Emotional Learning Game for Kids

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Sometimes big things happen in the world that inspire hard conversations with our kids. This Emotional Learning Game will help you talk with kids or students about their emotions.

Why Is Emotional Learning Important?

Teaching people how to talk about emotions is a really important skill. As a kid, I learned to not talk about my emotions much. I stuffed them down so I didn’t cause any problems. While it may have kept my life at home and with my friends calmer, it caused a lot of problems for me over the years in so many situations. I was afraid to express my feelings. I never wanted to rock the boat.

The biggest problems came after marriage! I remember nights where he would have to pull my emotions out of me. Luckily I married a man who later became a therapist. He was patient and helped me see the importance of communication in a healthy relationship. He taught me how to talk and express my emotions and feelings in a healthy way.

If you can teach kids at an early age how to express their feelings in a safe and healthy way, it really will help them in so many ways in their lives! It will help them in their relationships, in school, in their jobs and in many other life experiences. When you are comfortable sharing how you feel about something it makes many situations easier to deal with.

For another fun emotional learning activity, check out my post: Color My Feelings.

What is The Emotional Learning Game?

This Emotional Learning Game is a matching game. Included are Situation Cards- “How Does This Make You Feel?” and Emotion Cards. You choose a Situation Card and match it with an Emotion Card.

The set includes 96 different Situation Cards. Here are a few of the included situations:

Being alone in the dark
Visiting Grandparents
Climbing a tree
Watching the news
Swimming
When someone is mean to you
Tasting something new
Listening to music
Speaking in front of people
When someone dies
Cleaning your room
Accomplishing a goal
Meeting new people
Flying on an airplane
Dancing

And many more! I also include a full page of 16 blank cards so you can add your own situations in that are specific to your needs. You can write in things that your child may be experiencing or struggling with to help them talk about their feelings.

The colors of the cards above do not matter, I just printed them all on colored paper to make it more engaging for kids. Who doesn’t love some bright colors?

Emotion Cards Included in the Set:

Happy (in 12 different styles so kids can find one that looks most like them)
Scared
Sad
Surprised
Silly
Worried
Angry
Disgusted
Grumpy
Bored
Anxious
Jealous
Sneaky
Wondering
Shocked
Indifferent

Also included in the set are a page of 16 blank faces in various styles. These can be used to make your own emotions. Or use them by having kids draw in how something makes them feel.

These emotion cards are all in black and white so kids can color them in if they want. Also, it makes it cheaper for printing!

To play the game, leave the emotion cards face up and the situation cards shuffled and face down. Kids pick a situation card and then choose what emotion they feel it matches. If there is not one that quite fits, use a blank face to draw your own!

Emotions and Feelings Writing Prompt

Along with the matching game is a writing page with the writing prompt: Sometimes I Feel. . . There is a blank square to use one of the feelings cards or to draw in their own feelings. Then beneath that, it says; Things that make me feel this way. . .

We put it into a dry erase pocket to make it re-usable. If you want to cover a range of emotions, make this into an emotional learning book for kids. Let them write about each of the feelings and share what makes them feel that way.

Want this game? You can find it for sale here: