Awareness of emotions
Toddlers look at and have opportunities to imitate facial expressions associated with different feelings.
[Invite several toddlers to join you in reading a book about different types of feelings.]
We are learning that our face can tell what we may be feeling inside.
[Point to the child on the book cover.]
Look at the picture of this girl. She has a big smile!
Do you think the girl in this picture feels happy or sad?
Our face can show a smile when we feel happy.
Let’s look at some other pictures of faces and talk about what the person may be feeling. There are many different kinds of feelings.
[Use the following approach to each different facial expression:
The pictures in our book showed different ways a face can tell what someone is feeling inside. We tried making the faces shown in our book. There are many kinds of feelings.
Look for opportunities to emphasize that (1) there are different types of feelings and (2) many times a face can tell what someone is feeling. Some emotions included in the book will be familiar to most toddlers and have been explored in prior ELM activity plans. Toddlers are likely to differ in their level of interest in specific emotions, depending on their unique experiences and awareness of emotions. Positively acknowledge any and all attempts to mimic a facial expression as well as the choice to watch others make facial expressions.
Extra support
Enrichment
Awareness of emotions
Toddlers look at and talk about pictures of facial expressions associated with different feelings, with a follow-up opportunity to individually imitate a facial expression of the toddler’s choice.
Invite several toddlers to join you to look at a book about different feelings. Explain that our face can tell what we may be feeling inside. Point to the cover picture of a child with a smile and ask what the girl might be feeling. Look at the book’s pictures of different facial expressions with toddlers and use the book text and your own words to describe features of facial expressions. Encourage toddlers to say with you the name of the feeling the pictured child may be feeling. Respond to toddlers’ comments and pointing.
At the end of the book, remain on the final page of pictures of facial expressions included in the book. Point to each expression and say (or invite toddlers to say) the name of the feeling the face is showing. Then invite toddlers, one at a time, to point to a face on the page and make a face like the pictured face. Say the feeling expressed by the pictured face when the toddler points to it. Example: “Jamie, you’re pointing to a face that looks happy. Do you want to show us your happy face?” Say again the feeling expressed by the child’s face. Example: “Jamie is showing us a happy face!” Toddlers may select an expression chosen by another toddler(s) in the gathering. Conclude the session by leading toddlers in clapping together for the different faces we made.
This activity option is more challenging than Option 1 because toddlers as individuals are invited to select and imitate a facial expression. Individual choice- and face-making are not part of Option 1. The current activity encourages each toddler to think about an expression and feeling of interest to him/her, although a toddler may opt not to select and mimic an expression, or may select an expression at random. Consistent with Option 1, positively acknowledge any and all efforts to make an expression similar to the pictured child’s expression. Skill in mimicking a facial expression is not a focus of the activity. Also consistent with Option 1, look for ways to emphasize there are different kinds of feelings and our facial expressions can tell what we may be feeling.
Extra support
Enrichment
Materials Needed: assortment of books with pictures of facial expressions, several nonbreakable handheld mirrors
Invite toddlers to look at pictures of different facial expressions in the books. Name (or invite toddlers to name) the feelings shown in pictured facial expressions. Encourage toddlers to make a similar face in a mirror. Toddlers may be interested in finding and/or looking at similar types of facial expressions in different pictures, such as two different pictures of a smiling face.
Materials Needed: Can You Make a Happy Face? (Rookie Toddler) by Janice Behrens
Preschool- and school-age children in your setting may enjoy a separate activity of taking turns making a facial expression that a peer(s) tries to identify. Encourage children to consider possibilities for their face from the facial expressions shown on the final page of the suggested book.
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