One of the four components of Emotional Intelligence is self-compassion. This sensitivity develops when kids can accept and respond to ALL of their feelings with kindness.
Help kids begin to cultivate self-compassion using My Feeling Body Activity Sheet along with Feelings Cards.
How It Works
The activity encourages kids to experience their feelings from the inside by noticing how different feelings feel in their bodies:
What does anger feel like in their faces, hands, bellies and so on…
This internal experiencing of feelings leads kids to connect with them more deeply, accept them more easily and then learn to respond to them with greater clarity and compassion.
I’m starting to feel angry,
this is okay,
I can get help ... or ... I know what to do
How To Use It With Kids
1.
Select a Feelings Card in advance or have kids pick one randomly from the deck.
2.
Place the Feelings Card in the box within the Activity Sheet.
3.
Have kids close their eyes and check IN, imagining the selected feeling and how it feels to them. You might guide them with prompts like:
Imagine how your face feels when you are feeling (this emotion) …
Now imagine how your eyes feel ...
4.
Once kids have had enough time to check IN, have them talk about or write down how the feeling felt in each of the different parts of their bodies. Ask questions like:
Where is the first place you felt this feeling show up in your body?
Where do you feel it most in your body?
Where does this feeling leave your body first ... maybe your hands relax or your belly loosens?
Bonus:
Getting to know how feelings feel also builds the happy habits of Caring for Feelings and Being Kind (to oneself).
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