An interactive display example in a pre- school provision for 3-5 year olds, or could be used for a nurture room setting
An interactive display in a pre- school provision for 3-5 year olds, or could be used for a nurture room setting too.
The upper half of this wall display shows photos of different emotional expressions presented with a corresponding emotion word. These photos were found by the nursery teacher using an internet photo search, but commercially available photo cards could also be used, or even photos of nursery children and staff displaying different emotions.
The emotion words chosen for the display are words that are already known by children in the nursery, or are considered useful words for learning for this age-group.
The lower half of the display is more interactive. It includes emotion symbol cards attached to a laminated sheet using loop velcro. Beside the symbol sheet are 2 sorting cards…
– one for ‘nice feelings’ / ‘I like this feeling’
– one for ‘not nice feelings’ / ‘I don’t like this feeling’
Children can sort the different emotion symbols onto the hook velcro strips while in conversation with an adult, peer or by themselves to show their understanding that emotions can feel pleasant or nice, or unpleasant/uncomfortable.
The first 5 emotion cog cards are included on the display as a visual and tactile prompt for children who are starting to learn about the cog concepts (although this isn’t usually a focus in a pre-school setting). They are removable from the hessian backing for holding, rotating, interlocking and discussing.
Also on the interactive part of the display is a wall mounted safety mirror. This provides an opportunity for children to copy the expressions on the photos and symbols, and to see and talk about the changes in their face when they show different emotions.
In the reflection of the mirror you can see that the display is positioned beside a book unit, which is stocked with storybooks and non-fiction books containing relevant illustrations and emotional themes to associate with the visual prompts on the display and apply to a variety of different contexts.
Young children’s literature and accompanying illustrations offer a great deal of emotional content that can support learning and talking about emotion words and expressions.
Here are a few Emotion Works favourites for pre-schoolers, or may be useful in a Nurture room
You can read a complete account of how this particular display was used by adults and children in a pre-school setting by clicking here
