Introduction

Teaching kindergarten students to recognize and understand emotions is an essential skill for their social-emotional development. In this blog post, we will introduce the concept of the Big Three – eyes, eyebrows, and mouth – as a simple yet effective way to help young children identify how someone may be feeling based on their facial expressions. By learning to look for these clues, students can better understand and respond to the emotions of others, fostering empathy and positive social interactions.

No-Prep Activity: Big Three Bingo

For this no-prep activity, gather your students in a circle and explain that they will be playing a game called Big Three Bingo. The goal of the game is for each student to observe their classmates and identify the emotions they are displaying based on the Big Three: eyes, eyebrows, and mouth.

Begin the game by having one student make a facial expression that represents a specific emotion, such as happiness, sadness, or surprise. The other students will then take turns guessing the emotion by observing the “Big Three” on the student’s face. Once the emotion has been correctly identified, the next student will make a facial expression, and the game continues until everyone has had a turn.

This activity encourages students to practice observing and interpreting the facial expressions of others, helping them develop their ability to recognize emotions and respond appropriately.

Discussion Questions

1. Why is it important to understand how someone else is feeling?
2. How can we use the Big Three to help us know how to respond to someone’s emotions?
3. Can you think of a time when you used the Big Three to understand how someone was feeling? How did it help you in that situation?
4. What other clues, besides facial expressions, can we use to understand how someone is feeling?
5. How can understanding someone’s emotions help us be better friends and classmates?

Related Skills

In addition to understanding emotions through the Big Three, there are other social-emotional skills that can be developed in kindergarten students. These skills include:

• Active listening: Teaching students to listen carefully to others and respond appropriately.
• Empathy: Helping students understand and share the feelings of others, promoting kindness and compassion.
• Communication: Encouraging students to express their feelings, thoughts, and needs clearly and respectfully.
• Problem-solving: Guiding students in resolving conflicts and finding solutions to social challenges.
• Self-awareness: Supporting students in recognizing and managing their own emotions and behaviors.

Next Steps

Now that you have learned about the Big Three and how to teach kindergarten students to recognize emotions, we encourage you to explore more social-emotional learning resources and activities. To help you get started, sign up for free samples of skill-based materials and resources at Everyday Speech. These samples cover a range of topics and activities, providing you with valuable tools to support the social-emotional development of your students.