Feelings Faces Hunt in the Classroom
Six feeling faces hidden among classroom things. The child finds each face and names the feeling it shows. An adult reads every card and choice aloud.
Find 6 things in the picture!
How to run it
Start by naming the six feelings together before the hunt, pointing at your own face as you say each one. Then let the child search. When they tap a face, ask what the face is showing and one clue they used, such as the eyebrows, the eyes or the mouth. A child who points to the clue without the word is still telling you something real; model the word and move on.
Cueing ladder
Start at the top. Add support one step at a time.
- IndependentAn adult reads every card and choice aloud. Set up the situation and wait for the student to respond on their own.Log as correct
- Nonverbal cueUse a look, a gesture or a point to the visual cue card.Log as cued
- Indirect promptAsk 'What could you say now?' or 'How do you think they feel?'Log as cued
- ModelShow what to say or do, then run the moment again so the student can try it.Log as cued
Adjust it
Use fewer feelings at a time, starting with the most different ones, like happy and sad.
Role-play with a new partner, or add a twist the student has not planned for.
Matching IEP goal
Given pictures of faces and short situations, Student will name the feeling shown and one reason someone might feel that way in 8 of 10 opportunities across 3 consecutive sessions, given no more than an indirect prompt.
Send it home through the parent portal →About this activity
A classroom picture with six faces tucked between the books, the clock and the backpack. Each face shows one feeling: happy, sad, angry, scared, surprised and confused. The child hunts for the faces, taps each one, and says the feeling word. The classroom things are there to look past, so the task is noticing a face among other pictures and then naming what it shows.
What to listen for
Notice which faces are named quickly and which need a second look. Scared and surprised are often confused with each other because both faces have wide eyes, and angry and confused can share pulled-in eyebrows. Listen for whether the child uses one feeling word for everything, such as calling every face sad, which tells you where to start building vocabulary.
Carrying it home
At home, make the faces in a mirror together and take turns guessing. Look at the faces in a picture book and ask what a character might be feeling and why. Keep it a game rather than a test: faces are one clue among many, and people do not always show a feeling on their face.
What's in this activity
- happy
- sad
- angry
- scared
- surprised
- confused
Questions
- Who is this for?
- Children in preschool through first grade who are learning to name feelings and to notice facial clues. It also works as a warm-up for older students with emerging emotion vocabulary.
- Does a child have to make the faces or look at my eyes?
- No. The task is recognizing and naming what a picture shows. Making expressions or giving eye contact is not part of it, and some children read faces best without either.
- Can I change the items?
- Yes. Open it in the Activity Studio, edit or add items and keep the same board, or switch it to another template that fits the content.
- Is it free?
- Yes. It plays free in the browser with no login. An account adds session data, goal scoring and assignment to a student.
Use this board with your caseload
With a free account, every correct, cued and incorrect mark is saved to the student and scored against their IEP goal, with the data written up for you. Assign it as home practice through the parent portal.
Track progress freeFree for SLPs. No card, no trial clock.