Bear Essentials program for children with a parent with cancer: Feelings activity

Missouri Baptist Medical Center, St Louis, Missouri, 63131

Activities For Children

Feelings

Suggested Items

Helium-filled balloons
Paper
Pen or pencil
Two paper plates
Crayons or markers
Popsicle or craft stick

Information for Parents

Information for Children

Activity

Resources

Parents:
Sometimes children can be confused when they experience conflicting emotions and feelings. Ask your children to give you examples of different feelings -- happiness, sadness, love, confusion, loneliness. Talk about comfortable and uncomfortable feelings and how people can have more than one feeling at a time. Remind your children that all feelings are okay..

Children
Everyone feels different things all the time -- happy, sad, confused, silly. You can have more than one feeling at a time. Some feelings are comfortable and make us feel good. Others are uncomfortable and make us feel bad or confused.

Let Your Feelings Fly -- Balloon Activity
Write down a feeling you had that was uncomfortable. Tape your "feeling" to a helium-filled balloon, go outside and let it go. That's right -- let that balloon, along with your uncomfortable feeling, fly away. It is important that you know you can let go of the feelings you don't want.

Learn About Your Feelings -- Paper Plate Activity
Decorate two paper plates, one with a comfortable feeling and one with an uncomfortable feeling. Glue the plates together, using a popsicle stick for a holder.

Yummy -- Create a Pudding Face
Here is a delicious way to express your feelings. Take a pudding cup and use chocolate chips, raisins or sprinkles to decorate it with a face that shows how you feel. Once you're done learning -- enjoy!

Resources
Book Suggestion: Double Dip Feelings