Warning: I Have a Feeling Bubbling Up

Over the last few weeks we've been discussing feelings in kindergarten.  I took it a step further this week by bringing attention to the warning signals our bodies give us.  It's important to not only understand our feelings, but also to know how to recognize what our body feels like during different feelings.  I shared with students a large poster labeled with a variety of warning signs we might feel in our body when we are experiencing a strong emotion.  We went through each of these and modeled some of them together to remember how it feels.  Students even added some of their own warning signals they experience in their body during a strong feeling.  By knowing our bodies, we can self-soothe and use self control to be appropriate in public when we are furious, saddened, disappointed, lonely, etc.

 

I then had students evaluate how which warning signals they experience in their bodies during strong feelings.  I gave them each a chart with 5 feelings and a sheet full of the warning signals we reviewed on the chart.  They looked at each feeling and paired it with the warning signal their body gives off.  Finally they cut it out and glued it to their paper.  I walked around to aid in the process, but for the most part they were very aware of how their bodies responded to strong feelings and we found that we are each unique.