Play Emotion Charades!

Looking for a fun warm-up game that supports social-emotional learning?

Emotion charades is not only a blast, but a great way for students to practice recognizing, naming, and expressing emotions.

Okay, the first thing to do is to make a list of emotions. You can brainstorm emotions together, or give everyone time to come up with their own ideas before sharing with the group.

Try to come up with at least a dozen emotions—the more, the better! Here are a few ideas to get you started:

EXCITED

NERVOUS

HAPPY

SAD

CONFUSED

ANGRY

SLEEPY

SCARED

STARTLED

Once you have your list of emotions, write each one on a separate strip of paper.

Next, place the strips of paper inside your cup, bag, or other container.

Now we’re going to do the same thing but with action words.

Again, try to come up with at least a dozen actions. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

DANCING

EATING PIZZA

DOING HOMEWORK

SHOPPING

RIDING THE BUS

SKATING

PICKING FLOWERS

TAKING A SHOWER

MAKING A SNOWMAN

BAKING COOKIES

When you’re finished, write each one on a strip of paper, then place the strips of paper inside your second container.

You’re now ready to play Emotion Charades!

Before you start, it’s a good idea to practice so everyone understands how to combine emotions and actions.

Also, for those who may be nervous about participating, practicing as a group can help calm the jitters. If, after you’re finished practicing, a student would still like to opt out of acting, that is A-OK! They can play another role like pulling word prompts for their team, and they’ll still be part of the fun as guessers.

Here are a few combinations to try as a group:

SLEEPY + SKATING

CONFUSED + EATING PIZZA

Witnessing other students’ interpretations also helps to communicate that there is no right or wrong way to act.

Okay, now that you’re warmed up, let’s go over the rules of the game:

1. Divide your group into two teams

2. Each team takes turns being the actors and the guessers

3. When it’s your team’s turn to act, you will reach into the containers and select one emotion and one action.

4. The actors can either select one member to act out the emotion + action or they can all act together.

For example, if the group selected SAD and DANCING, they will act out sadly dancing.

5. Members of team 2 will call out their guesses until someone guesses correctly.

Note: Someone might guess “sad” or “dancing,” but the correct answer in this case is: “sadly dancing.”