Feelings in StoriesActivities & Teaching Strategies
Active learning helps young children connect emotions to stories through movement, talk, and art. When they mimic faces, act out scenes, or draw feelings, they link abstract emotions to concrete experiences in a way that static worksheets cannot. This hands-on approach builds both emotional vocabulary and memory for narrative events.
Learning Objectives
- 1Identify specific words and phrases authors use to describe character feelings.
- 2Demonstrate a character's emotion through facial expression and body language.
- 3Explain how events in a story cause a character to feel a certain way.
- 4Compare the feelings of different characters within the same story.
Want a complete lesson plan with these objectives? Generate a Mission →
Whole Class: Emotion Echoes
Read a picture book aloud and pause at key emotion moments. Have the whole class copy the character's face and body pose together. Follow with a quick share: 'Who felt like that today?'
Prepare & details
How does the character feel at the beginning of the story?
Facilitation Tip: During Emotion Echoes, pause after key story moments so children have time to match the character’s face and posture with their own.
Setup: One chair at the front, class facing it
Materials: Character research brief, Question preparation worksheet, Optional: simple costume/prop
Pairs: Mirror Feelings
Partners face each other; one describes a story character's feeling (e.g., 'scared in the dark'), the other mirrors the face and pose. Switch roles after 30 seconds, then discuss story clues.
Prepare & details
What makes the character happy or sad in this story?
Facilitation Tip: During Mirror Feelings, position pairs face-to-face with good lighting to help children notice subtle changes in facial muscles.
Setup: One chair at the front, class facing it
Materials: Character research brief, Question preparation worksheet, Optional: simple costume/prop
Small Groups: Story Puppets
Provide paper bags or socks for simple puppets. Groups retell a story scene, using puppets to show changing feelings. Perform for the class and note what caused emotion shifts.
Prepare & details
Can you show on your face how the character is feeling?
Facilitation Tip: During Story Puppets, assign roles that require emotional expression so children must practice the feeling to perform it.
Setup: One chair at the front, class facing it
Materials: Character research brief, Question preparation worksheet, Optional: simple costume/prop
Individual: Feeling Drawings
Children draw a character's face at two story points (e.g., sad then happy). Label with one word and a sentence about why. Display and class votes on most expressive.
Prepare & details
How does the character feel at the beginning of the story?
Setup: One chair at the front, class facing it
Materials: Character research brief, Question preparation worksheet, Optional: simple costume/prop
Teaching This Topic
Teachers should model emotional vocabulary during read-alouds, using precise words like 'frustrated' or 'proud' instead of generic terms like 'good' or 'bad.' Avoid rushing through feelings; give students time to respond and reflect. Research shows that acting out emotions strengthens neural pathways between emotion and memory, making stories more memorable.
What to Expect
Successful learning looks like children naming emotions they see in pictures and stories, using feeling words in full sentences, and demonstrating understanding through facial expressions and gestures. They should connect causes to effects, such as 'They felt scared because the loud noise came suddenly.'
These activities are a starting point. A full mission is the experience.
- Complete facilitation script with teacher dialogue
- Printable student materials, ready for class
- Differentiation strategies for every learner
Watch Out for These Misconceptions
Common MisconceptionDuring Emotion Echoes, children may assume characters feel the same emotion throughout the story.
What to Teach Instead
During Emotion Echoes, pause at key turning points and ask children to show how the character’s face and body change. Use phrases like 'Now how does their face look different?' to guide them through the sequence.
Common MisconceptionDuring Mirror Feelings, children think feelings only come from words, not pictures or actions.
What to Teach Instead
During Mirror Feelings, direct pairs to focus on visual clues first. Ask, 'Look at the eyebrows and mouth. What do you see?' before matching expressions.
Common MisconceptionDuring Feeling Drawings, children believe story characters’ feelings are totally unlike their own.
What to Teach Instead
During Feeling Drawings, hold a brief sharing circle where children connect their own experiences to the character’s. Ask, 'Have you ever felt that way? Tell your partner about it.'
Assessment Ideas
After Emotion Echoes, read a short passage and ask students to point to the picture that shows how the character feels. Have them say one word to describe the feeling, such as 'angry' or 'excited.'
After Feeling Drawings, give each child a blank face outline. Ask them to draw eyes and a mouth to show a specific emotion, such as 'Draw a surprised face.' Then have them hold up their drawing and say the feeling word aloud.
After Story Puppets, ask, 'What happened in the story that made the character feel [emotion]?' Encourage students to use complete sentences, such as 'The character felt happy because their friend shared a toy.'
Extensions & Scaffolding
- Challenge early finishers to create a new scene in the story where the character feels a different emotion, using puppets to act it out.
- Scaffolding for struggling students: provide emotion word cards with pictures to hold up while they speak during Story Puppets or Feeling Drawings.
- Deeper exploration: invite students to write or dictate a short sentence about a time they felt the same emotion as the story character.
Key Vocabulary
| Happy | Feeling or showing pleasure or contentment. A character might feel happy when they receive a gift or play with a friend. |
| Sad | Feeling or showing sorrow or unhappiness. A character might feel sad if they lose a toy or a friend moves away. |
| Angry | Feeling or showing strong annoyance, displeasure, or hostility. A character might feel angry if someone takes their toy without asking. |
| Surprised | Feeling or showing surprise because something unexpected has happened. A character might feel surprised by a sudden noise or a visitor. |
| Scared | Feeling fear or anxiety; frightened. A character might feel scared of the dark or a loud thunderclap. |
Suggested Methodologies
Planning templates for Foundations of Language and Literacy
More in The Power of Oral Language
Sharing Personal Narratives
Students practice narrative skills by recounting personal experiences and listening to peers in a structured setting.
3 methodologies
Playing with Sounds and Words
Students will identify and interpret various forms of figurative language (e.g., metaphors, similes, personification) in literary texts to deepen comprehension and appreciate authorial craft.
3 methodologies
Enjoying Nursery Rhymes and Songs
Students will explore and analyse various poetic devices such as alliteration, assonance, consonance, and onomatopoeia, understanding their contribution to rhythm, sound, and meaning in poetry.
3 methodologies
Developing Active Listening Skills
Students learn and practice strategies for attentive listening, including eye contact and asking clarifying questions.
3 methodologies
Sharing What We Think and Feel
Students will learn and practice techniques for persuasive speaking, including structuring arguments, using rhetorical devices, and adapting delivery for different audiences and purposes.
3 methodologies
Ready to teach Feelings in Stories?
Generate a full mission with everything you need
Generate a Mission