Pumpkin Feelings Game

If you are a regular reader here, you can probably guess why fall is one of my favorite seasons.  I just adore how pumpkins lend themselves to so many activities related to social-emotional development.  Here's one spin on helping kids talk about feelings.

Pumpkin Feelings Game Tutorial

'

Making the Game:

1. Materials: 3 orange paper cups, green construction paper, black permanent marker, scissors.

2.  Draw faces on the cups.

3.  Include whatever feelings you would like.  We kept to the basics with happy, mad and sad.

4.  Cut the bottoms of the cups out.  We simply cut criss-crosses so that that we were left with pie shapes.  Then bend the pieces downward into the cup.  These will help the green "stems" stand up when playing the game.

5.  Cut the construction paper into strips, long enough so that they stick out of the top of the cups, looking like stems.

6.  On the back of the construction paper, write down scenarios that might make kids feel happy, mad or sad.  Mix them up on the table.

Here are some ideas to get you started:

"You get to pick what's for dinner tonight."

"You are getting a new puppy."

"You have a belly ache."

"Your family is going on a vacation."

"You forgot your stuffed animal for show and tell."

"You got a new bike."

"You broke your favorite toy."

"Nobody wants to play catch with you."

"Your family is going to the movies."

Game Play:

1. Have children take turns selecting a "stem".  If playing with young children, have the adult read the scenario of of the back of the "stem".  The child then decides what feeling this scenario might evoke and places it in the corresponding pumpkin.  

This is a non-competitive game that lends itself well to counting (how many of the feelings were happy, mad, sad, etc.)

We'd love to hear how you might adapt this game for use in your home, childcare center, or classroom.  Please share in the comments below and let us know what you think!  We love to hear from you!

More Resources for Fall

that Teach Social Skills:

  

Find the Fall Bundle by clicking HERE!

As always, from Kidlutions, we wish you Happy Parenting {and Teaching}!

Wendy Young, LMSW, BCD, is  the founder of Kidlutions and co-author of BLOOM: 50 Things to Say, Think and Do with Anxious, Angry and Over-the-Top Kids, co-creator of BLOOM Brainsmarts, and creator of The Joyful Parent. She is the author of numerous workbooks and resources to help from the preschool through the teen years. 

Follow her on Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook! She'd love to see your smiling face there! Affiliate links may be used in this post. Please see our full disclaimer, located at the top of our page for more information.

You might also like:

Withches in Stitches: Halloween Humor

Ghost Stories for Kids

6 Sugar-Free Halloween Celebrations

This post is sponsored by Funology.com:







To find out how you can become a sponsor, go here!