Social-emotional competence is of more than average importance for learning. Recognising and understanding emotional states of oneself, and of others, is an important part of this competence. Now that social-emotional competence is part of the core competences for primary education in the European schools as well at our kindergarten. With careful observation, emotions may be detected from non-verbal signs.
We helped the children to understand the emotions.
How we helped? * We helped children to distinguish cues that suggested how another person is feeling. To point out facial expressions, body language, tone of voice, and situational cues. "Anna is sad. She has tears in her eyes and her mouth is down in a frown. She fell and hurt her knee." "John is angry. His lips are pressed together and his eyebrows are squeezed down. He is angry because his blocks fell down."
* We conducted class meetings to help children recognize emotions by listening to the tone of a person's voice. We had puppets act out simple scenes and made statements using different tones of voice. When the puppet shouts, "You knocked down my blocks!" the children guess that the puppet is feeling angry.
* We use photos, books about feelings, and emotion posters to point out facial expressions and body language associated with a variety of feelings.
* We use puppets or dolls to role-play situations depicting different feelings. For example, act out a situation about a boy who is sad after breaking his favorite truck. Ask the children what the boy might need in order to feel better (e.g., to fix the truck with glue).
* We did simple role-plays by asking children, "Show me how your body and face would look if ...
We presented the emotions drawings made by pupils. We asked our children why she is sad, happy, anger, embarrass, etc. ?
--> View GAME: The EmotionsThe pupils from Albert Edelfelt school made drawings, Poland made game.
