This fun game helps you think about how your feelings seem to you and to others through dance!
What you’ll need: Small slips of paper, at least two people, adequate space
What’s it for?
This activity helps you think about your feelings and how these seem to you and to others. It can also be quite funny!
Check In:
Notice how you’re feeling right now. Close your eyes and notice what’s going on inside your mind and body.
How are you feeling?
What are you thinking?
How does your body feel?
Method:
On some small slips of paper write down the names of different feelings decided between you in your pair. These should be a mixture of obvious ones like: happy, sad, angry; and less obvious like calm, worried, annoyed, shy, excited, etc.
Fold the feeling slips so you can’t see the word written on them and mix them up.
Player one chooses a slip of paper and dances or acts out the feeling on the card WITHOUT talking!
Player two has to try to guess the feeling. If player two is struggling, how can you make your dancing and acting clearer? Carry on until player two guesses the feeling or gives up!
When player two has answered correctly, switch roles. Player two dances / acts a feeling for player one to guess.
Continue until you’ve used up all the slips of paper.
When you’ve finished playing, ask yourself and each other the following questions:
Was it difficult or easy to show your mood through dance or acting?
Were some feelings harder than others to show?
Were there any differences between the ways you or your partner would have chosen to dance certain moods? Why do you think that is? Could you still recognise them?
How did it feel to be dancing and acting these different moods?
Conclusion:
Using the whole body to explore feelings can help us to learn how we and others express emotions.
Take a moment to notice how you are feeling at the end of this activity. Did you discover anything surprising? What can you take away to make you feel better about yourself from this activity?
If you would like to, share something about your experience with this activity with someone you live with! Ask the person who looks after you to send us an email if you have any questions or comments about the activity, or would like to send us any pictures (info@catcorner.co.uk). Don't forget to subscribe for more fun CAT activities!
Created by Ian Grundy © March 2020
Creative Art Used: Dance
Psychological Area: Emotional Wellbeing, Self-Expression, Emotional Literacy
These activities could be done by children of all ages, but some may need the support of their parent or carer to read the instructions or complete the activity safely.
This website was made by CAT Corner to help you explore your feelings through fun creative arts activities. The people using the website and the people responsible for them need to make sure they stay safe (full disclaimer on About page).