Objective:
Teach kids to identify, express, and understand different emotions through a fun, hands-on activity using animal character masks.
Teach kids about perseverance and the value of trying again.
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Materials Needed
- Animal character coloring pages (happy, sad, scared, angry, and calm)
- Crayons, markers, or colored pencils
- Safety scissors
- Glue
- Wood sticks or popsicle sticks
Instructions
Invite your kid to color each animal, and ask them to choose a color that represents the emotion of the animal. Encourage them to notice and discuss each emotion as they color.
After coloring, cut around the animal faces and glue them onto a popsicle stick to create emotion masks.
Emotion Games
Express and Match
The child holds up a mask without showing others, acts out the emotion on the mask, and the others try to guess the emotion.
Emotion Stories
The child randomly picks an emotion mask and creates a short story or scene about why the animal might feel that way (e.g., “This parrot feels happy because he got a surprise hug from his friend!”).
Growth Mindset Games
Role Play “Try Again”
Let kids choose a mask and share a short story or pretend scenario in which the animal needs to try again. Please encourage them to talk about times when that animal required to be brave, patient, or keep trying. For example, “The scared lion is learning to climb a tree and didn’t make it the first time, but he tries again.”
“Learning Friends”
Discuss how each animal can be a “Learning Friend” by showing curiosity, self-control, practice, or teamwork. Choose together a common skill (like tying a shoe or drawing a star). Ask the child to put on a mask, and share how this “Learning Friend” would react if they didn’t succeed right away. For example, “The angry gorilla tries to tie a shoe, he takes a deep breath and learns to ask for help!”
Through these activities, kids get to practice identifying emotions, explore different feelings, and learn to express empathy and understanding for others. Encourages kids to embrace mistakes as part of learning and to seek help when needed. It’s a fun way to strengthen emotional intelligence and reinforce a growth mindset while being creative!
