Teaching Feelings this Love Month

We’re tackling more MESH this year or the Mental, Emotional, and Social Health of Kids continuing with Teaching Feelings this Love Month

Valentine’s Day is not just about romantic love; it’s also a great opportunity to teach preschoolers about different emotions and how to express them. By helping young children understand and manage their feelings, we can lay a strong foundation for their emotional well-being. In this blog post, we’ll explore some fun and interactive ways to teach preschoolers about feelings this Valentine’s Day.

1 / Storytelling with Emotions

Engage preschoolers’ imagination with stories that highlight various emotions. Choose picture books or create your own tales that feature characters experiencing different feelings like happiness, sadness, anger, and love. Use expressive facial expressions and animated voices to bring the emotions to life. After reading, ask simple questions like “How do you think the character feels?” This activity helps preschoolers identify and understand different emotions.

2 / Emotion Cards

Create emotion cards with simple illustrations or photographs that depict different emotions. Show one card at a time to the preschoolers and ask them to identify the emotion. Encourage them to imitate the facial expressions associated with each emotion. You can also ask them to share a time when they felt that particular emotion. This hands-on activity helps preschoolers recognize and relate to various feelings.

3 / Feelings Chart

Design a feelings chart with colorful images representing different emotions. Hang it at your child’s eye level and refer to it throughout the day. When a preschooler experiences an emotion, encourage them to point to the corresponding image on the chart and share what they’re feeling. This visual aid helps preschoolers develop emotional vocabulary and express their feelings effectively.

4 / Emotion Matching Game

Create an emotion matching game by printing out pictures of children displaying different emotions. Cut out the pictures and mix them up. Lay them face down on a table and invite your preschooler to turn over two cards at a time, trying to find a match. When they turn over two cards with the same emotion, ask them to imitate the facial expression and talk about when they’ve felt that way. This game reinforces emotional recognition and memory skills

5 / Emotion Puppets

Make simple emotion puppets using paper bags or craft sticks. Draw different facial expressions on the puppets to represent various emotions. Encourage preschoolers to use the puppets to act out different emotions or tell stories about how the puppets are feeling. This interactive activity helps preschoolers explore and express their own emotions in a playful and engaging way.