Mental Health Matching Activity: Emotions

Easy classroom engagement and instant activity for learning about emotions.

Matching activities are one of my favorite instant activities to start a health class lesson. This matching activity was all about emotions. Students learned about five core emotions: Sadness, Disgust, Anger, Joy, and Fear (yes, the Inside Out emotions!).

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How the Matching Activity Works

After printing, cutting out, and organizing (I like to put them in ziplock bags) sets of the cards, here’s how to use this instant activity in your classroom:

• Ask students to get into groups of 2-3 (I tend to let kids choose their own groups, I find that they work better).

• Direct students to match the picture and the emotion’s job to the correct emotion.

• Debrief as a class.

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Discussion Prompts

Here are a few prompts students can discuss after the activity:

• Which emotion have you felt recently?

• What words/phrases/tones do people use when they feel each emotion?

• What actions do you associate with each emotion?

• How do you know when someone is feeling each emotion?

Overall, this classroom engagement is a win!