The movie Inside Out has been great for those of us working to help kids better understand and deal with their emotions. In addition to being a great movie, it has sparked a litany of crafts and games to go along with it. These crafts and activities can help kids to better understand the emotions they are feeling. The Inside Out Mood Board is one of those activities and is a fun way for kids who like the movie to track their emotions.

Supplies Needed for an Inside Out Mood Board

We originally found this idea on the Eighteen 25 website. We love their mood board, but we made some minor modifications to the one we built. These changes were mainly due to the materials we had on hand and because we like the idea of using a white board. Here’s what we used:

• A magnetic white board purchased from a local dollar store.
• Construction paper (you’ll need red, yellow, purple, green and blue to match the characters from the movie).
• Circular cake boards purchased from a local hobby store to serve as the backing for the character.
• Glue.
• Adhesive magnets to attach to the back of the emotions.

Making an Inside Out Mood Board

• Download and print the template from our friends at Eighteen 25 available here.
• Cut out the characters and title wording from the template.
• Glue the title to the white board.
• Cut circles out of the construction paper the same size as the cake boards and glue the construction paper to the cake boards.
• Glue the character faces to the construction paper.
• Attach the magnets or magnetic strips to the back of the cardboard cake boards.
• Hang the Mood Board somewhere where the child can reach it.
• Encourage them to use the Mood Board to show what emotion(s) they are feeling.

[su_emotions_hc]

Whether you like writing or drawing or none of the above, a Feelings Journal is an extremely useful tool in learning how to cope with emotions. It is one of the most important thinking coping skills in the Please Don’t Sweat The Small Stuff Coping Tool Box and can also serve as a diversion tool or even a spiritual tool. Your journal is a space to record what’s going on in your life, and even more importantly the emotions that you are feeling. It can be as simple as a binder full of lined paper, a journal purchased from the store, or one you make on your own. The rest of this post describes how we made the journal shown in the pictures here.

Supplies

• A notebook filled with pages. We used a sketch book for our journal, but you may prefer lined paper.
• Markers
• Tissue paper
• Glue

Instructions

• Create a title page for your journal. Call it whatever you would like and decorate your title page. You can decorate the cover of your journal as well if you’d like.
• Our journal is organized by emotions, so we created a table of contents page which has the various color tissue papers that we used and the emotion each color is associated with.
• Make a page (or pages) for each emotion. Title the page with the name of the emotion, and use pieces of the appropriate colored tissue paper to decorate the page.

How to Use Your Feelings Journal

• As you notice emotions in your life, open your journal and record the date and what is going on (use words or pictures or whatever works for you). Add as much or as little detail as you need (unlike many journals, this one is built to allow for more than one entry on each page). Keep your tissue paper and markers handy so you can add additional pages as needed.
• Revisit your entries at a later date and record anything that helped you get past the less pleasant emotions or anything good that came from the more pleasant emotions.
• Once your first journal is done, make another. Or, consider separate journals for each emotion if you like to write a lot!

[su_emotions_hc]

If your kids are like mine, they like to look at themselves in the mirror. They like to make funny faces, and when they were younger it was uncommon to find them in the bathroom making themselves laugh by what they saw in the mirror. Mirror Mirror is a fun game that builds on that to help kids learn and practice what emotions look like. These are the important “See It” and “Mimic It” phases of the The Super Simple Feelings Management Technique.

Items Need to Play

You don’t need much to play this game. All you need is

• A mirror (one on the wall is fine for one child, but if you’re playing with a group you might want hand mirrors).
• A list of emotion words (our Hope 4 Hurting Kids Emotion Cards or the My Feelings Workbook are great if you need help.)

How To Play

1. Name an emotion.
2. Have the child act out what their face would look like if they felt that emotion.
3. Have them say out loud the name of the emotion and what their face looks like in the mirror.

Alternative Way To Play

1. Use the I Feel Scenario Cards.
2. Select a card and read the scenario to the child.
3. Have them act out what their face might look like.
4. Have them name the emotion they see.

[su_emotions_hc]

The Mood Meter is a fun craft to build and gives kids a chance to gauge how they’re feeling at any given moment, and over time. Your mood meter can be as simple or as involved as you want and is a nice alternative to a traditional emotion chart. We borrowed this wonderful idea from Education.com and encourage you to check out their website for more great ideas.

What Do You Need to Make a Mood Meter

Use your creativity to make your own personal mood meter. The following represents what we did:

• White poster board.
• Ruler
• Compass (helpful for getting your circle right)
• Construction Paper (you can match the emotions you are including in your charge, but you will definitely want a darker color to use for the arrow).
• A metal brad/fastener.
• Markers or crayons

How to Make Your Mood Meter

• Decide on a “title” for your poster (we used “Today I Feel…”) and draw it on the top of the poster board.
• To use four emotions, draw a half circle using the compass. Divide that circle in half using the ruler, and then divide each half into halves.
• If you are including additional emotions, draw those in now.
• Use the drawing to cut the slices out of the construction paper and glue those slices on the poster board. Put your feelings in order of intensity or from pleasant to less pleasant emotions in order to use the meter as a gauge.
• Have the child write the names of each emotion inside the slice and draw a face representing the emotion. You may need to help with this step for younger kids.
• Cut an arrow from the black construction paper and attach it in the middle of the meter using the metal fastener.
• Have the child decorate their mood meter.
• Encourage the child to record where the currently fall on the mood meter and continue use it to understand their emotions better.

[su_emotions_hc]

A significant part of helping kids to deal with their emotions (Jump In! Stand Strong! Rise Up!) is helping them to develop a robust feelings vocabulary. That is why we are excited to present our very own set of Hope 4 Hurting Kids Emotion Cards.

What Are Emotion Cards?

Each of these 54 cards includes the name of an emotion, a face demonstrating that emotion, and a brief definition of the feeling. Definition have been taken from, or adapted from entries in the WordNet® lexical database of English. The emotions included in this deck of feelings cards were extracted from our upcoming book 150 Emotions Every Kids Should Know – By Age (coming, hopefully, in late 2018).

How Do I Get These Cards?

You can download a pdf file with the 56 cards by clicking on the image above or by clicking here.

Why Are These Cards Important?

These cards can be a vital tool in the The Super Simple Feelings Management Technique. Specifically, they are useful for the the following components of that strategy:

• ”See It” – recognizing different emotions.
• “Say It” – expanding emotional vocabulary.
• ”Feel It” – recognizing how emotions affect their bodies.
• “Mimic It” – showing what emotions look like.

“Talk About It” – talking about their own experiences.

How Do You Use Emotion Cards?

The uses of the cards is only limited by your imagination. There are numerous ways to use these cards. Here are a few ideas:

• Use the cards in conjunction with our Scenario Cards (I Feel) cards and have kids match the emotion to a scenario or vice versa.
• Have kids group similar emotion cards.
• Use the cards with Super Simple Feelings Management Technique Activity Cards. Have the child select an emotion card and an activity card and do what it says.
• Use the cards to play Feelings Pictionary.
• Print out two sets of the cards and play the matching game of go fish with younger kids.
• Have the kids sort the cards in Emotions Sorting.
• Take turns selecting a card and talking about a time in your life, or a hypothetical situation, where you felt that emotion.
• Play the Row Row Row Your Boat Emotion Game.
• Play a game of charades with the Emotion Cards.
• Use the Emotion Cards in conjunction with Emotions Jenga.
• Play Leave the Room.

[su_emotions_hc]

Emotion Face Plates are a fun way to get kids thinking about what emotions look like. Emotion Face Plates are an easy project that you can do with objects lying around your house, and once you get kids started, it is something they can continue to work on by themselves.

Supply Listing for Emotion Face Plates

This is a fairly simple task. All you need is:

• Paper plates (that you can write on).
• Markers, pens or crayons.
• Scissors (if you want to make the half-plate emotion faces).

How to Use Emotion Face Plates

• Pick emotions (the picture above only includes examples of less pleasant emotions, but make sure you include some more pleasant emotions in your list as well).
• Draw a face representing the emotion on the back of paper plate. It sometimes help to label the plates with the name of the emotion if the child will be referring back to them later. You can write the name on the other side of the plate if others will be guessing what emotion is represented.
• If you’re doing half-plate emotions, drawn the eyes on the upper half of the plate and the mouth on the lower half. Then cut the plate in half. As above, it might help to label both half of the plates with the name of the emotion.

Ideas for Using Emotion Face Plates

Here a few starter ideas for using the emotion face plates. Have fun with the child while engaging them in conversations about their emotions and emotions in general.

• Create a collection of emotion face plates that the child can refer back to when they are having trouble putting a name to their emotions.
• Attach yard to each plate and put a tack in the wall. Encourage the child to hang the plate(s) with the emotion(s) they are currently feeling.
• Act out various scenarios from the Hope 4 Hurting Kids Scenario Cards using the plates as each emotion is represented.

Additional Ideas for Using the Half-Plate Emotion Faces

The half-plate emotion faces offer some additional fun possibilities.

• Act out various scenarios from the Hope 4 Hurting Kids Scenario Cards using half the plate as each emotion is represented. Have the child act out the other half of the emotion (eyes or mouth) during the activity.
• Another fun game you can play is called “Opposite Half.” Have the child hold half of the plate (top or bottom) in front of their face. They then must use the other half of their face to represent the opposite emotion. For instance, if they hold the bottom half of happy in front of the bottom half of their plate, they must act out sad with their eyes.

[su_emotions_hc]

Fishing for Feelings is a fun game to play with kids to help them learn about emotions. With our template and a few magnets, you can create a game that will help preschool through elementary aged kids to Jump In! Stand Strong! Rise Up! Fishing for feelings is a great game to help kids start to master the skills included in the Super Simple Feelings Management Technique

Here’s how Fishing for Feelings works.

First download our easy to use template by clicking here or on the picture of the template to the right. Follow the instructions in the template for creating the emotion circles and playing the game.

We bought pre-made reinforced circles at Hobby Lobby and colorful magnets for minimal cost to make the game more aesthetically pleasing, but you can certainly cut your own reinforcing circles and use other magnets if you prefer. (NOTE: the link included for magnets are white as we found the color ones in our local store, but they are not available online)

[su_emotions_hc]

The Emotion Mix Up Game is a fun way to really get kids and young people thinking about emotion by having them imagine what it would look like to have a less obvious emotion in reaction to a particular circumstance. Although it is similar to the Feelings Ball Toss game, it adds a fun twist that will get kids thinking about their emotions and the scenarios that cause them.

Here’s What You Need:

• Last week we looked at the Feelings Ball Toss / Emotions Sorting activity. You’ll use the colored bowls and the balls from that game.
• You will use a set of the Scenario Cards (I Feel) sorted by color. The colors will hopefully match the color of the bowls. If not, you can improvise.

Here’s How To Play:

• Line up the bowls from Feelings Ball Toss / Emotions Sorting against a wall.
• Have the children line up (assuming a group of kids) and take turns trying to throw a ball into any bucket.
• If they miss, move on to the next child. If they make it, have them say the emotion associated with the bowl they landed in.
• Select the top card from the I Feel…Scenario Cards and read it aloud inserting the name of the emotion of the bowl landed in.
• The child has to act out the scenario using the given emotion.

You will get some natural pairings like “My friend tells a lie about me” and “Mad” or “I just got the best present ever” and “Happy.” The real fun happens when you get “unnatural” pairings like “We go on vacation tomorrow to Florida” and “Sad” or “A spider just jumped onto my head” and “Joyful.”

A word of warning: there are some particularly intense scenarios included in the I Feel…Scenario Cards which don’t fit with this more lighthearted game. You will likely want to exclude from the deck before playing this game or “edit as you go.” For example, this game does not lend itself well to scenarios like “My Mom and Dad are getting a divorce” and “My Grandfather just died last week.”

[su_emotions_hc]

Feelings Ball Toss is a fun activity to play with kids to help them understand different emotions. The great part about the game is that it can be played a number of different ways.

Here’s How To Set It Up

• Get a series of bowls or tubs. We used the different colored bowls shown about that we got at Dollar Tree for a buck a piece.
• Label each bowl with a different emotions. You can write the emotion or draw a picture using marker, but we opted to print various emojis and tape them inside the bowls.
• Get some sort of soft ball or object that can be tossed into the bowls. We bought a set of 12 puffer balls on amazon that we use for the game. In addition to not bouncing and rolling as much as regular balls, they’re also a nice stress reliever for the kids.
• Set the bowls on one side of the room (up against a wall works well as a makeshift backboard).
• Have the kids stand at the other side of the room with a ball.

Here’s How to Play

• Use the Hope 4 Hurting Kids “I Feel…” Scenario Cards. Have the child select an “I feel” card and read it out loud.
• Have the child try to throw the ball into the bucket that corresponds to the emotion they would feel in the given scenario.
• Have the child explain why they would feel that way. Keep mind that there are no wrong answers, and if the child comes up with a wild explanation of why a certain situation would make them feel sad or afraid or whatever bucket they land in, that’s ok. The point is to get them thinking about the emotions and what causes them.

Alternate Ways to Play

• With a group of children, read a Scenario Card and have them agree on what the emotion should be. Then go through the line until the first person lands in that bucket. That child gets a point and you move on to the next card. For some of the cards the kids will debate what the appropriate emotion is, and you may need to step in a mediate.
• Have the child act out the emotion and the situation if they land in the right bucket.

Emotions Sorting

• One alternative option for younger kids is simply read the Scenario Card to them and have them put the card in the bucket that matches the card rather than try to throw the balls.
• This activity is also a way for older kids to get through more of the Scenario Cards than the ball throwing version described above.

[su_emotions_hc]

The Elephant Noise Maker is a fun and useful tool for teaching kids deep breathing techniques. Deep breathing is a key coping skill and one of the Soothing Coping Skills covered in Please Don’t Sweat The Small Stuff.

In the past we have drawn a picture of an elephant on a piece of heavy paper or cardboard to create our elephant noise makers. With this new template you can either use the picture to trace on something more durable or simply cut the elephant out and use the template itself.

Here’s are the instructions:

1.Cut out the elephant from the template. Either trace the elephant on to heavy duty paper or cardboard if desired or use the elephant from the template.

2.Cut a hole slightly smaller than needed for a noise maker where the X is on the elephant’s trunk. The elephants tend to be top heavy (pun intended), and making the hole slightly smaller than needed will help to keep the blower in place.

3.Push the blower end of party toy / noise maker through hole. We like the party favors with the paper that unrolls on the other end as these require the kids to practice deep breathing in order to make them work. However, you can use actual noise makers if you’re looking for a louder option.

4.Blow on the noise maker to practice deep breathing. Encourage the child to take deep breaths in through their nose then exhale through their mouth.

Click on the picture above for a full-sized printable version of the Elephant Noise Maker template.

[su_emotions_hc]