Introduction

Jealousy is a natural emotion that everyone experiences at some point in their lives. It is especially common among young children, who might feel envious of their peers’ accomplishments or possessions. As educators, it is essential to teach Kindergarten students how to control their jealousy and express their emotions in a respectful manner. In this blog post, we will discuss an engaging no-prep activity, thought-provoking discussion questions, and related skills to help students learn how to manage their feelings of jealousy while maintaining positive relationships with others.

No-Prep Activity: The Jealousy Freeze Game

This activity requires no preparation or materials from the educator and is designed to help students understand and control their feelings of jealousy. The Jealousy Freeze Game is a simple yet effective way to teach students how to recognize and manage their emotions in a fun and interactive manner.

1. Ask the students to stand in a circle.
2. Explain that when you say the word “jealous,” they need to freeze in place and make a face that shows jealousy.
3. As you walk around the circle, say different emotions (e.g., happy, sad, excited). Students should act out the emotion you say.
4. When you say “jealous,” students should freeze and make a jealous face.
5. After a few seconds, say “unfreeze” and allow students to return to a neutral position.
6. Repeat the game several times, emphasizing the importance of controlling jealousy and respecting others’ feelings.

Discussion Questions

After the activity, use these discussion questions to stimulate further conversation about controlling jealousy:

1. How did it feel to make a jealous face? Did you notice any changes in your body or thoughts?
2. Why is it important to control our feelings of jealousy instead of acting on them?
3. Can you think of a time when you felt jealous? How did you handle it, and what could you have done differently?
4. What are some ways we can show support and kindness to others, even when we feel jealous?
5. How can controlling our jealousy help us maintain positive relationships with our friends and classmates?

Related Skills

Teaching students about controlling jealousy also helps them develop other essential social-emotional skills, such as:

• Empathy: Understanding and sharing the feelings of others.
• Emotion regulation: Managing one’s emotions in a healthy and appropriate manner.
• Communication: Expressing thoughts and feelings effectively and respectfully.
• Conflict resolution: Resolving disagreements in a peaceful and constructive way.

Next Steps

Now that you have learned about teaching Kindergarten students how to control their jealousy, it’s time to put these skills into practice. To help you get started, we encourage you to sign up for free samples of the discussed skill and others. These resources will provide you with additional activities, lessons, and strategies to support your students’ social-emotional learning journey.