Feelings Fair

Feelings Fair is a new board game specifically designed to give children important skills for (a) recognizing feelings in themselves and others, (b) expressing feelings in a mature way, and (c) handling difficult situations that involve strong or negative feelings.

Understanding and expressing feelings are the most basic of skills. Children who have these skills can read social and emotional situations correctly and can deal with interpersonal problems effectively. Without the skill to perceive feelings accurately, children fail to understand the problem. For example, they may fail to understand that a person is angry or that a person isn't really angry, but just frustrated. Without the skills to understand the feelings of others or to express feelings through language, students often revert to physical aggression.

The game board has all the attractions of a carnival or fair. Players journey through the fair, picking cards that enhance their understanding and skills for expressing feelings. Some cards ask the players to describe or act out a feeling, and the other players have to guess the feeling. Other cards ask participants to solve problems involving feelings. The various rides in the fair represent strategies for dealing with problems related to feelings. Examples are the Listening Fun House, the Cool Down Water Slide, and the Talk It Out Tilt-a-Whirl. Players suggest the various strategies that are represented by the rides as they try to solve the problems. 

In order to make the game challenging for students in grades one through five, the game box contains two sets of Solving Problem Cards (one for grades 1 and 2, and one for grades 3 - 5). There are also two sets of rules.

Grades 1 - 5 (and kindergarten if the leader reads the cards)

Skills Addressed:

Foundation Skills: Thinking Skills, Basic Skills

Workplace Competencies: Interpersonal Skills, Systems

Learning Objectives:

1. Learn to recognize feelings in themselves and others.

2. Learn to express feelings in a mature way.

3. Learn to handle effectively difficult situations that involve strong feelings with peers and adults.

4. Learn that the ability to express feelings verbally reduces the likelihood of
aggression or violence.