Today’s Excerpt:

Sentence stem: “One thing I like about play is…”

Try one of these emotions games with the Uplift emotions chart:

Emotion Charades: Put the emotion cards in a pile face down. One person picks a card without revealing what’s on the card and then acts out the emotion while everyone else guesses the emotion.

Headbands: Each player writes the name of an emotion on a piece of paper and attaches it to their head via a headband, a piece of scotch tape, or just doing a little lick and stick. (Or get the Uplift emotions card deck for easier play.) Go around the table and ask questions to get clues about what your emotion is. 

Questions have to be answered with “yes” or “no.”

For example:

“Would I feel this if I were going to my favorite restaurant?”
“Would I feel this if i just found out my best friend was moving out of the country?”
“Would I feel this if I forgot my homework?”

Pretend: Play a game of pretend where each person chooses a toy or stuffed animal and a scenario. Then have each person draw an emotion card, which will define their character during the game or chapter in the unfolding story.

Example scenarios:

“You’re lost in a forest together and have to find your way out”
“You’re about to go on a trip to outer space together and have to pack”
“You’re searching for buried treasure in a dense jungle forest.”