Emotions and Feelings Preschool Activities, Games, and Lessons

Free Emotions Activities, Games, and Printables

Introduce and let children explore the different feelings they can experience on any day. Our activities help children identify and name their emotions and feelings. Use the activities during your All About Me theme:

All About Me
My Feeling and Emotions

Emotions Learning Center Ideas 

Pretend Play Area

Place different size mirrors all around the room. 

Fine Motor Skills

Print out a monster face without facial features and let children use play dough to create different facial expressions and mood. Let children share with you how the monster feels.

My Feeling Preschool Activities

Today I feel

Read the book: Today I Feel Silly: And Other Moods That Make My Day

After reading the book prompt students to discuss a variety of feelings. Hand out a small paper plate to each child and encourage them to make a feeling puppet. Have them color or cut out and paste a feeling face on their paper plate. Decorate with yarn annd paper scraps for hair and ears. Attach a large craft stick to the back. Let children share their feeling puppet with the group. Re-read the book and let the children with the matching feeling hold up their puppet.

Happy and Sad
Hand out a mirror to each child. Talk about how we feel when we're happy and how it shows in our face. Sing the song "If You're Happy and You Know It." Let children look in the mirror and make a happy face.

If you're happy and you know it, show a smile.
If you're happy and you know it, show a smile.
If you're happy and you know it, and you really want to show it,
If you're happy and you know it, show a smile.

Repat by children looking in the mirror making a sad face. 

If you're sad and you know it, cry BOO-HOO.

Feeling and Emotions Craft
Hand out a paper plate and a mouth piece to each child. Drill a hole to the bottom of the paper plate and attach the mouth piece with a brass fastener. Let children decorate the face. Sing the song again and let children show the matching feeling on their puppet's face.

Preschool Activities: 

Media Root

My Feelings and Emotions Lesson and Printables (available inside our KidsSoup Resource Library)

Preschool Activities: 

Media Root

Sorting Out Emotions Activity

What you need:

Several magazines or magazine pages

White construction paper

Scissors

Glue

What you do:

Label several sheets of blank white construction paper with emotions words: happy, sad, mad, surprised, shy, worried, silly, proud, etc. Give children magazines or magazine pictures to look through for images of people that match each of the words. Let children cut out the pictures and glue them to the appropriate pages. The pages can be made into a classroom book once they have been filled with images.

Preschool Activities: 

Media Root

Feelings Matching Game
Print two copies of the emotion cards and cut out. Let children match the pictures.

Matching Game: Place cards face down on the table. Let children turn over two cards at a time. If the cards match, they can keep them and get another turn. If the cards don't match, the next player gets a turn. 

How Are You Feeling Today?

Place feelings picture cards in a row on a board. Let children pick out their name cards. Point at each emotion card on the board and name it or ask children to name the emotion. Discuss why they think the child in the picture feels that way. Ask children how they feel today. Let children place their name card below the emotion card that fits their feeling.

Sing the "I Have Feelings" song:

I Have Feelings
(Tune: Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star)

I have feelings (point to self)
So do you (point to children)
Let's all sing about a few.
I am happy (make a big smile)
I am sad (frown)
I get scared (cross arms and make scared face)
I get mad (make fists and stomp feet)
I am proud of being me (hands on hips, shoulders straight, smile)
That's a feeling too, you see.
I have feelings (point to self)
You do, too (Point to children)
We just sang about a few.

Guess How Much I love You My Emotions Activities

Book:Guess How Much I Love You

Read the book and discuss with children how they feel when someone tells them "I love you." Sing the song:

I love You
(Tune: You Are My Sunshine)

I love you mommy
My dearest mommy
You make me happy
When I am sad
I want to tell you
I really love you!
When I'm with you, I am so glad!

Change to any other family member.

Go Away, Big Green Monster! Activities, Lessons and Printables

Book: Go Away, Big Green Monster!

After reading the book, invite children to share with the group things that scare them (storms, snakes, etc.). Then say the following rhyme for each thing:

A Monster Goes Like This and That
By Jolanda Garcia

A monster goes like this and that (walk feet in front of you)
It's terrible (big) (use arms out at side)
BUT, I'm not scared of that! (shake head)

A storm goes like this and that (move from side to side)
It's terrible (loud) (stomp)
BUT, I'm not scared of that! (shake head)

Preschool Activities: 

Media Root

If You're Happy and You Know It (Gross motor skills)

If You're Happy and You Know It
Adaptation from Original by Author Unknown

If you're happy and you know it, show a smile.
If you're happy and you know it, show a smile.
If you're happy and you know it, and you really want to show it,
If you're happy and you know it, show a smile.

Continue with additional verses for other emotions:

If you're mad and you know it, stomp your feet.
If you're surprised and you know it, say "OH MY."
If you're sad and you know it, cry BOO-HOO.
If you're silly and you know it, make a face.
If you're scared and you know it, shiver and shake.

Finish the song with: If you're happy and you know it, shout HURRAY!

Emotion Faces Cut and Color	Emotions Write and Draw