I planned a lesson strictly on emotions and expressions-- and how we can often tell someone's emotions by their expressions. It's good for young children to be able to identify and name their emotions for better communication. Often while driving in the car with my visor down where Logan can see my face from her seat in the back, she questions my mood. If i'm bored in traffic, squinting at the sun, focused on my thoughts, mindlessly driving, or driving determined in inclement weather she always questions what I'm thinking or feeling. If my face changes, she's curious. I decided to explore emotions further with her, hoping it would be fun and interesting-- it was. Having not really prepared an actual lesson and just kind of winging it, I didn't expect too much from it. I just kind of figured, something would be better than nothing. Looking back now, there are so many things we could have done, so much more we could have explored. Next school year, we'll revisit and explore further.
We paged through comic books for faces. Comic book characters have the greatest facial expressions-- and so many different ones too. I had Logan glue each face down while explaining to me what the person was probably thinking or feeling.
I emphasized probably because sometimes someone can appear happy, and be sad on the inside. We discussed that. I think of the Sigmund Freud quote: "Unexpressed emotions will never die. They are buried alive and will come forth later in uglier ways."
I think knowing how to express yourself is one of life's most valuable tools. We talked about how it's always best to express your feelings and not hide them. I let her know that Mommy and Daddy are always here to listen and comfort her. It's never too early to start working on healthy communication habits.
After Logan finished gluing, we then imitated the faces our selves. We both may have had too much fun with this. :)
I didn't have any strictly emotional or feelings specific themed books, and having no time to visit our local library, I decided to used some of the books we had and just discussed the feelings and emotions of the characters. Kids books always have some sort of drama going on. There is always a lesson to be learned from some sort of conflict or dilemma.
Some of the common messages were:
"It's okay to be mad, but it's not okay to call someone a name."
"It's okay to be angry, but it's not okay to hit."
"It's okay to be bummed you didn't win, but it's not okay to be a poor sport."
"It's okay to want something that isn't yours, but you don't take things that don't belong to you."
We explored all of these messages a little more in depth. For example: we talked about being a good sport and being happy for those who succeed, and we discussed what to do when you want something someone else has. We tied in sharing here, also, going to Mom and/or Dad for wants and needs.
Related YouTube Videos:
Sesame Street Video-- Dave Matthews and Grover sing about Feelings
We actually covered a lot more than I had anticipated, but there is still so much to explore. I can't wait to plan out this lesson more in depth for our next preschool homeschool year beginning in September.
More related to this lesson?
Activity/Craft: Discussing Emotions with Pasta Faces
Reference: Emotions Face Chart
Inspiring/Real World: 35 Incredibly Powerful Hugs
*We've been focusing on more simplistic lessons, and spending more time on them. I personally have been focusing more on being in-the-moment lately, hence the lack of pictures.
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