Top 10 'Heart-Smart' Emotional Literacy Games to do with your elementary schooler on weekends - Goh Ling Yong
Here we are, another Friday afternoon. The school week is done, the backpacks are thrown by the door, and you’re staring down the tunnel of a glorious, unstructured weekend. While movie nights and playground trips are weekend staples, what if you could sprinkle in some activities that are not only fun but also build one of the most critical skills your child will ever learn: emotional literacy?
Emotional literacy, or emotional intelligence (EQ), is your child's ability to understand, express, and manage their own emotions, as well as to recognize and navigate the emotions of others. Think of it as a superpower. It’s the foundation for resilience, empathy, strong friendships, and even academic success. In a world that’s more complex than ever, giving our kids a robust emotional vocabulary is like handing them a map and a compass for life’s journey.
But let's be honest, "teaching emotional literacy" sounds a bit like homework. That's where the magic of play comes in. By turning these lessons into games, you create a relaxed, joyful space for connection and learning. These aren't sit-down-and-study sessions; they're opportunities for laughter, creativity, and deep conversation, disguised as simple weekend fun.
Ready to become your child's favorite playmate and emotional coach all at once? Here are the top 10 'heart-smart' emotional literacy games to try with your elementary schooler.
1. The Emotion Detective Agency
This is a playful twist on classic charades, turning your living room into the headquarters for an elite detective agency. The mission? To identify feelings based on non-verbal clues. This game is fantastic for teaching kids that emotions are expressed not just with words, but with our entire bodies.
To play, write down various emotions on small slips of paper and fold them into a hat or bowl. Include the basics (happy, sad, angry) but also stretch their vocabulary with more nuanced feelings (frustrated, proud, nervous, curious, disappointed). Players take turns drawing a feeling and acting it out without making a sound. The other "detectives" must guess the emotion.
Tips for Success:
- Be a ham! Exaggerate your body language. If you're acting out 'proud,' puff out your chest, stand tall, and put your hands on your hips. For 'nervous,' you might wring your hands and bite your lip. The more dramatic you are, the more fun it will be.
- Talk it out afterwards. When a detective guesses correctly, ask a follow-up question: "Great job! What was the biggest clue that I was feeling frustrated?" or "Can you remember a time you felt that way?" This connects the game to real-life experiences.
2. The Rose, Thorn, and Bud Check-In
This isn't a high-energy game, but a powerful, calming ritual that can become a cherished part of your weekend routine, perhaps on a Sunday evening. It’s a simple mindfulness practice that encourages reflection and gratitude, helping children process their experiences and articulate their feelings about them.
The rules are simple. Each person shares their:
- Rose: A highlight, success, or something that made them happy.
- Thorn: A challenge, a frustration, or something that was difficult.
- Bud: Something they are looking forward to or a new idea they're excited about.
This structure gives children a safe and predictable way to talk about both the good and the bad. It validates their "thorny" feelings while reminding them of the "roses" and "buds," fostering a balanced and optimistic outlook. It’s a beautiful way to practice active listening and show your child that you care about all parts of their day, not just the highlights.
Tips for Success:
- Model vulnerability. As a parent, share your own genuine Rose, Thorn, and Bud. Hearing that you also had a "thorn" (like feeling frustrated in traffic) normalizes challenging emotions and shows them it's okay to not be happy all the time.
- Don't fix, just listen. When your child shares a "thorn," resist the immediate urge to jump in and solve it. Your primary job here is to listen and validate their feeling. You can say things like, "That does sound really frustrating," or "I can see why that would make you feel sad."
3. Storytelling with Feeling Dice
Combine creativity and emotional exploration with this fun storytelling game. All you need are a couple of dice. Designate one die for characters (e.g., 1=a brave knight, 2=a shy mouse, 3=a grumpy troll) and another for feelings (1=lonely, 2=excited, 3=brave). You can make your own dice from wooden blocks or simply write prompts on paper and draw them from a jar.
The first player rolls the dice to get a character and a feeling, and then starts a story. For example, "Once upon a time, there was a grumpy troll who was secretly feeling very lonely..." Each person takes a turn rolling the dice and adding the next part of the story, incorporating the new character or emotion.
This game helps children understand that different people can experience a wide range of emotions and that feelings are central to any story. It also builds empathy by encouraging them to think about why a character might be feeling a certain way and what they might do about it.
4. The "What If?" Scenario Jar
This game is all about building social and emotional problem-solving skills in a low-stakes environment. It prepares kids for tricky real-world situations they might encounter at school or with friends.
Fill a jar with slips of paper, each describing a common social scenario. On a Saturday morning, pull one out and discuss it together. The goal isn't to find the one "right" answer, but to explore different possibilities and their consequences.
Example Scenarios:
- "What if you see someone sitting alone at lunch?"
- "What if your best friend wants to play a game you don't like?"
- "What if you accidentally break your brother's favorite toy?"
- "What if you hear someone saying something unkind about another classmate?"
Talk through the feelings of everyone involved in the scenario. This practice in perspective-taking is a cornerstone of empathy. You’re giving your child a mental toolkit they can access when a similar situation arises in real life.
5. Emotion Volcano Craft
Big feelings like anger or frustration can feel overwhelming and explosive to a child. This craft is a brilliant visual metaphor that helps them understand how these emotions build up and what they can do to release the pressure safely.
Using a plastic bottle, clay or play-doh, and the classic baking soda and vinegar combination, you can build your very own volcano. As you build the volcano's exterior, talk about the "triggers" or small annoyances that can start to bubble up inside (the "magma"). These could be things like a sibling grabbing a toy, not being able to build a Lego tower just right, or feeling rushed.
When you mix the baking soda and vinegar and the "lava" erupts, you can explain that this is like "flipping your lid" or having a tantrum. The most important part of the conversation comes next: discussing "release valves." What are some ways we can let the pressure out before we erupt? This could be stomping our feet, squeezing a pillow, taking five deep breaths, or asking for a hug.
6. Feelings Pictionary
Get out the whiteboard or a big pad of paper for this artistic twist on a classic game. Just like The Emotion Detective Agency, you'll use a bowl of emotion words. Instead of acting them out, players have to draw them.
Can you imagine trying to draw "anxious" versus "excited"? Or "jealous" versus "disappointed"? This challenge forces kids (and adults!) to think creatively about how emotions can be represented visually. A drawing for 'sad' might be a rainy cloud, while 'happy' could be a bright sun. 'Confused' might be a tangled scribble.
This game reinforces emotional vocabulary and encourages creative expression. It also sends the powerful message that there are many different ways to express how you feel, including through art. As we often emphasize on the Goh Ling Yong blog, providing multiple avenues for emotional expression is key to a child's holistic development.
7. Mood Music Playlists
Music has a profound effect on our emotions. This activity helps children become more aware of this connection and gives them a tool they can use to regulate their own moods. Spend a weekend afternoon creating different "mood playlists" together.
Create a "Calm Down" playlist with slow, gentle instrumental music. Make an "Energy Boost" playlist with upbeat, dance-worthy pop songs. How about a "Focused" playlist for homework time, or even a "Feeling Sad and That's Okay" playlist with more mellow, thoughtful tunes?
As you listen to different songs, talk about how they make you feel. Ask questions like, "Does this song feel happy or thoughtful to you? What part of the song makes you feel that way? The drums? The singer's voice?" This builds self-awareness and provides a healthy, accessible coping strategy for managing their feelings in the future.
8. The Empathy Goggles
This is a role-playing game designed to help children see a situation from another person's point of view. It's a direct and powerful way to build empathy.
Start with a simple, recent conflict. For example, maybe there was an argument over whose turn it was to use the tablet. Ask the children involved to "put on their empathy goggles" and switch roles. Have Child A act out the situation from Child B's perspective, and vice-versa. Encourage them to use "I" statements from that person's point of view: "I felt frustrated because I was in the middle of my game," or "I felt left out because I had been waiting for my turn for a long time."
This can be challenging at first, but it is incredibly effective. It literally forces a child to step into their sibling's or friend's shoes. Guiding them through this process helps them understand that their actions affect others' feelings, a crucial lesson in social-emotional learning that aligns with Goh Ling Yong's philosophy of fostering interconnectedness and compassion.
9. The Feelings Face-Off
This is a simple, no-prep game you can play anywhere—in the car, waiting in line, or during a quiet moment at home. One person makes a face that expresses a certain emotion, and the other person has to guess what it is and then mirror it back.
Then, take it a step further. After mirroring the "angry" face, ask, "Where do you feel that anger in your body? In your tight fists? In your hot cheeks?" This practice of connecting an emotion to a physical sensation is a key mindfulness technique. It helps kids recognize the early physical warning signs of their feelings, giving them a chance to manage them before they become overwhelming.
10. The Gratitude Jar
While it's vital to help kids navigate difficult emotions, it's equally important to help them recognize and savor the positive ones. A Gratitude Jar is a long-term project that builds a habit of noticing the good in everyday life.
Find a large, clear jar and decorate it together. Every day or every few days, each family member writes down something they are grateful for on a small slip of paper and adds it to the jar. It can be something big ("I'm grateful for our family vacation") or something small ("I'm grateful for the yummy pizza we had for dinner" or "I'm grateful that my friend shared their crayons with me").
Once a month or so, empty the jar and read the notes aloud. This flood of positive memories is a powerful reminder of all the good things in your lives. It’s a tangible way to practice gratitude, which studies have shown is strongly linked to happiness, resilience, and overall well-being.
More Than Just Games
These ten activities are more than just ways to pass a weekend afternoon. They are investments in your child's emotional bank account. By playing these games, you are sending a clear and consistent message: Your feelings are important. They are valid. And you are here to help them navigate them, no matter what.
You are giving them the words to name their feelings, the strategies to manage their storms, and the empathy to connect with others. You're building a foundation of emotional intelligence that will support them for the rest of their lives.
So this weekend, before you default to screen time, why not try becoming an Emotion Detective or building a Feelings Volcano? Pick one game from this list that resonates with you and your child's personality.
What are your favorite ways to teach emotional literacy at home? Share your ideas in the comments below—we’d love to learn from you!
About the Author
Goh Ling Yong is a content creator and digital strategist sharing insights across various topics. Connect and follow for more content:
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