STOMP IT OUT! kINESTHETIC GAME

Requirements: Stomp It Out! Level 1 should be played with a trained adult and 2-5 children. Suitable for small groups only, ages 5 to 12 (dependent on emotional maturity). Do not include more than 5 children at a time. In groups over 5, the physical movement may be overly stimulating. This game can be played with only one child if desired. You'll need a large, open space to play. To avoid injury, play on carpeted surfaces. If your students are particularily energetic and become too overstimulated, you may place the mat on a table top and have the students walk around the table to show their responses.

Goals: 'Name it to Tame it!' The goals of Level 1 are to promote feeling identification and emotional expression, build emotional vocabulary, perspective taking, body awareness and problem solving. This game will assist in inproving children's ability to share about their experiences and make connections between their experiences and feelings. At the end of the sessions, children should be able to identify and relate the following emotions to various personal experiences: anger, sadness, happiness/excitement, disappointment, worry/anxiety, confusion, embarrassment, pride, comfort and discomfort, loneliness, and jealousy.

Intermediate ideas: Once you have played a few times you can expand your conversation to talk about what various emotions actually feel like. This helps kids get comfortable with the sensation of emotion. When we don’t worry about what it all feels like, we can handle larger emotions better!