Self & Community · Kindergarten

Active learning ideas

Exploring My Emotions

Active learning works for emotions because young children express feelings through movement and play before they can articulate them. When they mimic faces, act out scenarios, and draw reactions, they connect abstract feelings to concrete actions, making empathy and self-regulation visible and memorable.

• Common Core State Standards
• C3: D2.Civ.6.K-2

• 15–30 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Role Play
• 20 min · Pairs

Mirror Pairs: Emotion Faces

Pair children up with hand mirrors. Call out an emotion like happy or sad, and have partners make the face while describing it. Switch roles after one minute, then share with the group what they noticed.

Differentiate between happy, sad, and angry feelings.

Facilitation Tip

During Mirror Pairs, model slow, clear expressions so children can match both face and posture.

What to look for

Show students pictures of different facial expressions. Ask them to point to the picture that shows 'happy' or 'sad'. Then, ask them to make that face themselves and show their body language for that emotion.

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

Activity 02

• Role Play
• 30 min · Whole Class

Circle Share: Feeling Charades

Sit in a circle. One child acts out an emotion without words while others guess and share times they felt that way. Use a timer for 30 seconds per turn, rotating until all participate.

Explain healthy ways to express frustration or sadness.

Facilitation Tip

In Circle Share, pause after each charade to let the group whisper their guesses before confirming.

What to look for

Present a scenario: 'Imagine your friend's tower of blocks falls down. How might they feel? What could you say or do to help them feel better?' Listen for predictions about feelings and suggestions for helpful actions.

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

Activity 03

• Role Play
• 25 min · Small Groups

Small Group: Emotion Role-Play

In groups of four, present scenario cards like 'friend takes your toy.' Children act out healthy responses, discuss, and vote on the best one. Rotate roles twice.

Predict how a friend might feel based on their facial expression.

Facilitation Tip

For Emotion Role-Play, give each child a card with a feeling word and one scenario starter to keep scenes focused.

What to look for

Give each student a piece of paper. Ask them to draw one way they can show they are feeling sad or frustrated without hurting themselves or others. Examples could include drawing, talking to a teacher, or taking deep breaths.

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

Activity 04

• Role Play
• 15 min · Individual

Individual: Feelings Draw

Give paper and crayons. Children draw themselves feeling happy, sad, or angry, label with words or lines. Share one drawing in pairs.

Differentiate between happy, sad, and angry feelings.

Facilitation Tip

With Feelings Draw, provide crayons in colors that match the emotion words to reinforce connections.

What to look for

Show students pictures of different facial expressions. Ask them to point to the picture that shows 'happy' or 'sad'. Then, ask them to make that face themselves and show their body language for that emotion.

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

A few notes on teaching this unit

Approach emotions with calm repetition and clear routines. Avoid rushing to fix feelings; instead, name them and offer time to process. Research shows children learn emotional vocabulary best when they see it modeled in context, so use your own facial cues and tone during transitions. Keep activities short, 5-7 minutes, so focus stays high and frustration stays low.

Success looks like children using words or gestures to name emotions, showing care when a peer seems sad, and choosing safe ways to express frustration. They should respond to scenarios with at least one helpful idea and use materials thoughtfully during tasks.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Mirror Pairs, watch for children who think sadness must end immediately.

  Pause the activity and say, 'Let’s copy your partner’s sad face. Notice how their shoulders are down and their mouth is turned down. Sadness is okay to feel for a little while. You can tell your friend, I see you are sad, and give them a quiet minute.'

• During Circle Share, watch for children who believe emotions show only on faces.

  After the charade ends, ask, 'What did you notice about their arms or legs? How did they stand? Let’s try acting out ‘angry’ with our whole body so we all notice the clues.'

• During Emotion Role-Play, watch for children who say anger cannot be controlled.

  Hand the child a small stress ball and say, 'Let’s try counting while we squeeze this ball. One, two, three… Now let’s try saying, I need space. Can you show me that with your voice?'

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Methods used in this brief

• Role Play