# Civic Education Lesson Plan for Toddlers: Understanding Emotions
### Objective:
- Teach toddlers to recognize and name basic emotions like happiness, sadness, anger, and fear.
- Help toddlers understand that everyone has feelings and it’s important to express them.
- Introduce the concept of empathy and how to respond to others' emotions.
### Duration:
30-45 minutes
### Materials Needed:
- Emotion flashcards (showing faces with different expressions)
- Picture books about emotions (e.g., "The Feelings Book" by Todd Parr)
- Puppets or soft toys
- Drawing paper and crayons
- Emotion wheel (a circle divided into segments with faces showing different emotions)
### Lesson Outline:
#### 1. Introduction (5 minutes)
- **Greeting:** Welcome the toddlers with a cheerful "Good Morning" song.
- **Objective Introduction:** Briefly explain that today they will be talking about feelings and emotions.
#### 2. Activity 1: Emotion Flashcards (10 minutes)
- **Show and Tell:** Display emotion flashcards one by one and ask children to mimic the facial expressions.
- **Example Prompts:**
- "Can you show me a happy face?"
- "How do you look when you're sad?"
- **Discussion:** After each emotion, explain the emotion in simple terms.
- "When we smile, we are happy. When we cry, we might be sad."
#### 3. Activity 2: Story Time (10 minutes)
- **Reading:** Read aloud from a picture book about emotions.
- **Interactive Q&A:**
- Ask questions like, "How do you think the character is feeling?" and "What should they do next?"
#### 4. Activity 3: Puppet Play (10 minutes)
- **Puppet Dialogue:** Use puppets to act out simple scenarios where puppets show different emotions (e.g., one puppet feels sad because it lost its toy).
- Ask children how they would help the puppet feel better.
- **Role Play:** Invite the children to use the puppets and express emotions.
#### 5. Activity 4: Drawing Emotions (10 minutes)
- **Art Time:** Give each child a sheet of paper and crayons. Ask them to draw faces showing emotions they learned about.
- **Sharing:** Allow children to share their drawings with the class and explain the emotion in the drawing.
#### 6. Closing Circle (5 minutes)
- **Review:** Quickly review the emotions covered during the lesson.
- **Emotion Wheel Game:** Spin the Emotion Wheel and ask the children to name and show the emotion it lands on.
- **Goodbye Song:** Sing a song about emotions (e.g., "If You're Happy and You Know It") to close the lesson.
### Follow-Up Activities:
- Encourage parents to reinforce the lesson at home by discussing emotions with their children.
- Provide a list of recommended books and resources for parents to explore emotions further.
### Adaptations for Diverse Learners:
- For children with limited verbal skills, emphasize non-verbal expressions and use more visual aids.
- For more advanced learners, introduce more complex emotions like surprise, worry, or patience.
By facilitating this lesson, toddlers will start recognizing and expressing their emotions, laying the foundation for emotional intelligence and empathy.