Teaching emotions to a toddler is difficult, yes. But what if it was the key to a secure life ahead of them? It could be the answer to several of the prayers that we made during our tough times. The cause of our anger, grief, or aggressiveness is often unknown. But in reality, it is since we are unable to handle our emotions. By handling it we realize more about our emotions and get a deeper understanding of what to do with it. The emotions activity for kindergarden is a result of a highly thought out research. It is based on a study that revolves around the different areas of emotional development in us. Soft skills are essential tools to learn just as with any other concept, as Jack Ma puts it.
Start Inside Out
A suggestion, to begin with, would be showing the Disney-Pixar movie Inside Out. It portrays emotions as realizable characters and how the conflicts happen in our minds. This could be a conversation started, and you could design your own emotions activity for kindergarden around the movie as a theme. Animation movies often give a deep emotional connect with the characters and the story theme. This could be converted as cementing the emotional skills within the learner. You could create a quiz with a theme such as “what would xyz character do?”. The thought processing could be a bit difficult for some, and that could be taken care of by a little bit of nudge-to-support from the teacher! A mix-and-match exercise could be planned with plastic Easter eggs. Cut up the eggs and using a permanent marker, eyes could be drawn on the Top half and the mouth on the bottom half. Now let the children mix and match these parts while learning different emotions along the way. Cute flashcards with cartoon characters on different occasions could also drive home the point. It could help children realize and relate to situations. It could be an angry Squidward Tentacles, a sad Patrick Star, or a happy SpongeBob SquarePants. Children would know how and when these characters react, thereby understanding the emotional trigger.
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Diving Deeper Into The Realm
Once you sail away into the sea of emotions, the time would be right to go into the next level of knowledge. Books, mind maps, posters, anything and everything that would make them do their research, understand and apply. There are plenty of books that teach about moral principles, to be considerate and empathetic all the while. These should be carefully selected so that the portrayed protagonist and antagonist are clearly understood by the reader and not give them any misconceptions whatsoever. Dr. Seuss books have been an all-time favourite for children of many generations. It wouldn’t hurt to experiment with some. You could start with “My Many Colored Days”.
Building A Domain Of Solidity
Educating these young minds about words that matter could mean a whole world of difference for them. It could mean empowerment to express whatever is going on in their lives. Strengthening resilience as a skill has to be put into effect right from childhood.