Talking about and playing with the ‘Operation’ game board is a fun way to check body part vocabulary, and to make a start on talking and learning about body sensations.

For earlier levels focus on learning and using the words for inside and outside body parts that are helpful for emotional literacy – heart, throat, head, tummy, cheeks, eyes, eyebrows, mouth etc. Making use of the red/pink symbol book pages, and/or loose symbols to support word learning.

For those at the stage of learning about cog concepts – link your conversation with the body sensations cog and use symbol support too if helpful.

Talk about sensations like butterfies in tummy, brain freeze, how it feels to knock your funny bone, racing heart, broken heart, (writers) cramp etc. What does it feel like to have a glowing/buzzing nose?!

NB – the green (behaviours) symbols and cog could also be a learning focus with this activity if you also talk about how we show we’re feeling pain or other body sensations.