Lesson Plan

Session 1: Meet Your Feelings

Students will identify four basic emotions (happy, sad, angry, scared) and connect each to facial expressions and bodily cues.

Building emotional awareness helps children recognize and name their feelings, paving the way for self-regulation, empathy, and positive social interactions.

Audience

Time

Approach

Materials

Prep

Review and Setup

5 minutes

Step 1

Warm-Up Greeting

3 minutes

Step 2

Introduce Emotion Vocabulary

5 minutes

Step 3

Mirror Mimic Game

7 minutes

Step 4

Emotion Card Sort

7 minutes

Step 5

Reflection and Closing

3 minutes

Activity

Game

Lesson Plan

Session 2: Feeling Triggers

Students will recognize common events (triggers) that lead to basic emotions and connect them to feeling words.

Linking triggers to emotions helps children understand why they feel a certain way, building emotional awareness and laying groundwork for regulation.

Audience

Time

Approach

Materials

Prep

Prepare Materials

5 minutes

Step 1

Warm-Up Review

3 minutes

Step 2

Introduce Feeling Triggers

5 minutes

Step 3

Trigger Card Sorting

7 minutes

Step 4

Scenario Drawing

7 minutes

Step 5

Reflection and Closing

3 minutes

Activity

Game

Lesson Plan

Session 3: Feeling Management Strategies

Students will learn and practice three simple strategies—deep breathing, counting, and positive self-talk—to help calm their bodies and minds when emotions arise.

Teaching management strategies empowers students to self-regulate, build coping skills, and foster resilience and positive social interactions.

Audience

Time

Approach

Materials

Prep

Prepare Materials

5 minutes

Step 1

Warm-Up Review

3 minutes

Step 2

Introduce Management Strategies

5 minutes

Step 3

Breathing Practice with Buddies

7 minutes

Step 4

Counting and Self-Talk Role-Play

7 minutes

Step 5

Reflection and Closing

3 minutes

Activity

Game

Lesson Plan

Session 4: Thoughts, Feelings, and Actions

Students will learn how thoughts lead to feelings and how feelings drive actions by mapping out thought–feeling–action chains in real-life scenarios.

Understanding the thought→feeling→action connection helps students notice unhelpful thought patterns, choose positive actions, and improve self-regulation.

Audience

Time

Approach

Materials

Prep

Prepare Materials

5 minutes

Step 1

Warm-Up Review

3 minutes

Step 2

Introduce Thought-Feeling-Action Model

5 minutes

Step 3

Scenario Mapping

7 minutes

Step 4

Chain Building

7 minutes

Step 5

Reflection and Closing

3 minutes

Activity

Game

Lesson Plan

Session 5: Problem-Solving Steps

Students will learn and practice a five-step problem-solving process—Identify, Brainstorm, Choose, Act, Reflect—to tackle everyday challenges.

Teaching a clear problem-solving routine empowers children to think critically, resolve conflicts independently, and build confidence in managing emotions and social situations.

Audience

Time

Approach

Materials

Prep

Prepare Materials

5 minutes

Step 1

Warm-Up Review

3 minutes

Step 2

Introduce Problem-Solving Steps

5 minutes

Step 3

Identify the Problem

4 minutes

Step 4

Brainstorm & Choose a Solution

6 minutes

Step 5

Act & Reflect

6 minutes

Step 6

Reflection and Closing

1 minute

Activity

Game

Lesson Plan

Session 6: Empathy and Perspective Taking

Students will understand empathy and practice perspective-taking by exploring others’ feelings through discussion and role-play.

Cultivating empathy helps students build compassionate relationships, reduce conflicts, and create a supportive classroom community.

Audience

Time

Approach

Materials

Prep

Prepare Materials

5 minutes

Step 1

Warm-Up Discussion

3 minutes

Step 2

Story & Perspective Talk

7 minutes

Step 3

Role-Play Practice

10 minutes

Step 4

Reflection Activity

4 minutes

Step 5

Closing & Preview

1 minute

Activity

Game

Lesson Plan

Session 7: Managing Strong Emotions

Students will recognize “big” emotions like frustration and anger and apply deep breathing, positive self-talk, and problem-solving steps to manage them.

Teaching students to handle strong emotions prevents impulsive reactions and builds coping skills, resilience, and positive social interactions.

Audience

Time

Approach

Materials

Prep

Prepare Materials

5 minutes

Step 1

Warm-Up Review

3 minutes

Step 2

Identify Big Emotions

5 minutes

Step 3

Scenario Matching

7 minutes

Step 4

Skill Practice Role-Play

7 minutes

Step 5

Reflection and Closing

3 minutes

Activity

Game

Lesson Plan

Session 8: Recognizing Emotions & Self-Care

Students will recognize and name emotions in themselves and others, then learn and apply simple self-care techniques—mindful breathing, movement breaks, and creative expression—to maintain emotional well-being.

Helping children identify emotions builds empathy and self-awareness. Teaching self-care provides tools for managing stress, recharging, and staying emotionally balanced.

Audience

Time

Approach

Materials

Prep

Prepare Materials

5 minutes

Step 1

Warm-Up Check-In

3 minutes

Step 2

Emotion Charades

7 minutes

Step 3

Introduce Self-Care Strategies

5 minutes

Step 4

Mindful Moment Practice

5 minutes

Step 5

Self-Care Planning

4 minutes

Step 6

Reflection & Closing

1 minute

Activity

Game

Lesson Plan

Session 9: Teamwork and Emotional Support

Students will learn to recognize and respond to peers’ emotions collaboratively, using active listening and supportive communication to build a caring team environment.

Team-based emotional support fosters unity, empathy, and helps children feel safe sharing feelings, strengthening classroom community.

Audience

Time

Approach

Materials

Prep

Prepare Materials

5 minutes

Step 1

Warm-Up Discussion

3 minutes

Step 2

Introduce Peer Support Strategies

5 minutes

Step 3

Partner Share

7 minutes

Step 4

Group Support Challenge

7 minutes

Step 5

Reflection and Closing

3 minutes

Activity

Game

Lesson Plan

Session 10: Celebration and Reflection

Students will celebrate their growth in recognizing, understanding, and managing emotions, reflect on key skills learned, and set personal goals for continuing emotional well-being.

Reviewing and celebrating achievements reinforces confidence, solidifies learning, and motivates students to apply emotion-management strategies beyond the classroom.

Audience

Time

Approach

Materials

Prep

Prepare Celebration

5 minutes

Step 1

Warm-Up & Review

5 minutes

Step 2

Certificate Ceremony

5 minutes

Step 3

Reflection Circle

7 minutes

Step 4

Journey Map Completion

6 minutes

Step 5

Closing & Group Cheer

2 minutes

Activity

Game

Slide Deck

Session 1: Meet Your Feelings

Objective

Emotion Vocabulary

Mirror Mimic Game

Emotion Card Sort

Reflection & Closing

Slide Deck

Session 2: Feeling Triggers

Objective

Warm-Up Review

Introduce Feeling Triggers

Trigger Card Sort

Scenario Drawing

Reflection & Closing

Slide Deck

Session 3: Feeling Management Strategies

Objective

Introduce Calming Strategies

Breathing Buddies Practice

Counting & Self-Talk Role-Play

Reflection & Closing

Slide Deck

Session 4: Thoughts → Feelings → Actions

Objective

Warm-Up Review

Introduce T→F→A Model

Scenario Mapping

Chain Building

Reflection & Closing

Slide Deck

Session 5: Problem-Solving Steps

Objective

Warm-Up Review

Introduce Steps

Step 1: Identify

Steps 2 & 3: Brainstorm & Choose

Steps 4 & 5: Act & Reflect

Reflection & Closing

Slide Deck

Session 6: Empathy & Perspective Taking

Objective

Warm-Up Discussion

Story & Perspective Talk

Role-Play Practice

Reflection Activity

Closing & Preview

Slide Deck

Session 7: Managing Strong Emotions

Objective

Warm-Up Review

Identify Big Emotions

Scenario Matching

Skill Practice Role-Play

Reflection & Closing

Slide Deck

Session 8: Recognizing Emotions & Self-Care

Warm-Up Check-In

Emotion Charades

Introduce Self-Care Strategies