Let’s play and talk together
Sit or stand in front of a mirror with your child.
- Look at your faces in the mirror. Talk about what you see. Point to different parts of your own face and then point to the child’s face.
- Show one another your smiles. Talk about things that make you feel like smiling.
- Show some other expressions, e.g. a frown, a scared face, an angry face, a wondering face. Talk about things that make you have those feelings.
- Ask your child to show you some faces, e.g. “Show me how you feel when…”
Hints for success
- Talk about what faces do to show the feelings, e.g. “When you are surprised, your eyebrows go up!
- Feel the changes in your faces with your fingers.
- Have fun with silly faces as well as serious ones.
- Look straight at one another as well as in the mirror.
Try this way
- Can you show me a surprised face?
- What is my face saying now? Look what your mouth does when you smile!
- With younger children (ages 1-2), catch their emotions as they happen. Look in the mirror when the feelings are real.
- With older children (ages 3 and up), play “Guess how I’m feeling.” Each person takes a turn to make a face, and the others guess what their face is saying
Drawing and writing
Make a “Faces Show Feelings” book using paper and crayons or markers. Use one page for each feeling. Draw simple faces with different expressions. Write some words to go with each picture.
Healthy eating
Read How Are You Peeling? Foods with Moods together and talk about the feelings in each picture. Learn the names of all the fruits and vegetables in the book.
Book links
Feelings to Share Board Book by Todd and Peggy Snow
How Are You Peeling? Foods with Moods by Saxton Freymann and Joost Elffers
Walter Was Worried by Laura Vaccaro Seeger
Here is me. (Make actions to go with the words.)
Here are my ears. Here is my nose.
Here are my fingers. Here are my toes.
Here are my eyes, Both open wide.
Here is my mouth With white teeth inside.
Here is my tongue That helps me speak.
Here is my chin, And here are my cheeks.
Here are my hands That help me play.
Here are my feet For walking today.