PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

Feelings Bingo (PDF) is a printable interactive game for children that uses play to teach empathy and nurture emotional intelligence (EQ).

T

his game helps children ages 3+ to constructively express emotions by recognizing and labeling six feelings including Happy, Sad, Angry, Scared, Calm, and Kind.

Feelings Bingo is ideal for use in homes, classrooms, and counseling groups and can be adapted for both verbal and non-verbal children/players.

Teach empathy and nurture emotional intelligence.

WHAT’S INCLUDED

• 20 Unique BINGO Cards

• 6 Feeling Calling Cards

• Card Markers

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SUGGESTED USE

Effective in groups both large and small, the facilitator draws and announces the emotion featured on the pulled Feeling Card.

Now, the card is brought to life by inviting players to talk about the emotion. Ask children to make a face to represent each emotion that is pulled, to act each new emotion out, or to share a time when they felt the emotion featured on the card. When children have a match for the card drawn on their playing card, they mark the spot with a card marker.

Additional Feeling Cards are drawn and talked about until one child or more yells "BINGO" to signify that they have three markers in a row on their game card. To further reinforce the learning, the facilitator can ask children with winning cards to name and/or act out the emotions they have marked.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

WHEN WOULD I PLAY FEELINGS BINGO WITH MY CHILD?

There is almost never a “wrong time” to play Feelings Bingo with your kids. Bingo games for kids are fun for the whole family and a great way to teach children empathy, emotional intelligence, and constructive ways to express their emotions.

You can play this children’s game before or after a meal or in the morning on weekends. Perhaps the only bad time to play emotional bingo is when they are in the middle of an upset or conflict. This game helps kids learn to name, feel, understand, and express their feelings, a set of social-emotional skills that lead to healthy emotional regulation. 

Learning to interact with peers, control behavior, and regulate emotions takes a long time for children to develop and is completed in young adulthood. Feelings Bingo and similar children’s games can help indicate whether your child’s social-emotional skills are developing normally.

DO I REWARD MY CHILD IF THEY WIN IN FEELINGS BINGO?

You can reward your child if they win by spending more time with them and giving them affection. Love and positive, affirming attention is the most impactful way to encourage and inspire compassion and healthy self-care, and social-emotional skills in children.

EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN CHILDREN

Generally, children can take turns playing with toys, follow simple rules in games, and experience many different emotions, like joy, fear, anger, jealousy, and boredom between the ages of 3 and 4 years. Typically, they will join or initiate games with other children and invent games at this time too. They might be defiant and bossy and begin showing more independence. They will become less egocentric, more cooperative, and even-tempered with their parents.

Sometimes, parents or caregivers are concerned that their children don’t seem able to join or initiate play with their peers, can’t share with other children, or have difficulty separating from them (the parent or caregiver). Sometimes, they seem overly dependent. They lack flexibility and become very upset when a routine is changed.

Feelings Bingo can help shed light on these issues. You’ll notice if they fail to recognize an emotion or perceive it as something different from what it is in essence. You’ll notice if the child is feeling fearful, passive, or tends to dwell on certain emotions and feelings while ignoring or showing disinterest in others. The bingo cards included in the game cover a wide variety of emotions and help encourage and develop an understanding of them.  

Children between 4 and 5 years of age will also benefit from playing Feelings Bingo because it supports certain processes a child typically goes through at that period in their life. These include having and expressing greater awareness of other people’s feelings, getting better at sharing, playing games with rules, and showing an awareness of good and bad behavior.

Playing Feelings Bingo for children can help if you find your child has extreme fears that interfere with daily activities. You’ll see which negative emotions they want to talk to you about. Do they experience certain emotions often? When do they have these feelings? What activities do they associate them with? These are all questions Emotions Bingo can help you find answers to.  

Recognition of one’s own and others’ feelings helps develop friendships and brings about greater enjoyment of social interaction, for which children need to develop social skills and competencies. With these skills in place, children can learn to better understand, learn from, and regulate their feelings including anger and frustration. Feelings activities can also help teach children to listen while others are speaking.

WHAT OTHER ACTIVITIES CAN I DO WITH MY CHILD?

Feelings activities like the Time-in ToolKit will help create a supportive and inspiring environment for the whole family. In such a space, children are free to work through their emotions and express them, which My Feelings Card Set can also help with.

The Time in Toolkit involves creating an inviting, physically calming space to practice naming, feeling, and managing emotions in playful ways kids love.

You can teach children to use this space by demonstrating its benefits to them – a place where they feel calm and relaxed.

Finally, playing PeaceMakers with your children can help connect your feelings and ideas in a natural way. This game is played with cards that deliver inspiring messages that are aimed at fostering emotional intelligence, including confidence and self-esteem.