This week the children explored the world of emotions and feelings.
Through interactive and creative activities, the little ones learned to identify and express their emotions, building emotional intelligence and empathy along the way. The first part, identifying them, is by far the hardest: a child knows they feel bad but does not always have the right word for what they feel. And when an emotion has no name it comes out however it can — through a slammed door or a quarrel in the playground. That is why we worked a great deal on the vocabulary of feelings, because a word found in time does half the work.
We used role play, art workshops and guided discussions. Role play lets children try on an emotion that is not their own, which makes them far braver. Art offers a way out for those who do not want to talk: a chosen colour sometimes says more than a sentence. And guided discussion exists to show that nobody is alone with what they feel, because the things that upset one child are familiar to another.
Every day was a chance to grow and to learn in an atmosphere full of joy and safety. Activities of this kind help children understand and manage their emotions healthily, develop their communication and relationship skills, build self-esteem and confidence, and explore creativity and critical thinking.
These are skills that never appear on a worksheet and are never marked, but they show at once in the way a child apologises, waits their turn, or says calmly that they did not like something.
About the PlusKids Summer School: https://pluskids.ro/en/summer-school