I've been wanting to do this topic for quite some time, but for some reason have avoided it, coming up with all sorts excuses; there's not enough craft items around this topic, how can there be enough online material exploring this theme for this age group etc. In the end I realised I was avoiding this topic because it means so much to me. Personally I believe that being in touch with ones emotions and feelings is one of the most important things in life. Not running away from how one feels and also not abusing ones feelings onto someone else, so not lashing out. How can I express how I feel while still being respectful to the other person? In one way these concepts are very simple and yet they are also deep and difficult and not just for children but for adults as well. In my believe, it is exactly this age group that we need to really look at feelings and emotions as for one children often feel things very deeply and still very raw, and it is this age group where the foundations of how they will deal with their feelings and emotions later in life is set.
So my first thought when creating these sheets was where do I begin? After exploring the internet for a while, I decided to go back to my basic acting training, which is that really there are only three emotions one can feel; mad, glad or sad. Everything is a shade of one of these.
Although I would also argue that being scared or fear is a feeling that should be included in this list as well.
It is my believe that by getting to know ones emotions, one is then able to learn how to work through them, express them and how to deal with them. So I hope these activity sheets will help your classroom or your home. Exploring a topic that is massive and complicated and yet so simple and special. Emotions and Feelings it is what makes us human.
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Emotions and Feelings is a very big topic of mine that I look at in each Wonderland story. I am always asking how a character might be feeling, why they are feeling that way and if any of the students have also felt like that before. Sometimes by going on the journey with other characters one doesn't just learn about their emotions and the way they deal with them but also a lot about oneself. If there is ever anything specific that you would like to explore in the classroom or at home with the children, send me a quick message and I will point you to the best story.