Learning About Emotions With Snowmen
Talking with your child about emotions is key to building an emotionally supportive environment at home. By building this space at home, your child can learn to better express herself and handle emotions when she’s out and about. Of course, starting by talking to her in the middle of a strong wave of emotion may not be the best strategy. Instead, find a quiet time to talk about and play with emotions when her ears and heart are open to learning, not just reacting. Here is an activity that is big on fun, but more importantly, big on learning emotions.
Materials
Directions
Start by asking your child about different times that she has experienced strong emotions. Ask why she felt that way. How did her body feel when she experienced that emotion? Relaxed? Tense? With young children, we aren’t looking for subtle experiences — use examples that are more extreme and clear.
Explain to your child that together, you will make snowmen who feel strong emotions too. Help your child form circles with the white or blue play doh (as the snowmen heads). Form noses with the orange play doh and stick them onto the blank faces. Can your child tell which emotions the snowmen are feeling yet?
Talk about how eyes and mouths help show how people feel. Make some faces and encourage your child to show you how they look when they are happy, sad, surprised, etc. When you make a face, ask your child to point out how your face changes. What do your eyebrows do when you make an angry face? How about your mouth during a surprised face? Is this the same or different on other people?
Call out an emotion and ask your child to create it on the snowman. After finishing each face, ask what made the snowman feel that way.
Allison McDonald is a former preschool teacher and director who started her popular early education blog No Time For Flash Cards as a way to keep one foot in her professional life while knee deep in motherhood. Learning should be fun and it's Allison's goal to help all parents be able to add a little fun and learning to their child's day. Allison lives in a yellow farmhouse outside of Seattle with her two kids and husband.
Emotions & Self-Awareness
Social Skills
Character
Arts- Activity Type
- Craft
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