Emotions Choice Board
Are your students struggling to make strong decisions or to display a range of emotions in their performance? Using an Emotions Choice Board can help!
Benefits of an Emotions Choice Board include:
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Facilitates Emotional Vocabulary: For students who may struggle with verbal expression, this choice board offers a visual and tangible way to communicate and identify different emotions. It empowers students to explore and understand a wide range of feelings, promoting emotional literacy.
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Promotes Self-Awareness and Regulation: By engaging with this choice board, students can develop a deeper understanding of their own emotions. They can identify how they feel in different situations and learn to regulate their emotional responses, leading to increased self-confidence and social-emotional well-being.
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Enhances Creative Expression: Incorporating this choice board into performing arts activities opens up new avenues for creative expression. Students can use their chosen emotion as inspiration for improvisation, character development, movement exercises, or even creating original performances. It encourages students to delve into the depths of their emotions and channel them into their artistic endeavors.
Ideas for Using the Emotions Choice Board:
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Warm-up Exercises: Begin your performing arts sessions with a warm-up activity where students select an emotion from the board. Ask them to embody the chosen emotion through expressive movements, facial expressions, or vocalizations. This helps students connect with their feelings and prepares them for the creative work ahead.
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Develop Emotional Awareness: Have a student pick an emotion from the Emotions Choice Board, then instruct everyone in the class to show that specific emotion on their face. Encourage students to quietly observe their peers' expressions, noting the various ways the same emotion may manifest itself. Maintain objective descriptions during the activity to foster awareness and understanding, especially for students who may require additional support in recognizing and differentiating emotions. Repeat by asking students to show the emotion with their whole body.
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Improvisation and Scene Work: Use this board as a prompt for improvisation or scene work. Students can choose an emotion and create short skits or improvisational scenes based on that emotion. This activity encourages collaboration, empathy, and the exploration of different perspectives.
- Character Development: When working on a theater production or a dance piece, encourage students to select an emotion from the board for their character. This exercise enables them to deepen their understanding of their character's emotional journey and bring authenticity and depth to their performances.
To help you implement this valuable resource in your classroom, we have created a board for you, but feel free to make your own! Consider using pictures of your own students showing the different emotions on their face and with their body.
By incorporating an Emotions Choice Board into your performing arts classroom, you provide a supportive environment for students to explore and express their emotions. This tool promotes self-awareness, emotional regulation, and creative growth. Whether used in warm-up exercises, character development, or improvisation activities, the Emotions Choice Board empowers your students to communicate their feelings through the universal language of the performing arts.
Download the Emotions Choice Board or download this template to customize your own.
