According to the Montessori method, it is important to recognize and respect children's emotions. Montessori educators encourage them to express their emotions in healthy and appropriate ways. They listen and offer emotional support to children when they need it.
Equipment :
- Printed photos with children's faces expressing various emotions (you can buy or print them directly on the internet)
- A mirror
- A child's face containing only its outline, printed (or drawn)
- Modeling clay
- Emotion nomenclature cards
The process:
1) Lay the photos with the children's faces on a table. Ask your child if he identifies the emotions on the cards. By analyzing the emotions of others, he learns to identify his own and to develop his empathy.
2) Associate emotions with feelings. Try to find examples of situations that could be the cause of each of the situations.
3) Invite your child to imitate each expression.
4) Take out the mirror and offer to look happy, happy, sad, pissed off …looking at his reflection. He learns to connect his emotions to his facial expressions.
5) Take out the sheet with the face and the plasticine. Invite your child to reproduce the expressions on the cards with modeling clay: inclination of the mouth, eyebrows,... "draw a sad face, a happy face...".
6) When the activity is over, encourage him to tidy up and clean up the activity space.
Extension :
The days following the activity, ask him how he feels. He will be able to use emotion nomenclature cards.
Skills developed :
- Knowledge of one's emotions,
- Connection with his feelings,
- Development of empathy.