The Arts · Grade 1

Active learning ideas

Dancing Our Feelings

Active learning through dance helps students connect abstract emotions to concrete physical experiences. When students move to express feelings, they develop both emotional vocabulary and kinesthetic awareness, making abstract concepts tangible. This approach builds empathy as children learn to interpret emotions beyond words.

• Ontario Curriculum Expectations
• DA:Pr5.1.1a

• 15–35 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 3 activities

Activity 01

• Role Play
• 20 min · Whole Class

Role Play: Emotion Statues

The teacher calls out an emotion (e.g., 'excited'). Students have three seconds to freeze in a shape that shows that feeling. They then look around and describe one 'clue' they see in a classmate's pose.

Can you show me a heavy movement with your arms? Now show me a light, floaty one , how are they different?

Facilitation Tip

For Feeling Phrases, circulate with a checklist to note which groups used tension, facial cues, and movement quality to express emotions.

What to look for

Ask students to stand and show 'happy' using their whole body and face. Then, ask them to show 'sad' with their body and face. Observe if students are using tension, posture, and facial cues to communicate the intended emotion.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness

Activity 02

• Think-Pair-Share
• 15 min · Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: Heavy or Light?

Play a piece of music and ask students to move like a 'heavy giant' and then a 'light fairy.' They share with a partner which one felt more 'tired' and which felt more 'happy.'

Can you show me how a brave lion might walk and move?

What to look for

After a short movement exploration, ask: 'What did you see in your partner's movements that made you think they were feeling [joy/sadness/anger]?' Encourage students to point to specific body parts or facial expressions they observed.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Activity 03

• Inquiry Circle
• 35 min · Small Groups

Inquiry Circle: Feeling Phrases

In small groups, students are given an 'emotion card.' They must create a short dance phrase (three movements) that shows that feeling, which the rest of the class then tries to guess.

How did that dancing make you feel? What did you see that made you feel that way?

What to look for

Give each student a card with an emotion written on it (e.g., 'Surprise'). Ask them to draw a simple picture of a face showing that emotion and write one word describing a movement that goes with it.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Self-Awareness

A few notes on teaching this unit

Start with concrete examples before abstract discussions. Use modeling and peer demonstrations to show how subtle changes in movement quality communicate emotion. Avoid over-focusing on facial expressions alone, as research shows posture and tension are equally important. Keep activities short to maintain engagement and energy.

Successful learning looks like students using their whole bodies—posture, tension, and facial expressions—to communicate emotions clearly. They should confidently discuss how different movements reflect feelings and adjust their expressions based on peer feedback. The goal is for students to see movement as a tool for emotional communication.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During the Emotion Statues activity, watch for students who only show emotion in their faces.

  Prompt them to step back and check their whole body posture and tension, like showing sadness with rounded shoulders or anger with tightly crossed arms.

• During the Heavy or Light? activity, children may assume all anger is fast and forceful.

  Have them explore slow, tense movements like stomping their feet heavily while keeping their arms stiff to show a contained anger.

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Methods used in this brief

• Role Play
• Think-Pair-Share
• Inquiry Circle