Feelings Board Game

1. 1

   Draw a board with 10 to 15 spaces on a large sheet of paper. Add a facial expression and feeling word to each space, plus a few lucky and challenge spaces that introduce a new feeling word.

2. 2

   Sit with your child, roll a die, and take turns moving that number of spaces. Say, “Let’s play the feelings game. We each move the number we roll.”

3. 3

   When your child lands on a feeling, invite them to name and show it: “This face looks sad. Can you show sad?” They might frown, say, “I’m sad,” or use a body movement. Add a situation such as, “How might you feel if someone took your toy?”

4. 4

   When your child finds one way to express a feeling, echo it and invite another way using the face, voice, or body.

5. 5

   The game ends when either player reaches the final space.

What to notice

• Frowns or says, “I’m angry,” to express the emotion Emotional Functioning
• Repeats a new word after hearing it Vocabulary

Tips

• If detailed facial expressions are difficult to draw, use simple symbols: a smile for happy, tears for sad, and furrowed brows for angry.

Developmental benefits

• Social/Emotional: As your child plays the emotion board game, they practice recognizing and naming different feelings.
• Language: Talking with you during the emotion board game gives your child practice expressing ideas and using new feeling words.