Games and Activities for Exploring Feelings with Children: Giving Children the Confidence to Navigate Emotions and Friendships

by Vanessa Rogers

Overview

This is a fun, imaginative and creative resource designed to help children aged 7—13 get thinking and talking about their feelings and the issues that affect their lives.

It is packed full with games and activities that help children explore their emotions and express themselves positively. Activities surrounding issues such as peer relationships and friendships, bullying, offending, participation and citizenship are designed to build self-esteem, raise aspirations and increase motivation. They will also enhance emotional well-being and develop protective behaviours, encouraging children to speak out rather than act out, and helping to keep them safe and happy.

This is an ideal resource for all those working with children and looking for new and exciting ideas for games and activities, including teachers, youth workers, social workers and counsellors.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781849052221
Publisher:	Jessica Kingsley Publishers
Publication date:	07/15/2011
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	128
Product dimensions:	6.80(w) x 9.60(h) x 0.40(d)

About the Author

Vanessa Rogers is a qualified teacher and renowned youth worker with over ten years' experience both at practitioner and management levels. Prior to becoming a nationally acclaimed youth work consultant, Vanessa managed a wide range of services for young people including a large youth centre and targeted detached projects in Hertfordshire, UK. Vanessa's website can be found at www.vanessarogers.co.uk.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements 9

About the Author 11

Introduction 13

Making the rules 14

Getting to know each other 14

Expressing yourself 15

Making friends 15

Endings 16

1 Making the Rules 17

Parent/guardian consent 17

Anti-oppressive practice 22

roup rules 23

1.1 Group graffiti wall 26

1.2 Individual contracts 28

1.3 My action plan 30

2 Getting to Know Each Other 35

2.1 Introduction circle 35

2.2 My timeline 37

2.3 My desert island 39

2.4 Spider's web map 41

2.5 Share/not share 43

2.6 Secrets 46

2.7 The truth, the whole truth 49

2.8 This is me! 52

2.9 Attitude scale 54

2.10 Colours 55

2.11 Helping hand 56

2.12 Would you ever? 58

2.13 Feelings file 61

2.14 Things about me 64

3 Expressing Yourself 67

3.1 Picture pairs 67

3.2 Act out feelings! 69

3.3 Talk, talk 71

3.4 Reflective listening 73

3.5 Don't laugh at me! 75

3.6 Images 77

3.7 Late for school! 80

3.8 That makes me angry! 82

3.9 I don't want to! 85

3.10 My home 87

3.11 Name that feeling! 89

3.12 Feeling valued 92

4 Making Friends 95

4.1 Friendship line 95

4.2 What makes a good friend? 97

4.3 Magic spell for a friend 100

4.4 Follow the crowd 103

4.5 Jealousy bag 105

4.6 Get knotted! 107

4.7 My space 108

4.8 The bus stop 110

4.9 Picture squares 112

5 Endings 115

5.1 Positive thoughts 115

5.2 Today I 117

5.3 Faces 118

5.4 Circle time 119

5.5 Picture this 120

5.6 Headlines 122

5.7 Gifts 124

Editorial Reviews

This interesting resource book, written by a qualified teacher and social worker, contains 45 activities exploring feelings with children and young people. Sections cover: Making the Rules; Getting to Know Each Other; Expressing Yourself; Making Friends; and Endings. There are useful resources such as a parent/guardian consent form and ideas for group rules and antioppressive practice. Many of the activities include pages that can be photocopied (indicated by a tick mark in the top corner). Fun activities include My Home, Feeling Valued, Follow the Crowd and Jealousy Bag. Each activity is clearly explained, with sections covering the aim, what is needed and how to do it.

Play Therapy

This book is designed to help children and young people identify and express feelings in an honest and appropriate way, within a group setting. The exercises are drawn from the author's experience in areas of teaching and youth work both at practitioner and management level... The activities and games in this book are simple to learn and most require a minimum of preparation. They are fun and accessible, and will encourage children and young people to express themselves within a group setting. However, all practitioners would be advised to be selective when using the exercises, and always with the client group and psyche at the forefront of the work.

Dramatherapy - Jude Kidd

The book outlines a programme of games, activities and worksheets. The programme consists of five themes:

· Making the Rules

· Getting to Know Each Other

· Expressing Yourself

· Making Friends

· Endings

... what makes this book useful is that these resources are accompanied by a clear aim and methodology for using each resource, almost akin to a lesson plan.

National Centre for Guidance in Education

This book is full of ideas for games and activities that can be used with individuals or groups to facilitate emotional expression and/or socialization as well as promoting self-esteem. It could be successfully used for PSHE or circle time by teachers, but is also likely to be useful for other professionals e.eg. youth workers, counselors.

Youth in Mind