Top 12 'Feeling-Faces' Emotional Literacy Games to introduce for toddlers to name their big emotions without a meltdown - Goh Ling Yong
We’ve all been there. You’re in the middle of the grocery store, and your toddler suddenly transforms into a puddle of tears and rage on the floor. The cause? A broken biscuit. To the outside world, it’s a dramatic overreaction. But to your toddler, that broken biscuit represents a world-shattering disappointment, and they have no idea how to process the tidal wave of frustration, sadness, and anger crashing over them.
These moments, often labeled "the terrible twos" (or threes!), are not about defiance. They are about communication. Toddlers have rich, complex inner worlds, but their verbal skills are still catching up. This gap between their 'big emotions' and their limited ability to express them is the perfect recipe for a meltdown. The good news? You can bridge that gap. The secret lies in teaching emotional literacy—the ability to recognize, understand, label, and manage feelings.
But how do you teach something so abstract to a tiny human who is still mastering the art of using a spoon? You turn it into a game. By embedding emotional learning into playful, everyday interactions, you give your child a powerful toolkit for life. Here at the Goh Ling Yong blog, we believe that connection and play are the cornerstones of effective parenting. So, let’s dive into 12 fun and simple ‘feeling-faces’ games that will help your toddler name their big emotions and navigate their world with a little more peace and a lot less drama.
1. Mirror, Mirror
This is the perfect starting point because it requires zero preparation and can be played anywhere, anytime. It’s a simple game of emotional charades that directly connects a feeling word to a facial expression.
Sit face-to-face with your toddler. Start by making an exaggerated "happy" face. Smile wide, crinkle your eyes, and say in a cheerful voice, “I’m so HAPPY! Can you make a happy face?” Encourage them to mirror you. Once they do, praise them. Then, switch to a new emotion. Droop your mouth, raise your eyebrows, and say, “Now I’m SAD. Look at my sad face.” Go through the basic emotions: happy, sad, angry, surprised, and scared.
This game works because toddlers are natural mimics. By physically copying your expressions, they are creating muscle memory associated with each feeling. It helps them recognize these cues not only in themselves but in others, building the foundation for empathy. Keep it light and fun; if they get silly and make a "monster face" instead of an "angry face," just roll with it!
2. Feeling Faces Flashcards
Flashcards are a classic tool for a reason—they provide a clear, static visual for your child to focus on. You can buy pre-made sets or, even better, create your own for a personal touch.
Gather some simple cardstock and draw basic emotion faces, or print out photos of family members (including your toddler!) expressing different feelings. On one side, have the face; on the other, write the word. Go through the cards together. “Look at this face. This is a SURPRISED face! When do you feel surprised?”
Using photos of familiar people is especially powerful. When your toddler sees a picture of themselves looking sad, it validates their experience. You can say, “I remember you felt sad when we had to leave the playground. It’s okay to feel sad sometimes.” This connects the abstract feeling word to a real, lived memory, making it concrete and understandable.
3. The Emotion Sorting Game
This activity adds a layer of critical thinking to emotional learning by asking your child to categorize what they see. It’s a fantastic quiet-time activity.
You’ll need pictures of people with clear facial expressions. Old magazines, printed stock photos, or even your feeling face flashcards will work. Start with two simple categories, like "Happy" and "Sad." Place two "header" cards or pieces of paper on the floor. Hand your child a picture and ask, “Hmm, look at this person. Do they look happy or sad?” Let them place the picture in the correct pile.
As they get more advanced, you can add more categories like "Angry" or "Scared." This game doesn’t just teach them to identify emotions; it teaches them that different people can feel the same way. It also helps them see the subtle physical differences between expressions, honing their emotional observation skills.
4. Play-Doh Feelings
Sensory play is a toddler's happy place. It’s also an incredible way to explore and express emotions without pressure. Combining the tactile fun of Play-Doh with a lesson on feelings is a guaranteed win.
Roll out a flat pancake of Play-Doh to serve as a face. Then, start creating expressions. Use little balls of Play-Doh for eyes and a long snake for the mouth. Say, “Let’s make a happy face. We need a big smile!” Bend the Play-Doh snake into a U-shape. Then ask, “What if the face felt angry? How would we change the mouth? What about the eyebrows?”
This hands-on approach allows your child to physically manipulate and deconstruct emotions. If they are feeling frustrated, squishing and pounding the "angry" face can be a wonderfully safe and therapeutic release of that energy. It’s a tangible way to show them that feelings can change, and they have the power to change them.
5. Puppet Show & Tell
Puppets provide a safe distance for toddlers to explore complex social situations and feelings. They can project their own emotions onto the puppet, making it easier to talk about them.
Use any puppets you have—or even just your hands or their favorite stuffed animals. Create a simple story. For example: “Teddy the Bear was building a big, tall tower. Crash! Oh no, the tower fell down! How do you think Teddy feels now?” Pause and let your toddler answer. “Yes, Teddy feels very sad and frustrated.” Then, you can model a coping strategy: “What can Teddy do to feel better? Maybe he can take a deep breath and then try to build it again.”
By acting out scenarios, you are giving your child a script for how to handle difficult moments. They learn to identify the feeling, name it, and then find a constructive solution. It's a dress rehearsal for real-life emotional challenges.
6. "If You're Happy and You Know It" (Emotion Edition)
Music and movement are keys that unlock a toddler's brain. Adapting this beloved song is a joyful and energetic way to connect feelings to physical actions.
Sing the classic first verse: “If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands!” Then, introduce new verses for other emotions, pairing each with a safe, physical outlet.
- “If you’re angry and you know it, stomp your feet…”
- “If you’re sad and you know it, give a hug…” (to a pillow or parent)
- “If you’re surprised and you know it, say ‘Oh, wow!’…”
- “If you’re grumpy and you know it, take a breath…”
This game is brilliant because it teaches emotional regulation in a way that feels like pure fun. Instead of just bottling up anger, your child learns they can stomp it out. It gives them a physical strategy to release emotional energy before it escalates into a full-blown meltdown.
7. Storybook Detectives
Your daily reading time is a goldmine for teaching emotional literacy. Picture books are filled with characters experiencing a wide range of feelings. Your job is to become a detective and help your toddler spot the clues.
As you read a book, pause when a character shows a strong emotion. Point to the illustration and ask, “How do you think the little rabbit is feeling right now? Let’s look at his face. His mouth is turned down, and there’s a tear in his eye. I think he might be feeling sad.”
Connect the character’s feeling to the plot. “Why is he sad? Oh, because he lost his favorite toy. Have you ever felt sad like that?” This not only builds their emotional vocabulary but also teaches empathy and perspective-taking. It helps them understand that events cause feelings, both for fictional bunnies and for themselves.
8. The Feelings Wheel
A feelings wheel turns identifying emotions into a game of chance. It’s a fun, interactive tool that can be used to start conversations about feelings throughout the day.
Create a simple spinner using a paper plate, a split pin, and a paper arrow. Divide the plate into 4 or 6 sections and draw a different feeling face in each one (happy, sad, angry, surprised, etc.). Let your toddler spin the arrow. Whichever face it lands on, you both act it out and talk about it. “It landed on angry! Show me your best angry face. Grrrr! Tell me about a time you felt angry.”
You can use the wheel as a daily check-in tool. In the morning, you could ask, "Let's see how you're feeling today!" It removes the pressure of them having to come up with a feeling word from scratch and makes sharing their emotional state a fun ritual.
9. Emotional Weather Report
This is a wonderful metaphorical game that helps children understand that feelings, like the weather, come and go and are always changing. It's a concept I find incredibly useful, even for adults I work with, and it’s a core idea in many of the Goh Ling Yong parenting programs.
Introduce the concept simply: “Sometimes our feelings inside are like the weather outside.” Then, create some simple associations:
- Sunny: Happy, calm, content
- Rainy: Sad, disappointed
- Stormy/Thunder: Angry, frustrated
- Cloudy: A bit gloomy or tired
- Windy: Wiggly, silly, full of energy
You can ask, “What’s your emotional weather like right now?” This gives them a creative, low-pressure way to describe their internal state. It also beautifully illustrates that a "stormy" feeling won't last forever; eventually, the "sun" will come out again.
10. Draw Your Feelings
For some toddlers, especially those who are less verbal, art can be a powerful outlet for expression. This activity isn't about creating a masterpiece; it's about making an abstract feeling visible.
Set out some paper and crayons or markers. If your child is upset, you can say, “You seem to have a big angry feeling inside. Can you show me what that angry feeling looks like? What color is it?” Let them scribble, draw jagged lines, or make a big red blob. There is no right or wrong way to do it.
After they’re done, you can talk about their drawing. “Wow, that’s a very big, red scribble. That looks like a very strong feeling.” This validates their emotion without judgment and provides a healthy outlet. It externalizes the feeling, moving it from inside their body onto the paper, which can make it feel less overwhelming.
11. Matching Feelings Memory Game
This classic game gets an emotional twist. It strengthens memory and concentration while reinforcing facial expression recognition.
Create a set of cards with pairs of identical feeling faces. You'll need two happy faces, two sad faces, two angry faces, etc. Shuffle them and lay them face down. Take turns flipping over two cards at a time, trying to find a match.
The key is to narrate the game using feeling words. When you flip a card, say, “Oh, I found a surprised face!” If you find a match, celebrate: “Yay, a match! Two surprised faces!” This constant repetition helps solidify the vocabulary in a fun, game-based context.
12. "Rose, Thorn, Bud" at Bedtime
This is a beautiful, calming ritual to end the day and is easily adapted for toddlers. It’s a simple reflection practice that helps them process the day's events and the feelings associated with them.
The concept is simple:
- Rose: The best or happiest part of your day (a "happy" feeling).
- Thorn: The most difficult or saddest part of your day (a "sad" or "angry" feeling).
- Bud: Something you're excited about or looking forward to tomorrow (a "hopeful" or "excited" feeling).
For a toddler, you can simplify the language. “What was your favorite, sunniest part of today?” “Was there any part of today that felt a little bit thorny or sad?” “What are you excited to do tomorrow?” This practice teaches them to reflect on their experiences, acknowledges that it’s normal to have both good and bad moments in a day, and ends things on a positive, forward-looking note.
The Gift of Emotional Language
Teaching your toddler to name their big emotions isn't about stopping them from feeling sad, angry, or frustrated. Those feelings are normal and necessary. This is about giving them a new tool—language—to use instead of a tantrum. When a child can say, “I’m mad!” instead of hitting, or “I feel sad” instead of collapsing in tears, they are taking the first crucial step toward emotional regulation.
Start small. Pick one or two of these games that you think your toddler will enjoy and weave them into your routine. Be patient and consistent. You are not just playing a game; you are building a foundation of emotional intelligence that will support your child’s mental health and relationships for the rest of their life. You are giving them the priceless gift of being understood, starting with understanding themselves.
Which game are you most excited to try with your little one? Do you have another favorite way to talk about feelings? Share your ideas in the comments below—we can all learn from each other
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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