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Feelings can be a super tough thing to understand. Most adults don’t understand all emotions, so children have a hard time as well. Even when the emotions aren’t as complex, they can be difficult to identify. The best way I have found to help children understand these feelings is to put them with a emotions card game. When they can see and move around, it can be much easier for them to comprehend and take in.
Emotion Card Game
When kids are playing a game, it is likely that they won’t even realize they are learning. This is not a bad thing at all. Especially for children who typically resist learning altogether. We love playing games with our kids anyway, so why not integrate learning into that fun!
The printable set comes with two different types of cards. The first has pictures of children showing a specific emotion. These visual cards do not have any labels on them.
The second set is emotion word cards.
This emotions card game is super easy to prep and one that you can play over and over again.
Need more than 1 Emotion game? Try the Emotions Daily Trackers & Games Printable Pack
You will need:
Printer
Scissors
Laminator (optional)
The first thing to do in order to prep this game is to print the set and cut the cards out individually.
If you choose to laminate, this would be the time. I like to laminate, especially when it’s an activity that I know we will use over and over, like this one. My kids are going to love this emotions card game, so I choose to protect it from their little hands.
Game #1:
There are a few ways that this game can be played, but the first is probably the most used. We set it up as a matching game. So we take all of the word cards and turn them face up on the table. The picture cards, we put in a stack. We each take turns picking a card and finding the matching emotion word on the table.
Game #2:
You could also play it in a more traditional memory sense where you turn all the cards, both picture and word, face down on the table. Pick one of each, see if they match. If they do, pull them and put them in your pile. If they don’t, put them back in their place.
You’ll love this Body Parts Matching Game too!
Game #3:
These cards could also be used for an emotions card game. Children can use either the word or the picture cards and act out the emotions while the rest of the players try and guess. This is a fantastic way to help children become in tune with each emotion.
Game #4:
This game will help children apply different emotions to real-world scenarios. Have them pick a card and tell a situation that would create the emotion. This could also be done by writing the situation as well. This is also a fantastic time to help children see different ways to handle their natural emotions.
The most important thing to remember is to have fun. Children will respond well and learn easier when they are having fun!
Jennefir Brand says
Thank you so much for these wonderful printable learning cards.