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Instructions: There are so many fun things you can do with feelings cards. You can purchase these or make them yourself (with your child). Here are a few ways you can use these.
1) Get the cards out and have your child identify 4 things he/she felt that day.
2) Tell a little story or a memory from the day. Have the child choose cards based on what they
felt throughout the story.
3) Have your child sort the deck based on comfortable and uncomfortable emotions. Help them
understand that uncomfortable emotions are not necessarily bad.
4) Pick a few cards and have your child tell a story that includes each of the emotions. You can
switch and have them pick cards and tell a story based on those cards as well.
Jenga With Feelings (5+)
Time: 5-10minutes
Purpose: To increase your child’s emotional vocabulary. It also helps with focus, being a good
sport and problem solving. Have fun and get a conversation going. You can also teach how to think 1-2
steps ahead with this game, which is a good life skill. Have them think about possible outcomes, just as
we would when interacting with others.
Instructions: Set up the Jenga game as usual. Add the emotional twist: before you pull out the
piece, state an emotion OR state an emotion you felt today OR state and show an emotion, etc. You can
do this with any number of categories. Just get a conversation going and work through the game.
Similar games: Melissa & Doug Suspend Family Game, checkers and chess.
Feelings Treasure Hunt (5+)
Time: 10-15minutes
Purpose: To increase your child’s emotional vocabulary. This helps foster connections and also sets a precedent that emotions are valued.
Instructions: Write a variety of emotions on notecards or pieces of paper (for younger kids just draw the faces). Include both comfortable and uncomfortable emotions.
1) Hide them around the house and do hot/cold until they find them. See who can find the most
notecards (popsicle sticks are also another good option). When they find them, have them act
out the emotion.
2) For an additional step, once they collect all the notecards have them pick 2 they felt that day.
Use this as an opportunity to spark conversation. Children will be more likely to engage when it is presented in a fun way.
Help your child understand that you can feel more than one emotion at a time.
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