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Feelings Game for Kids: How Do They Feel? Mr Moon's Monster Sleepover

It's the Monster Sleepover, and the guests have big feelings. Barry opens the door, and the class looks at each monster's eyebrows, eyes and mouth to say how it feels. Then Barry's photos from the day: what happened, why the monster feels that way, what kind words to say, and how to calm down. Last of all, three real-looking children, because faces work the same on people.

Free, no sign-in. Ready to play on the board, with a printable worksheet at three levels and a home version.

How to play How Do They Feel? Mr Moon's Monster Sleepover

  1. Who is at the door?. A monster knocks and the door opens. The class says how it feels, then taps happy, sad or angry; a wrong tap gives a clue about the eyebrows, eyes and mouth. Then "a little or very?": two pictures of the same monster side by side, a talking point that is never scored.
  2. What happened?. Barry's photos from the day. The class says what happened and how the monster feels, then finishes the sentence with because, and chooses the kind words to say.
  3. Calm down. After an angry or sad scene, the class picks what helps, then breathes along with a calm ball: three slow breaths together.
  4. Real faces. The last round shows three real-looking children, so the class sees that faces work the same on people, and that we can always ask "Are you OK?"

Learning by doing

Each feeling belongs to someone the class is looking after: a monster arriving at the sleepover, or one whose ice cream just fell on the ground. Children read the face, explain what happened with because, and say kind words to that monster, so the feeling words are used to help someone, not to label flash cards. Every feeling is OK; what we do with it matters.

The worksheet

The worksheet uses the same monsters at Support (circle the feeling for six faces, then draw happy, sad and angry), Core ("Bo feels ___ because ___" with a word bank, then tick the kind words) and Challenge (full sentences, kind words of their own, and two ways to calm down), with a "try it this week" line, an answer key on its own page and a QR code for the home version.

How Do They Feel? Mr Moon's Monster Sleepover FAQ

Is it free?

Yes, with no sign-in.

What age is it for?

Ages 5 to 9: the first round needs only happy, sad and angry. Older children can say why, write kind words and explain how to calm down on the worksheet.

Is it a therapy programme?

No. It is a classroom game for talking about feelings. It does not assess, diagnose or treat anything.

Does it record the children?

No. There is no microphone and nothing a child says or types is saved. The class says the answer out loud and the teacher taps it.

Can I use the pictures in my own games?

Yes. Type happy, sad, angry or feelings when you pick a picture for a word in Floor Is Lava or a word list, and the monster faces come first.

The research behind this game

Young children usually name happy, angry and sad faces before other feelings, so the game starts with those three: Widen and Russell, 2003. Children often tell a feeling better from what happened than from a face alone, so the second round shows scenes: Widen and Russell, 2010. Telling "a little" from "very" is still hard for children under about eight, so it is a talking point and never scored: Gao and Maurer, 2009. The monsters keep a human face layout (two eyes, eyebrows and a mouth), and the last round moves on to real-looking faces: Rosset and colleagues, 2008. Naming the feeling, saying why, and then a calm-down step follow the shape of classroom social and emotional learning: Durlak and colleagues, 2011. These describe how the game is designed, not a promise about results.

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