Preschool Theme – E is for Emotions

Preschool Feelings and Emotions Circle Time

  • Talk with the preschoolers about things that make you happy.
  • Talk with the preschoolers about things that make you sad.
  • Make a poster with the names for different emotions that preschoolers have felt.
  • Talk with preschoolers about what we can do to feel better when we are sad or angry.
  • Ask each preschooler how they are feeling today.

Show Your Emotions Preschool Activity – Does your preschooler like show his/her emotions? Does s/he like to draw too? Then this preschool activity is perfect and as easy as drawing a happy face.

Preschool Feelings and Emotions Arts and Crafts

Have preschoolers draw pictures of how they feel. Preschool Emotions Poster (see below)- Take pictures of the preschoolers in your class making faces showing different emotions. Make a poster using the photos and label them with the emotion that each preschooler is showing.

Have preschoolers make a collage of things that make them happy.

Preschool Feelings and Emotions Math and Science

How does exercise make us feel better when we are angry?

Make happy faces and sad faces and cut them out. Have preschoolers practice making patterns using the happy and sad faces. For younger preschoolers, you can draw a pattern of happy and sad faces on a piece of paper and have preschoolers match the happy and sad face cutouts to the ones on the piece of paper.

Preschool Feelings and Emotions Music and Movement

  • Sing “If You’re Happy and You Know It”
  • Use your body to show how you feel today.
  • Listen to an upbeat song and have preschoolers dance. When they are finished dancing ask them how the song made them feel.

Preschool Feelings and Emotions Pretend Play

Provide dolls in your pretend play center and allow preschoolers to pretend the dolls feel sad and practice nurturing them.

Help preschoolers roll play by giving them one of the following situations to act out. Assign roles to preschoolers and ask them to try and solve the problems.

  • A preschooler is sad because they miss their mom.
  • A preschooler is tired because they have played for a long time.
  • A preschooler is angry because someone took their favorite toy.
  • A preschooler is scared because they see a bug.

Preschool Emotions Poster

What You Need

  • A digital camera
  • Poster Board
  • Markers
  • Happy Preschoolers
  • Sad Preschoolers
  • Angry Preschoolers etc.

What To Do

Take pictures of preschoolers showing a variety of emotions such as happy, sad, angry, frustrated, scared, tired, embarrassed, and surprised. Ask your preschoolers for ideas of other emotions that they have experienced.

Print the pictures and post them on the piece of poster board. Ask preschoolers if they can guess which faces show which emotions. Label each emotion beneath the photographs. Have preschoolers decorate the poster with stickers or other decorations.

Place the poster somewhere that preschoolers can see it throughout the day to remind them that all of their emotions have names and that if they recognize them, they can be in control of their emotions.

Making Emotions Part of Circle Time

You can incorporate your classroom emotions poster into circle time. Preschoolers will love seeing themselves on the poster and will be excited about naming their emotions each day. As part of your circle time routine, ask each preschooler to identify the emotion that they are feeling that day. Giving a name to the emotion that they are feeling will help them to be in better control of their actions associated with negative emotion.