Emotion Charades
Emotion Charades encourages children to act out emotions and scenarios, helping them understand how feelings can be expressed in body language and facial expressions.
Instructions + Heart Printables (PDF)
Materials Needed:
• Emotion Hearts (colored hearts with labeled emotions: happy, sad, angry, scared)
• Scenario Hearts
• Timer (optional)
Preparation:
1. Set Up the Emotion Hearts:
Place the Emotion Hearts in a pile
For pre-readers you may wish to use just the colored emotion hearts so that they are able to understand which emotion they are portraying without needing your support to read the words.
Mixed age groups/ability levels: Use both heart types but keep them in separate piles for each level to choose the appropriate cards.
2. Create Charades Scenarios:
You can either use the Scenario Hearts from your existing set or create new scenarios to encourage specific emotional reactions. You can include both simple and more complex situations, depending on the age/abilityl of the children playing.
How to Play:
1. Choose a Player:
Select one child to begin as the actor. This child will draw a Heart from the pile.
2. Act Out the Emotion:
The player will act out the emotion or scenario they’ve drawn without speaking. They can use facial expressions, body movements, and gestures to show the emotion.
Example: If they draw the “Happy” heart they might jump up and down, smile broadly, or pretend to open a gift with excitement.
3. Guess the Emotion and Scenario:
The other players must guess the emotion being acted out.
If using scenario hearts, you may ask players to also guess the scenario being acted out.
Once the correct emotion is guessed, discuss how the player used their body language or facial expressions to communicate it.
4. Take Turns:
After the first round, the next player gets a turn, drawing a card to act out. Continue taking turns until each player has had a chance to act.
Alternative Versions:
Cooperative Play: Instead of guessing, work as a team to act out the emotions and scenarios together. Each child can contribute a different part of the acting. One child might focus on facial expression while another focuses on body language, or each child could take a different role in a scenario.
Timed Rounds: Use a timer to create a sense of urgency. Set a timer for 30 seconds to see if the other players can guess the emotion and scenario in time.
Why It’s Beneficial:
✔ This activity helps children practice emotional expression through body language and facial cues.
✔ It encourages empathy as children must try to understand how emotions can be shown nonverbally.
✔ It builds emotional vocabulary by reinforcing connections between emotions and real-life scenarios.
✔ It promotes creativity and active play.