Family Theme Day Scrapbook.

PAPER PLATE MASK:

Materials: Paper plate, coloured paper, markers or crayons, child safe scissors, popsicle stick or craft stick, tape.

Step 1: (Parent step) Cut out eye holes for your child in the paper plate.

Step 2: Have your child pick two emotions he/she would like to have on the mask.

Step3: Draw simple shapes for your child to cut out to be eyebrows, nose and mouth for each side of the plate. You can have your child decorate the pieces with markers or crayons.

Step 4: Have your child cut them out (or help him/her to cut the pieces out).

Step 5: Let your child glue the pieces onto the paper plate to make a face on each side of the plate.

Step 6: Let your child add any embellishments with markers and crayons if desired.

Step 7: Tape the craft stick to one side of the plate to use as a handle.

FUNNY FACES:

Materials: Old magazines that can be cut up, coloured paper, markers or crayons, child safe scissors, glue stick, damp cloth for sticky fingers.

Step 1: Look through old magazines with your child to find noses, eyes and mouths to cut out.

Step 2:Let your child glue some eyes, a nose and a mouth to a sheet of paper and then draw around it to form a funny face or person.

Step 3: Make as many as your child wants, then display or glue in your Family Theme Day Scrapbook.

“WHO DO I LOVE” BOOK:

This craft focuses on one emotion: love! It would make a good gift.

Materials: Photos of family and friends that can be glued, coloured paper, stapler.

Step 1: Fold coloured paper in half to create a booklet and staple along the fold.

Step 2: Ask your child to list all the people he/she loves and then look through photos to find pictures of these people. You can also use a computer to pick digital photos of loved ones and then copy them as clip art and print them to cut out for this craft.

Step 3: Help your child write the title “Who do I love” and your child’s name.

Step 4: Help your child write the names of the loved ones on each page of the booklet and then have your child glue the photos in the correct spot.

FOOD:

SNACK:

Cracker Faces:

Ingredients: Crackers, peanut butter (or cream cheese if your child has a nut allergy), raisins, cereal pieces, jam, pretzels, marshmallows, dried fruit, nuts….anything your child likes to eat.

Step 1: Spread the peanut butter (or cream cheese) onto the crackers.

Step 2:Have fun with your child decorating the crackers with little pieces of food to create faces that show different emotions.

Step 3: Enjoy!

Fruit Faces:

Ingredients: Yogurt, granola or other cereal, your child’s favourite fruits.

Step 1: Spread some yogurt on a plate.

Step 2: Have fun with your child decorating the yogurt face with pieces of fruit and cereal to create a face and a yummy snack.

LUNCH:

Bagel Faces:

Ingredients: bagel, cream cheese, cut vegetables, shredded cheese, diced lunch meat, or any other favourite sandwich topping.

Step 1: Cut open the bagel to make 2 faces and spread cream cheese on each slice.

Step 2: Have fun with your child decorating the bagel halves pieces of vegetables, lunch meat and cheese to a funny face for lunch.

DESSERT:

Cookie Faces – Make your favourite sugar cookies with a round cookie cutter and then use different coloured icings to decorate each cookie to look like a person with different feelings. HINT: You can buy little tubes of icing that write well and would be easy for a child to use to draw on these cookies.

LEARNING ACTIVITIES:

HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY:

Print out my ``How Do You Feel Today?” Worksheet and have your child draw a self portrait to illustrate how he/she feels today.

I FEEL THIS WAY CHART:

Print out my “I Feel This Way When...” Chart and together as a family help your child fill in the answers.

FOR FUN:

GAMES:

Charades:

Print out a copy of my “Emotions Charades” and cut out each word. Put the words in a bag, jar or hat and take turns drawing them. Either play charades individually or in teams (if you have children who cannot read yet) and guess what emotions or feelings were drawn through mimed actions. OR If you are just playing this with 2 people (child and parent) read out each word and take turns acting them out.

CHALK FACES:

Use sidewalk chalk and draw faces with different emotions on the sidewalk.

JOKES:

KNOCK KNOCK

Who’s there?

Orange

Orange who?

Orange you happy to see me

EXTENDED ACTIVITIES:

AUDIO VISUAL:

Search through your child’s DVD/ video collection (or visit your local library before hand or the Video Store) to find your child’s favourite shows about different feelings.

Try to find these titles:

· Barney: Happy Mad Silly Sad: Putting a Face to Feelings, Shimbarah Music, 1983

· Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood: What Do You Do With the Mad that You Feel?, Anchor Bay Entertainment, Inc., 2005