Feeling Circles
Restorative practices allow students to express themselves and learn healthy ways to discuss their feelings and emotions. Through circles students learn from each other how to express themselves and address their own feelings and emotions. To develop and maintain strong, healthy relationships we need to be able to understand each other even when we come from very different backgrounds and experience (empathy). Having daily circles help individuals form lasting relationships.
Feelings Emotion Chart
Students can indicate how they are feeling when they come into the classroom each morning.
Click here for small printable English Feeling Chart icons
Click here for large printable English Feeling Chart icons
Click here for small printable French Feeling Chart icons
Click here for large printable French Feeling Chart icons
Emotion Pictures
The teacher shows pictures of other children expressing various emotions. Talk about
the emotion and the expression of the child's face in the pictures.
Ask students "was there ever a time you felt like this?"
Fill My Bucket Fridays
After reading the book, Fill My Bucket, to your class. Take time at least once a week to let the students practice saying things in the circle that fill their buckets. (Appreciations and affirmations)
Participation Treats
If you are struggling to get students to share or participate in your circle, have
a bowl of little candies or fruit. This bowl acts as a talking piece for the
day. As it goes around, anyone who participates in the activity may take a
candy. Or an alternative activity is to send the bowl around first, and each
student that wants to participate today takes a candy. They may eat the candy
once they’ve participated in the circle.
String Game
Bring a ball of yarn. Start off by giving someone a compliment, and rolling the ball
of yarn to them. The new person with the yarn gives another compliment and sends
the ball of yarn to the next person. In the end, talk about how connected
everyone is in a community and how each persons roles/skills/characteristics
etc... are unique, but crucial to the community.
Remember When
Tell the class to think of a time when you ___ (ie. Think of a time when you felt
like you didn’t belong or were left out. Think of a time when you were devalued.
Think of a time when you felt proud of something you accomplished. Think of a
time when your friend was being picked on) - Have the students go around and
tell what happened and how they felt in those moments)
Characteristic Cards
Have positive characteristic words written on cue cards (ie. confident, caring, safe,
thoughtful, etc...). It’s good to have 30-40 cards. Spread these cards in the
center of the circle and tell the students to pick a card that they think
represents themselves. Have the kids go around the circle, one at a time, and
pick up the card that represents them and explain why. They then put the card
back. Example of Cue Cards - https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=truesrcid=0B4BPK7U3koeSYmYxY2UyNWEtYzkzMC00ZTU5LWFmMjYtNTBkYmZkZjY2ZDdl&hl=en_US
Alternative Characteristic Card
Using the same characteristic cards, spread them out in the middle of the circle and
tell the students that they should pick one that represents someone they know,
or admire, or someone in the circle, or school.
Feelings Emotion Chart
Students can indicate how they are feeling when they come into the classroom each morning.
Click here for small printable English Feeling Chart icons
Click here for large printable English Feeling Chart icons
Click here for small printable French Feeling Chart icons
Click here for large printable French Feeling Chart icons
Emotion Pictures
The teacher shows pictures of other children expressing various emotions. Talk about
the emotion and the expression of the child's face in the pictures.
Ask students "was there ever a time you felt like this?"
Fill My Bucket Fridays
After reading the book, Fill My Bucket, to your class. Take time at least once a week to let the students practice saying things in the circle that fill their buckets. (Appreciations and affirmations)
Participation Treats
If you are struggling to get students to share or participate in your circle, have
a bowl of little candies or fruit. This bowl acts as a talking piece for the
day. As it goes around, anyone who participates in the activity may take a
candy. Or an alternative activity is to send the bowl around first, and each
student that wants to participate today takes a candy. They may eat the candy
once they’ve participated in the circle.
String Game
Bring a ball of yarn. Start off by giving someone a compliment, and rolling the ball
of yarn to them. The new person with the yarn gives another compliment and sends
the ball of yarn to the next person. In the end, talk about how connected
everyone is in a community and how each persons roles/skills/characteristics
etc... are unique, but crucial to the community.
Remember When
Tell the class to think of a time when you ___ (ie. Think of a time when you felt
like you didn’t belong or were left out. Think of a time when you were devalued.
Think of a time when you felt proud of something you accomplished. Think of a
time when your friend was being picked on) - Have the students go around and
tell what happened and how they felt in those moments)
Characteristic Cards
Have positive characteristic words written on cue cards (ie. confident, caring, safe,
thoughtful, etc...). It’s good to have 30-40 cards. Spread these cards in the
center of the circle and tell the students to pick a card that they think
represents themselves. Have the kids go around the circle, one at a time, and
pick up the card that represents them and explain why. They then put the card
back. Example of Cue Cards - https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=truesrcid=0B4BPK7U3koeSYmYxY2UyNWEtYzkzMC00ZTU5LWFmMjYtNTBkYmZkZjY2ZDdl&hl=en_US
Alternative Characteristic Card
Using the same characteristic cards, spread them out in the middle of the circle and
tell the students that they should pick one that represents someone they know,
or admire, or someone in the circle, or school.