My Feeling Goes in the Box

Sitting in a circle, each child shows with a gesture how they felt during the session and “tucks it away” in the feelings box with a slow movement. It builds recognizing one's own feelings and closing the session calmly.

How to play

1. Sitting in a circle, the teacher places the open box in the middle with the face cards around it (1 min).
2. Look back on the session: the teacher names each game and we all make the face we had during it (1 min).
3. One at a time, each child picks the card that shows how they felt today and makes the face and body pose; the others copy it silently (2 min).
4. The child crawls or walks very slowly to the box and puts the card in, like tucking away something fragile (1 min).
5. When all the cards are in, we close the box together with our hands on top and take one breath together (1 min).

Rules

• I wait for my turn sitting down.
• Every feeling can go in the box.
• I copy my friend's pose without talking.

Variations

Adaptations

• Autism: allow picking the card without posing in front of everyone.
• Visual impairment: use tactile cards (yarn mouth, large glued-on button eyes) and the teacher names each one.
• Limited mobility: a classmate brings the box to the child instead.

Learning goals

• Recognize how I felt.
• Express a feeling with a gesture.
• End the session calmly and respectfully.

Equipment for a class of 25

• Cardboard box: 1
• Feeling face cards: 25

Teacher tip

With a big group, have each child pose in place and drop the card in without explaining: the ritual still works and stays short. If a child picks a sad or angry card, thank them without questioning them in front of the group; talk later.

More activities like this

More cool-downs for Elementary