Lesson Plan

Exploring Basic Emotions

Students will recognize and name basic emotions such as happiness, sadness, anger, and surprise, and understand how these feelings impact their behavior.

Building emotional awareness helps young learners develop self-regulation and empathy, essential skills for positive social interaction and personal growth.

Audience

Time

Approach

Materials

Prep

Teacher Preparation

10 minutes

Step 1

Introduction and Discussion

5 minutes

Step 2

Interactive Activity – Emotions Charades

10 minutes

Step 3

Worksheet – Match the Emotion Faces

10 minutes

Step 4

Closure

5 minutes

lenny

Slide Deck

Welcome to Understanding Our Emotions!

Introduce the topic by discussing how everyone has feelings. Emphasize that emotions are a normal part of life and can be fun to learn about. Ask the students if they have ever felt happy, sad, angry, or surprised.

Happiness

Discuss happiness. Ask students to recall times when they felt really happy and what made them feel that way. Use examples like playing with friends or receiving a compliment.

Sadness

Discuss sadness, mentioning that it's okay to feel sad sometimes. Encourage students to share simple feelings, like missing someone or feeling a bit down.

Anger

Discuss anger in a calm manner. Talk about how sometimes we can feel angry and it is important to know ways to calm down, for example taking deep breaths.

Surprise

Explain surprise and encourage students to share times when they were surprised. Use engaging visuals of wide eyes and an open mouth to emphasize the expression.

Let's Review Our Emotions!

Conclude the presentation by reviewing each emotion briefly. Encourage the students to show a facial expression for each emotion as a recap. Ask volunteers to mimic the expressions.

lenny

Activity

lenny
lenny

Worksheet

lenny
lenny

Why Do We Feel This Way?

user image

Lindsey Jordan

Tier 1
For Districts
lenny-learning-logo

Lenny Learning

Create Lesson

CASEL

Health & Wellness

Behavioral Supports

Counseling & Therapy

Family Engagement

School Climate

Special Education

Academic Integration

Seasonal

Career & Life Skills

Arts & Creativity

My Lessons

My Lessons

Video Library

Video Library

Support

Support

Log In