Freeze Feelings

Our bodies show emotions in many ways. Today, we will play a game which will help us practice showing different emotions with bodies and notice how others show emotions with their bodies. When we notice how we show emotions and how others show emotions, we can better understand ourselves and each other.

1. Ask students to find their own space in the room where they can move around without bumping into others. If facilitating online, ask students to stand in front of their cameras.
2. Tell students that before each round, you will say a feeling, like “happy” (or sad, angry, scared, embarrassed, etc.). You’ll also give them a moment before each round to stop and think about how they would show that emotion with facial expressions and body posture (and without talking or moving).
3. Students should dance or move around when the music starts. When the music stops, they should freeze in a pose that shows “happy” (or other emotion for that round).
4. Play multiple rounds. Give students a new feeling before each round.

• What did you notice about your classmates’ ways of expressing emotions? What was similar or different about the ways your classmates expressed emotions?
• What did you find easy about this game? What was difficult?
• What strategies did you use to help you?

For primary school students:

• For students who may struggle to demonstrate emotions with body language or read social cues, use 5-6 emotions with which students are already familiar (for example, use feelings words learned during other Kernels such as “Feelings Tree” or “Feelings Circle”) and demonstrate how to express the emotion.
• Choose music which matches the emotions students will be showing. Encourage students to share how the music affects their emotional state.

For students in grades 5-6:

• Use feelings vocabulary with small, subtle differences between definitions (e.g., “happy” vs. “ecstatic”) to make the game more difficult.