LABELING FEELINGS AND EOMTIONS

Labeling Feelings and Emotions and

Valuing Uniqueness of Self and Others
Katie Lageson
EED220 20927

LABELING FEELINGS AND EOMTIONS

Student Name: Katie Lageosn

Date: 11/8/15
Diversity Focus: To recognize emotions and identify the sources for such feelings; to practice
listening to others
Name of Activity: Emotion Books (pg. 111)
Introduction: Include the age; number of children and area activity was implemented
In order to promote anti-bias in my three year old students, I implemented an activity that
focuses on increasing the ability to label feelings and emotions, and to value the uniqueness of
their selves and others. The activity I implemented is called: Emotion Books. During circle time,
I read a book about emotions called The Way I Feel by Janan Cain to the children. While reading
the book, I asked the children to identify any emotions they could base on the appearance of the
child in the story. After the book, I briefly discussed with the children about certain emotions
that they feel and what they look like or do when they feel that emotion. Afterwards, I gathered a
small group of about three to four children so that we can begin making our books. At the table, I
explained that we were going to make a book about the emotions we feel. I showed the children
particular emotions from the story and I asked each child if they had ever felt that emotion
before. If they had, I then asked them to draw a picture of the item or event that made them feel
that way. I did this for the four emotions that are being put into our book: (a) happy, (b) mad, (c)
sad, and (d) afraid. Once the children are finished, each child in the group shared their book with
the other children.
1. Describe how you introduced this activity to children:
I introduced this activity to the children by first asking the children questions about how
they felt today. Each child gave an emotion that they were feeling and I charted their emotions

LABELING FEELINGS AND EOMTIONS

on a poster board. Once everyones emotion was charted, I went over the chart pointing out how
some children felt a particular emotion while others felt another. I then asked the children to
explain why they felt that way. We then talked about other emotions that we could feel and
described scenarios in which we would feel these emotions. I then introduced the book The Way
I feel by Janan Cain to my class and had the children name the emotion on each page.
2. Describe the steps to complete the activity with children and provide examples of their
reaction/behavior and comments
When reading the story, most of the children could identify the main emotions: happy,
sad, mad and scared. However with the more complicated ones, they identified the emotion by
the face they saw in the image. An example is that the children named the emotion frustrated as
mad because the girl in the frustrated picture appeared to have a mad face. Or they related the
shy emotion as scared because the shy child was hiding behind her mother in the picture. With
these more complicated emotions, I provided a more relatable example to the children so they
would better understand the emotions meaning. For each emotion in the story, I also had the
children mimic the face that they would make if they felt that particular emotion.
Afterwards, I held my small activity during center time with a small group of children. In
the activity, each child would draw a picture of what makes them feel a certain emotion and we
would make a book out of it. In order to help the child know which drawing is for what emotion,
I put a smilie face that shows which emotion the page is for. First, I used the book to review the
four emotions that we would be putting in our books: happy, sad, angry and scared. I then
showed the children the templet of the book we would be creating and explained the process of

LABELING FEELINGS AND EOMTIONS

the activity. I then asked each child individually what made them feel happy and asked why in
order to expand on the concept:
Ethan: Ms. Katie; because I love you
Hunter: Ms. Katie; because I like coming to your class
Timia: Going to school makes me happy because I like coming to school
I then asked each child individually what made them feel angry and asked why in order to
expand on the concept:
Hunter: Going to school makes me angry because I want my mommy
Madelyn: When my Rydell pinches me
Ethan: Taking a nap makes me mad because I dont want to take a nap
Timia: When my mom didnt take me to Chuckie Cheese it made me mad
I then asked each child individually what make them feel sad and asked why I order to
expand the concept:
Timia: When my sisters wont let me play with them
Hunter: When the sun gets in my eyes
Madelyn: When my aunt Dawn yells at me
Ethan: When pigs say oink to me and when tigers roar at me

LABELING FEELINGS AND EOMTIONS

I then asked each child individually what makes them feel sad and asked why in order to
expand on the concept:
Timia: The dog scares me
Hunter: When thunder strikes my house it scares me
Madelyn: When Rydell says BOO! to me
Ethan: When there is lightening in the tree and when I fell down the mountain
After each child was finished drawing their pictures to their emotions, they each read
their books to the other children in the groups. I held the book and had the child identify the
emotion on the page by the smilie face. I then asked them to share what they drew that makes
them feel that particular emotion. Each child explained their books and we clapped after each
presentation. After all the books were read, I talked to the children about how each child feels
similar emotions but for different reasons. And we talked about how it is important to know that
when other children are feeling these emotions that we respect that and respond appropriately to
them because they themselves would want the same courtesy.
3. Using information provided on page 5 of the textbook, explain how this activity explores the
Areas of Bias
This activity explores ability and culture in the areas of bias. According to Sanderman
Hall (1999), ability refers ones physical, mental, or emotional capabilities. With this activity,
each child learned that they have felt these emotions before and will feel them again in the
future. They also understood that other people can feel emotions as well, not just themselves. By
recognizing how they feel when they are experiencing their emotions and by visually

LABELING FEELINGS AND EOMTIONS

recognizing them in others, children will become more conscious of feelings in themselves and
their peers. Children will respond quicker and easier to distressed children and promote emotions
from others that they want them to experience. With culture, culture generally includes
language, religious beliefs, celebrations, customs, and ways of thinking that reflect how one acts
toward others. Group members feel a sense of security because of the many things they hold in
common (Hall, 5). This activity explores this area of bias by showing children that their peers
experience the same emotions and sometimes even for similar experiences and they can relate
and bond over that. And, like the quote, it gives them a sense of security that there are others
who react the same way they do. They can form relationships over it the way they express
themselves.
4. Using information provided on page 4-5 of the textbook, explain how this activity promotes
key Anti-Bias Goals.
The key anti-biased goals that my activity promotes are: (a) labels feelings and emotions,
(b) demonstrates empathy, and (c) listens to others. This activity promotes labeling feelings and
emotions because the entire activity was about identifying emotions and what events or people
cause those emotions to surface. It also demonstrates empathy because the children identify
specific events or things that make them feel these emotions and then they identify that other
children can have similar reactions to those events or people as well. They then figure out that if
I feel this way when that happens and they feel the same way, then they feel bad, and if I dont
like feeling bad then they dont like feeling bad either. Then they start showing empathy for
other children and try to find ways to help a child feel better or do their best to not make others
experience difficult emotions. Finally, this activity also promotes listening to others because in
order to figure out what someone is feeling, you have to listen to what they are saying. At the

LABELING FEELINGS AND EOMTIONS

end of the activity I had each child share their emotions book with the other children because
when there is a conflict situation, you want the child to listen to what the other has to say that
they can understand what the issue is. If Jonny is crying because Alex took his toy and Alex does
listen when Jonny tells him that he is sad, Alex isnt going to know what he did made him feel
something, he is just going to know that Jonny is crying.
Conclusion: Reflect and evaluate how this activity enhances, supports, or challenges your current
understanding about bias awareness in young children.
This activity enhanced my understanding of bias because my children knew more about
understanding emotions and feelings than I thought they would. Most of the children related the
emotions they felt through detailed experiences in their life and the fact that they could recite that
too me blew my mind. I assumed that my children would know some about experiencing
emotions, like: I feel sad when I cry but I was not prepared for experiences like: my mommy
makes me mad when she yells at me because Im not listening. Also after the activity, I was
observing my children during centers and I noticed that after reading the book and doing the
activity that my children were talking more about how they were feeling during their play. To me
this means that they are enhancing their awareness by telling others how they felt and
questioning what the other child was feeling. All in all, I feel like it was a good activity and a
success in getting children to understand their own emotions and the emotions on others.

LABELING FEELINGS AND EOMTIONS

References
Hall, S. (1999). Creative resources for the anti-bias classroom. Albany, N.Y.: Delmar.