Awareness of emotions
A toddler talks about different facial expressions, including what an expression can tell us.
Baby Faces by Margaret Miller
[Invite a toddler to look at pictures of different baby faces with you.]
Our book has pictures of children’s faces. Each face is different. Some of the faces are silly!
[Show the book cover. Point to the baby’s face and eyes when you describe them.]
There is a picture of a baby’s face on the cover of our book. Look at the baby’s eyes. The eyes are wide open. I think the baby is paying attention to something.
Let’s look at some more pictures of faces in our book.
[Use the following strategies to explore each picture:
The faces in our book told us different things. The picture on the cover of our book told us the baby was paying attention to something that was very interesting to the baby. What did some other pictures tell us?
[Turn to 1–2 pictures that seemed to be of particular interest to the toddler. Invite the toddler to tell about the face.]
Pictures of young children are of keen interest to most toddlers. Some facial expressions in this activity will be easier to “read” than others. Most toddlers will readily talk about the expressions associated with happy and sad feelings. The expression associated with “uh-oh” may be too vague for most toddlers to describe.
Look for opportunities to promote the idea that a face can tell us what someone is interested in (such as the gaze of concentration on the book cover) or may be feeling. Noticing what someone is looking at and how someone might be feeling are valuable parts of getting along well with others.
The pictures explored in this activity are part of a Block 16 activity plan for younger toddlers (12-24 months). The current activity for older toddlers differs from the earlier activity by offering explicit opportunities for a toddler to describe features of facial expressions and why a baby may be making the pictured expression. The current activity also includes brief discussion of what concentration (paying attention) can look like (eyes wide open!) and introduces the idea that facial expression can tell us important things.
Extra support
Enrichment
Awareness of emotions
Toddlers talk about and make different facial expressions.
Baby Faces by Margaret Miller
Invite several toddlers to look at pictures of different faces. Use strategies suggested in Option 1 to encourage discussion of facial expressions. For each picture, add an invitation for toddlers to try making a face that shows what the pictured baby’s face tells us. Examples: “The child on the cover of our book is paying attention to something. Let’s all show what we look like when we pay attention to something.” “The baby in this picture is happy about something. Let’s all show a happy face.” Draw attention to features of the pictured face if support seems needed.
Toddlers are not expected to mimic the pictured face. Encourage toddlers to look at each other’s facial expressions. Conclude the activity by explaining there are different ways a face can tell us about feeling happy, sad, yucky, etc. Ramon’s happy face may be different than Hudson’s happy face.
Some of the expressions children are invited to make in this activity may be new experiences for toddlers. They may not have had chances to think carefully about the expression and to move the small muscles of their face in specific ways. Looking at the book’s picture may be helpful, but should not be offered as a model for toddlers to imitate.
Making facial expressions provides an opportunity to promote the early beginnings of the idea that each of us has a unique face and facial expressions. There is not one way to look happy or sad. This idea is explored in greater detail in ELM’s preschool-age activities, and is an important part of appreciating individual differences.
Extra support
Enrichment
Materials needed: Baby Faces by Margaret Miller, nonbreakable handheld mirrors
Provide the book and several handheld mirrors in a quiet part of the room for several toddlers to use in exploring different facial expressions. The book is offered as a reminder of some different expressions, not a model for toddlers to mimic. Toddlers also may welcome the opportunity to look at features of their face.
Materials needed: see Interest Area
In addition to offering Options 1 and 2 with toddlers, consider pairing an older toddler and preschool-age child to make and compare different facial expressions as part of the Interest Area activity. Encourage the children to take turns looking at each other’s expressions.
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