Resources To Use When Teaching Feelings And Emotions To Children

Fisher-Price: Peekaboo, Baby!: Faces & Feelings

by: Claire Kinkaid

Amazon Price: $3.83 (as of 06/02/2012)

It's never too soon to teach feelings and emotions. A good start point would be by reading a book with a baby and overtly making the face shown to demonstrate to the child. The child will also learn to recognise facial expression of others and will be able to learn and express their own feelings and emotions.

Play-Doh 24 Pack of Colors

Amazon Price: $11.39 (as of 06/02/2012)

Sometimes, we can use resources that aren't found in educational catalogues. Play doh is just one of them. I encourage the child to make a feelings face from Play doh. I do the same. Then we compare and guess each other's feelings from the faces. You'll find even the younger children can make a smile in their play doh. It can be as simple or as elaborate as you like. I tend to use this resources when teaching basic feeling such as happy, sad, angry. I'm not artistic enough to go any further!!

Of course, you don't have to buy it. Why not make your own?

The Feelings Diary: Helping Pupils to Develop their Emotional Literacy Skills by Becoming More Aware of their Feelings on a Daily Basis - For Key Stages 2 and 3 (Lucky Duck Books)

by: Gillian Shotton

Amazon Price: $22.88 (as of 06/02/2012)

This fabulous teachers workbook includes teachers notes, lesson plans for teaching emotional literacy, and a copiable feelings diary. By using this programme the teacher will: be able to;

- help students to understand, manage and express their own emotions

- extend the range of feelings and vocabulary used

- encourage emotionally literate behaviours and relationships.

This is an essential resource for those who want to encourage emotional development in young people.

Todd Parr Feelings Flash Cards

by: Todd Parr

Amazon Price: $8.51 (as of 06/02/2012)

Feelings flash cards are a good way of opening up discussion with a child on a particular feeling. Children love identifying with the characters through copying their facial expressions.

I ask the child, what is he feeling? Why do you think he feels this way? When was the last time you felt this way? What do you think might happen to make me feel this way? Obviously, differentiation would be needed depending on the age/ability of your pupil. Feelings flash cards are not only good for identifying feelings but can be used by children as a non verbal prompt to show others how they are feeling. It could be that the child has some form of speech or communication problem or maybe they just need a visual aid.

Dealing with Feeling (Lucky Duck Books)

by: Tina Rae

Amazon Price: (as of 06/02/2012)

This book contains 40 lesson plans to help you teach children and develop emotional literacy skills and specifically the development of an emotional vocabulary, empathy, tolerance, resilience and motivation. The focus upon managing more complex and uncomfortable feelings is central to the programme and pupils are introduced to a variety of techniques which can be applied across a broad range of contexts.

The subjects covered in the lesson plans are they types of real life situations a child will be familiar with. Lots of lovely role play activities here to have fun with too!