Looking for a great play therapy intervention for feelings? For those of who are familiar with the new Disney Pixar move, “Inside Out”, I have a great feelings activity for you to do with children! If you haven’t heard of this movie yet, it’s been a great tool for therapists and parents alike to use to discuss five major feelings (anger, joy, sadness, fear, and disgust). The movie is an an eleven year old girl whose family moves across the country and it talks about the emotions that are in charge throughout the move. Well, just like any good Disney movie, there is a wealth of products available to go along with each of the characters (coloring books, stuffed animals, stickers, etc). One of the best finds for me so far has been this boxed book set, Box of Mixed Emotions by Brittany Candau.
The set has one book for each feeling (Joy, Anger, Sadness, Disgust, and Fear). Each book ends with the next feeling in the book, so it makes it very easy to read one to the next. Like most kids books, they are pretty short and easy to read and pretty funny as well.
Just reading the books can prompt good discussions about feelings. But in play therapy, reading isn’t always so much fun. So… I have introduced the Inside Out Feelings Art Activity to a lot of the children that visit my office and THEY LOVE IT!
8. In future sessions (or if at home, on other days/times), they can “Check in” by changing the Emotion in Charge.
Test this intervention out with your children and let me know how it works for you!
Jennifer Taylor, LCSW, RPT is an experienced child and family therapist and public speaker who specializes in trauma, ADHD, and conduct problems. Discover more about her diverse clinical background and family. Reach out to Jennifer with questions or comments by emailing at info@jentaylorplaytherapy.com
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This is the perfect activity that I was looking for in how to teach feelings (inside and out) to individuals who have intellectual disabilities. Thanks for sharing.
So glad you enjoyed it. Hope you subscribe to the blog as there are more tools on the way!
[…] art project, game, or role-play) that is designed to help a child deal with a specific problem. My Inside Out Feelings Activity is an example of a directive play therapy intervention designed to teach children how to label […]