Feelings Faces Gallery
Artistic exploration of emotions develops emotional vocabulary and the ability to recognise feelings in themselves and others—foundational skills for empathy.
- Framework: EYFS
- Unit: EYFS Champions of Character
- Learning area: Visual and Creative Arts
- Level: EYFS 3-4
Objectives
- Identify and name at least five different emotions
- Create artistic representations of various feelings
- Explain what might cause each emotion
Materials
- Paper plates
- Yarn for hair
- Markers
- Crayons
- Mirrors
- Feelings word cards
Instructions
Set up a 'feelings lab' atmosphere with mirrors, emotion word cards, and examples of feelings faces (photos, drawings, emojis). Gather children and explore: 'Our faces show how we feel inside! Let's discover all the different feelings we can show.'
Play a feelings identification game: make a face and have children guess the emotion. Then reverse—call out an emotion and have everyone make the face while looking in mirrors. Notice: 'See how your eyebrows go up when you're surprised? See how your mouth turns down when you're sad?'
Introduce the gallery project: 'We're going to create a whole gallery of feelings faces!' Assign or let children choose emotions: happy, sad, angry, scared, surprised, excited, worried, proud, confused, peaceful.
Distribute paper plates and materials. Guide children to create faces showing their assigned emotion. As they work, discuss: 'What makes you feel this way? When have you felt this feeling? How can you tell when a friend feels this way?'
Once complete, create a classroom gallery display organised by emotion type. Tour the gallery together, noticing how different children represented the same feeling in different ways.
Use the gallery as a reference tool throughout the year: 'Point to the feeling face that shows how you're feeling right now.'
Educator tip
Include less common emotions beyond the basic happy/sad/angry—excited, proud, worried, peaceful. This expands emotional vocabulary and helps children identify nuanced feelings.
Assessment
Observe and note: ability to follow two-step instructions, use of new vocabulary in context, early problem-solving strategies, and sustained shared thinking episodes. Assess against Development Matters age-band expectations. Evaluate emotion identification accuracy, artistic representation of feelings, and ability to discuss causes of emotions.