Feelings Friends Lesson Plan Feelings Friends
Lesson Plan • SEL Tier 1
30 MINS
Duration
Why This Matters
Building emotional awareness and self-regulation skills in Pre-K learners—including those with Down syndrome and autism—fosters social engagement, reduces frustration, and supports positive classroom behavior.
Learning Objective
"Students will identify and express four basic emotions—happy, sad, angry, and calm—and practice a simple breathing strategy to support self-regulation."
Prep
• Print & laminate Emotion Expression Cards & Feelings Wheel .
• Display Calm Breathing Star Poster at eye level.
• Gather Puppet Pair near reading area.
• Review Storybook for expressive reading prompts.
• Create a cozy seating circle on soft mats.
10 MINS PREP
Lesson Flow
Time Phase Key Actions 5 Min Welcome & Warm-Up
Calm Breathing
| Introduce Star Poster . Model breathing in/out at each star tip. Invite fingers on poster to follow along 3 times. |
| 7 Min |
Interactive Reading
Feelings Friends Book
| Read slowly, pausing at each character. Invite students to name the emotion and mimic the facial expression. |
| 8 Min |
Matching Game
Emotion Cards
| Spread cards face up. Show one card, name the emotion, and have each child find/show a matching card to the group. |
| 5 Min |
Feelings Wheel
Exploration
| Spin or point to a section. Ask: "When do you feel this way?" and allow shares. Reinforce naming emotions aloud. |
| 5 Min |
Puppet Play
Coping Strategies
| Revisit Star breathing. Use puppets to model "I feel..." and then calm breathing. Student volunteers practice with puppets. |
Approach
Multisensory activities with visuals, stories, and breathing exercises.
Primary Audience
Pre-K (Inclusive of Down Syndrome & Autism support)
Feelings Friends Slides Feelings Friends
An SEL Adventure
We will learn about feelings and how to stay calm!
Teacher Note: Welcome everyone! Introduce today’s SEL lesson: Feelings Friends. Say: “We will learn about four feelings—happy, sad, angry, and calm—and practice breathing to help us feel better.”
Warm-Up: Calm Breathing
1
Place your finger on each star point.
2
Breathe IN deeply.
3
Breathe OUT slowly.
Repeat 3 times!
"I am calm and ready."
Teacher Note: Point to each tip of the Star and model taking a slow breath in on one tip and out on the next. Invite children to follow along three times.
Feelings Friends Story
Our Storybook
Look at the cover!
Predict the feelings.
Mimic each friend!
Teacher Note: Show the book cover. Ask: “How do you think our friends feel today?” Read slowly, pausing at each emotion. Invite volunteers to name and mimic the facial expression.
Matching Game
HAPPY
SAD
ANGRY
Can you find the match?
Teacher Note: Spread the Emotion Cards face up. Hold up one card. Invite each child to find and show a matching card. Praise correct matches and gently guide mistakes.
Feelings Wheel
Spin the wheel!
Name the feeling you see.
"When do you feel this way?"
Teacher Note: Display the Feelings Wheel. Point to a feeling. Ask: “When do you feel this way?” Encourage 2–3 students to share briefly. Reinforce saying the emotion out loud.
Puppet Practice
"I feel..."
Model the feeling with the puppet!
Take a breath
Practice together with your friends!
Teacher Note: Revisit the Star for two breaths. Use puppets to model: “I feel sad. Let’s take a deep breath.” Invite a volunteer to try with the puppet.
Great Job!
Remember:
Name how you feel
Take slow breaths
Teacher Note: Congratulate the class. Encourage them to use these tools whenever they need to feel better.
Emotion Matching Worksheet Emotion Matching
Name:
Feelings Friends • Worksheet
Instructions:
Use the Emotion Expression Cards to match each word. Cut out the faces and glue them in the boxes below!
1
HAPPY
2
SAD
3
ANGRY
4
CALM
Draw Your Feeling
"Draw a face showing how you feel today and label it."
I feel:
Emotion Charades Activity Emotion Charades
Interactive Movement Activity
15 MINS
Activity Time
Objective
Students will recognize and express four basic emotions—happy, sad, angry, and calm—through movement and facial expressions, strengthening nonverbal communication.
Materials
Emotion Expression Cards
Soft mat or open floor space
Feelings Wheel (optional)
Game Instructions
1
Introduce the Game (2 min)
Gather students in a circle. Say: “We will each take turns acting out a feeling, and our friends will guess which feeling we are showing.” Show the Happy Hippo card as a model.
2
Demonstration (2 min)
Invite a volunteer. Whisper a feeling like “SAD.” Prompt them: “Show us how you look when you feel sad.” Help the group guess and praise correct naming.
3
Student Turns (8 min)
Have students pick face-down cards. Help them name the card privately. Encourage 5-7 seconds of "acting" with faces and bodies. Invite the group to name the emotion out loud.
4
Group Reflection (3 min)
Revisit the Feelings Wheel. Ask: “Which emotion was your favorite to guess?” Reinforce that all feelings are okay and naming them helps us understand ourselves.
Support for All Learners
If a student is stuck, place the matching card on the floor as a visual prompt for their expression.
Encourage peers to use gestures as well as words when guessing to reinforce multi-sensory learning.
Feelings Friends Storybook Feelings Friends
Let's Read Together!
Happy
Sad
Angry
Calm
Meet the Friends
In a cozy meadow, four animal friends gather under a big, bright tree.
Happy Hippo
Sad Seal
Angry Alligator
Calm Cat
1
Happy Hippo
Happy Hippo sees a colorful rainbow! She bounces up and down and giggles.
“I feel HAPPY when I hear my friends laugh!”
2
Sad Seal
Sad Seal finds his favorite shell has a crack. He sits quietly by the pond.
“I feel SAD when something I love gets broken.”
3
Angry Alligator
Angry Alligator tries to open a jar of pickles but the lid is stuck tight!
“I feel ANGRY when nothing goes my way!”
4
Calm Cat
Calm Cat sits on a soft cushion. She breathes in slowly and purrs gently.
“I feel CALM when I use my star-breathing.”
5
Your Turn!
• Big Smile!
• Little Frown...
• Scrunched Face!
• Slow Breath...
All feelings are okay!
6
Calm Breathing Star Practice Activity Calm Breathing Star
Guided Regulation Practice
10 MINS
Activity Time
Objective
Children will use the Calm Breathing Star Poster to practice deep breathing, empowering them to manage big feelings with a consistent strategy.
Prep
Hang Star Poster at eye level
Clear space for standing/sitting
Gather class in a circle around poster
Guided Steps
1
Gather & Introduce (2 min)
“Today we will use this star to help our bodies feel calm.”
2
Explain the Star (1 min)
Point to one tip. “Breathe IN here.” Trace to the next tip. “Breathe OUT here.”
3
Model One Round (2 min)
Breathe in slowly while tracing. Breathe out slowly while tracing. Do all 5 points as the children watch.
4
Practice Together (3 min)
Lead 3 full star rounds. Count quietly: 1—2—3—4—5.
5
Child-Led Round (2 min)
Invite a volunteer to lead the group by tracing and breathing. Celebrate their leadership!
Class Affirmation
"I AM CALM."
Teacher Tip
Place hands on tummies to feel the "Belly Breath" rise and fall for extra sensory feedback.
Feelings Share Exit Ticket Feelings Share
Name:
Exit Ticket • SEL
Think back to our activities today. How did you feel? Draw or write about your feeling below.
My Feeling Today
Why I felt this way
I felt
because
My Calm Plan
How will I help my body feel calm next time?
Star Breathing
Count to 5
Ask for Help
Squeeze Hands
Great job sharing your feelings!
Emotion Expression Cards Emotion Expression Cards
Print, Cut, and Use for Activities
HAPPY
SAD
ANGRY
CALM
How to Use:
• Matching: Match cards to the worksheet boxes.
• Charades: Pick a card and act it out.
• Check-in: Show how you feel right now.
• Flashcards: Practice naming each emotion.
Cut along lines
Feelings Wheel Visual Feelings Wheel Visual
Interactive Classroom Tool
Happy
Sad
Angry
Calm
Attach a paper fastener and a cardboard arrow in the center!
Teacher Notes
This wheel connects feelings to colors and icons. Use it during group sharing or as a "mood meter" in the calm-down corner.
1. Point to a section.
2. Ask: “Which feeling is this?”
3. Share: “When do you feel [feeling]?”
Feelings Friends Script Feelings Friends script
Facilitation Guide • Tier 1 SEL
1. Welcome & Warm-Up (5 Min)
TEACHER: “Good morning, friends! Please come sit in our cozy circle on the mat. I’m so happy to see each of you today. This is our Calm Breathing Star. We’re going to use it to help our bodies feel calm.”
[Point to Calm Breathing Star Poster]
TEACHER: “Place one finger on a star point. Let’s breathe in slowly while we trace... 1...2... Now breathe out slowly... 3...4... Let’s go around 3 times. Ready?”
2. Interactive Read-Aloud (7 Min)
Page 2: Happy Hippo
“Happy Hippo sees a rainbow! Who can say ‘happy’? Show me your big smile like Hippo!”
Page 3: Sad Seal
“Sad Seal’s favorite shell is cracked. What word did Seal say? That’s right—‘sad.’ Show me your sad face.”
Page 4: Angry Alligator
“Angry Alligator’s jar is stuck. Can you say ‘angry’? Make your scrunched-up face!”
Page 5: Calm Cat
“Calm Cat uses star-breathing. Let’s take one gentle breath like Cat. Breathe in... out... purr.”
3. Matching Game (8 Min)
TEACHER: “Let’s play with our Emotion Cards! I’ll hold one up. Who can tell me which feeling this is? That's right—it's HAPPY! Find the matching card on the floor and show it to me!”
PROMPT: “What makes you feel happy? Share one idea after we match all four.”
4. Puppet Role-Play (5 Min)
TEACHER: “Here are our puppet friends. Sad Puppet says, ‘I feel sad.’ [Take one star breath] Who wants to try? You can pick a feeling and we’ll all take a breath together.”
“All feelings are okay—they help us understand our friends!”
Calm Breathing Star Poster Calm Breathing Star
Take a breath, feel the star!
Start Here
Breathe In
Breathe Out
Breathe In
Breathe Out
1. TRACE the star.
2. BREATHE with it.
"I feel calm and ready to learn!"
