If You're Happy and You Know It...

By Randi Masa

Emotions was the topic of the week in many of our Arts Playschool classes! We used a variety of arts enriched activities to encourage our students to be mindful of their emotions. The Arts Playschool children learned to name emotions and explored which facial expressions match certain emotions. We loved seeing big smiles this week!

Being able to name and express emotions in a healthy way is important at any age! Research shows us that children who can understand and manage their emotions have higher self-esteem and better enjoy their daily life experiences.

One art project you can do at home to help teach emotions uses the "How Do I Feel Today?" Worksheet. Check out the directions below and show us how your projects turn out!

Supplies

• How Do I Feel Today Worksheet

• Different Colored Tissue Paper

• Glue Stick

Directions

Print the How Do I Feel Today Worksheet above for each person completing the project. As a family, talk about what colors you associate with different emotions. What color makes you happy? Sad? Angry? There are no right or wrong answers. Not everyone feels the same way about the same color. For instance, at times people tend to relate the color red to feeling angry and blue to a sense of calmness. Others may view red as the color of love and the color blue as a sad color.

Choose these colors from the tissue paper and rip a piece of that color off and glue it to the corresponding emotions on the bottom of your worksheet. Are we missing an emotion? Add whatever emotion you'd like in the last box!

Next, apply glue with the glue stick to the silhouette on the paper. Think about how you are feeling today and use those corresponding colors to fill up the outline!

Discussion Questions

1. Describe why you chose the colors for your art activity.

2. Is there more of one color than another? Which emotion do you feel the most of right now?

3. What does being happy look like? How about being sad or angry? Show these facial expressions to your parent and have them show you theirs!

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While you wait for your art projects to dry, try singing the Arts Playschool version of "If You're Happy and You Know It..." for some creative movement and music! Enjoy!

If You're Happy and You Know It

If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands! If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands!

If you're happy and you know it, then your face will surely show it.

If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands!

Now, switch out the different emotions and actions with these suggestions... even better if you make up your own!

• If you’re happy and you know it, share a smile

• If you’re excited and you know it, jump up and down

• If you’re tired and you know it, yawn and sleep

• If you’re angry and you know it, stomp your feet

• If you’re silly and you know it, do a dance

• If you’re friendly and you know it, give a wave

#Children #Families #SocialEmotionalLearning #Emotions #Activity #Song

About the Author

Randi Masa is the Director of Arts Playschool, an arts enrichment program supported by the Center for Creative Arts Therapy that focuses on Social Emotional Learning through the Arts! Before joining Arts Playschool, she worked for many years in the education and social work fields. Working with children is Randi's passion and it shows if you are lucky enough to see her in action!