Emotion Exploration with Clumsy - Classroom Activity

Overview

This social-emotional learning activity uses Clumsy & Friends stories as a springboard to help children identify, understand, and express different emotions. By examining how characters feel throughout the stories, students develop emotional vocabulary and empathy while connecting story situations to their own experiences.

Social-Emotional Learning 20-25 minutes Ages 3-10

Learning Objectives

Identify and name a range of emotions in themselves and others
Recognize facial expressions, body language, and situations that indicate different feelings
Develop an expanded emotional vocabulary beyond basic emotions
Connect character emotions to personal experiences
Build empathy by understanding different perspectives and emotional responses
Practice appropriate ways to express and manage emotions

Materials Needed

A Clumsy & Friends storybook

Emotion cards or faces (provided)

Whiteboard or chart paper

Markers or crayons

Emotion worksheets (provided)

Mirrors (optional)

Key Emotions to Explore

Clumsy & Friends stories feature rich emotional content. Here are emotions commonly found in the stories:

Happy

Signs: Smiling, laughing, excited movements

Book Examples: Clumsy winning the Veggie Cup, Minnie making others laugh

Sad

Signs: Downturned mouth, tears, slumped posture

Book Examples: Clumsy breaking something special, friends feeling left out

Frustrated

Signs: Furrowed brow, tight lips, crossed arms

Book Examples: Clumsy trying repeatedly to succeed, Yawnzarella trying to fix the clocks

Worried

Signs: Wide eyes, biting lip, fidgeting

Book Examples: Characters facing new challenges, uncertain situations

Excited

Signs: Wide smile, bouncy movements, raised arms

Book Examples: Anticipating adventures, discovering something new

Proud

Signs: Tall posture, big smile, chest out

Book Examples: Characters accomplishing goals, helping others

Surprised

Signs: Raised eyebrows, open mouth, wide eyes

Book Examples: Unexpected plot twists, discovering secrets

Embarrassed

Signs: Blushing, looking down, hiding face

Book Examples: Clumsy making mistakes in front of others

Preparation

Select a Clumsy & Friends story that has clear emotional moments
Identify key moments in the story where characters experience different emotions
Print emotion cards and worksheets (provided at the end of this resource)
Create an "emotions vocabulary" chart with age-appropriate feeling words

Teacher Tip: For younger children (3-5), focus on the six basic emotions: happy, sad, angry, afraid, surprised, and disgusted. For older children (6-10), introduce more nuanced emotions like disappointed, nervous, proud, embarrassed, etc.

Activity Instructions

Part 1: Story Reading with Emotion Focus (10 minutes)

1 Introduction

Tell students you'll be reading a Clumsy & Friends story, and their job is to be "emotion detectives" - looking for clues about how characters are feeling.

2 Pre-Reading

Introduce 3-5 key emotions that appear in the story. Practice making these facial expressions together.

3 Reading

Read the story expressively, pausing at emotional moments to draw attention to character feelings.

4 Emotion Check-ins

At key points, ask "How is [character] feeling right now?" and "How do you know they feel that way?"

Part 2: Emotion Exploration Activities (15 minutes)

Choose one or more of these activities based on your students' ages and needs:

Activity Option 1: Emotion Freeze Frame

Call out different emotions from the story
Students freeze in a pose showing that emotion
Ask volunteers to explain why they chose that expression
Connect back to story moments: "This looks like when Clumsy felt..."

Activity Option 2: Emotion Matching

Show images from the story (or describe scenes)
Students hold up the emotion card that matches how the character feels
Discuss what clues helped them identify the emotion
Extend by asking "Have you ever felt this way? When?"

Activity Option 3: Emotion Cause and Effect

Create a simple chart with two columns: "What Happened" and "How Character Felt"
Fill in events from the story and corresponding emotions
Discuss how events triggered feelings
Extend by asking how characters handled their emotions

Activity Option 4: Different Perspectives

Choose a scene where multiple characters are present
Discuss how each character might feel differently about the same event
Create a chart showing each character and their emotion
Discuss why people might feel differently about the same situation

Teacher Tip: Validate all emotions as normal and acceptable. Focus on how characters (and we) can express emotions in healthy, appropriate ways. Emphasize that all feelings are okay, but not all behaviors are okay.

Scenario Discussions

Use these Clumsy & Friends scenarios to explore specific emotions:

Scenario 1: The Mistake

Scene: Clumsy accidentally knocks over a friend's block tower that took a long time to build.

Questions:

How does Clumsy feel after knocking over the tower? (embarrassed, sorry, sad)
How does Clumsy's friend feel? (disappointed, upset, maybe angry)
What could Clumsy do to make the situation better?
How might the friend's feelings change after Clumsy responds?

Scenario 2: The New Challenge

Scene: Minnie Tickledust is about to perform for the first time in front of a large audience.

Questions:

How might Minnie feel before going on stage? (nervous, excited, worried)
What might Minnie be thinking? What is she worried about?
Have you ever felt nervous before doing something new?
What could help Minnie feel braver?

Scenario 3: The Teamwork Moment

Scene: The Skellies work together to create a beautiful rainbow after a storm.

Questions:

How do the Skellies feel when they see the finished rainbow? (proud, happy, accomplished)
How might they have felt if they were working alone instead of together?
Why does creating something with friends sometimes feel better than doing it alone?
When have you felt proud after working hard on something?

Extensions and Variations

For Younger Students (Ages 3-5)

Emotion Songs: Sing simple songs about feelings with corresponding movements
Mirror Work: Use mirrors to practice making different facial expressions
Emotion Corners: Designate classroom corners for different emotions, have students move to the corner that matches how a character feels
Puppet Play: Use simple puppets to act out emotional scenarios from the stories

For Older Students (Ages 6-10)

Emotion Intensity Scale: Create a 1-5 scale for emotions (a little sad to very sad)
Emotion Vocabulary Building: Brainstorm multiple words for similar emotions (happy, joyful, delighted, thrilled)
Emotion Detective Game: Give clues about a situation and have students guess the emotion
Emotion Journaling: Students write about a time they felt the same way as a character
Solution Strategies: Discuss and role-play different ways to handle big emotions

Multi-Day Extensions

Emotion of the Day: Focus on one emotion each day, connecting to different stories
Create an Emotions Book: Students illustrate different emotions based on story scenarios
Emotion Role-Play Center: Set up a dramatic play area where students can act out emotional scenarios
Class Feelings Check-In: Create a visual chart where students can indicate their feelings throughout the day

Book Connections

Here are specific Clumsy & Friends stories that work well for emotion exploration:

The Great Veggie Cup Victory

Key Emotions: Determination, disappointment, perseverance, pride, excitement

Discussion Focus: How Clumsy handles setbacks and keeps trying despite failures

Minnie Tickledust

Key Emotions: Joy, uncertainty, confidence, empathy

Discussion Focus: How Minnie uses humor to change others' feelings

Yawnzarella and the Sneezing Clocks

Key Emotions: Frustration, curiosity, satisfaction, tiredness

Discussion Focus: Problem-solving emotions and persistence

Timmy's Adventure in the Tooth Kingdom

Key Emotions: Fear, bravery, wonder, relief

Discussion Focus: Overcoming fears and trying new things

Assessment Opportunities

Through this activity, you can observe and assess:

Students' ability to identify emotions in story characters
Emotional vocabulary development and expression
Capacity to connect emotions to situational causes
Empathy development and perspective-taking abilities
Comfort level with discussing personal feelings
Understanding of appropriate emotional expression strategies

Printable Resources

Emotion Detection Worksheet

Character Emotion Detective

Story: _______________________________

Character: _______________

What happened: _______________

How they felt: _______________

How I know: _______________

Character: _______________

What happened: _______________

How they felt: _______________

How I know: _______________

Character: _______________

What happened: _______________

How they felt: _______________

How I know: _______________

Character: _______________

What happened: _______________

How they felt: _______________

How I know: _______________

I felt the same way as _______________ when:

Emotion Faces Template

Print and cut out these emotion faces to use during discussions:

😊

Happy

😢

Sad

😠

Angry

😨

Afraid

😲

Surprised

😞

Disappointed

😌

Proud

😳

Embarrassed