Peek-A-Boo Feelings
Prep: None | Activity Time: 5 Minutes
Heres a game that can be done anywhere and any time you have a few minutes to spare. Its a simple way to help your child recognize facial expressions and talk about feelings and emotions.
- None
Step 1: Tell your child that youre going to play a game thats like peek-a-boo. In this game, youll hide your face behind your hands. Make a facial expression and open your hands. See if your child can describe your facial expression.
You might say:
Im going to hide my face behind my hands. Then, Ill change the way I look. I might look happy, sad, excited or angry. When I take my hands away, tell me how you think I am feeling by looking at my face.
Step 2: After your child identifies the feeling, ask her to tell you some things that might make her feel the same way.
Step 3: Continue with other facial expressions.
Step 4: Trade places with your child. Ask her to cover her face with her hands and make a facial expression. See if you can tell the emotion shes trying to portray.
Start with more common and familiar emotions like happy, sad and mad.
Give your child paper and crayons and ask her to draw a picture that shows a feeling. Let her independently use color, lines and images to portray the feeling. Encourage her to be imaginative. Art is expressive. There are no right or wrong answers.
You might also check out these books on feelings and emotions: