My favorite game and always interesting for those with a vocabulary!
Set a stuffed animal, or doll in a chair. Tell your children that this is your child and he does not want to go to bed. Ask them how they think the child feels. Then ask them things that make them feel that way. Next tell them that the child is about to go out and play. Ask them how they think the child feels. Then ask them what makes them feel this way.”

Use you emotion circles from the other game or make them (see matching game) read different situations to your children and have them tell you what emotion card goes with what situation. Some Situations are:
*Lost Favorite Toy
*Won A game
*Have to do chores before playing with friends
*Swimming
*Lost
*It’s Christmas”

Draw 10 different faces with emotions on paper plates or paper…happy, sad, mad, silly, worried (big eyes and a little mouth), scared (huge mouth in a horse shoe shape), loving (kissing face), stressed (big eyes and a wormy line for a mouth), tired (drooping eyelids….open mouth), Surprised (big eyes, big open mouth). Make 2 copies of each face. Cut them out. Place one of each around the room and have your child try and find the matching one that you have given them.

An extension of the craft with the mirror from before is to look through favorite books or magazines and have children look into the mirror and try to copy the expressions in the book. What sorts of things were they feeling when they made that face?

“Sing the Itsy Bitsy Spider.
Now introduce the spider’s neighbors.
They include the Happy Little Spider, The Sad Little Spider, Shy, Afraid, Giggly, etc. Sing the words and act out the emotion with your face and voice.
”

“I’ve got that hap-py feel-ing here in my heart,
here in my heart,
here in my heart.
I’ve got that hap-py feel-ing here in my heart,
here in my heart to stay.””
Continue with…..
I’ve got that happy feeling down in my feet, etc.
I’ve got that happy feeling here in my hands, etc.
I’ve got that happy feeling all over me, etc.
Try corresponding movements with each verse (marching, clapping, etc.)
”

If you’re Happy & you know it.

Toddlers are too small for most community work, but you can still do little things for friends & family, find out if they need anything done that you & your toddler could help out with, getting some groceries or tidying up. Maybe taking old clothes to a thrift store or donating toys to a women’s shelter could be something you collect in the house together.

Sharing makes everyone feel nice. Try to find a day to go outdoors and bring along extra toys or mitts to share with another kid so that they can play together. Talk with them about how much fun it was to play and wasn’t it a good thing we shared.

I am really sorry this unit is not complete, if you have any ideas for feelings theme please email them to me, I will be sure to credit your idea in the newsletter!
How is Freddy feeling this week?
Cut out little brown circles and draw different expressions on his face (seen here) tell your child that they can play with Teddy to show how they are feeling.