10 • MODULE SIX: COPING WITH EMOTIONS
For Older Children:
Continue from No. 7 in the following manner:Brainstorm with the children the different non-verbal
ways the body responds such as posture, tone of voice, speech rate, breathing, facial expression,
gestures. In each list some examples:
Posture:
Chest thrown out, head and shoulders bowed, leaning on one side;
Breathing:
Long sigh, fast breathing;
Facial expression:
Smile, knit brows, raised eyebrows, lips pinched together, looking with half closed eyes, flared nostrils;
Gestures:
Fist raised, finger tapping on table, arms on waist;
Tone of voice:
High pitched, shaking, harsh, rough;
Speech rate:
Fast and jerky, slow and careful, hesitant;
Add others to the list
Ask a volunteer to pick any two bodily expressions and ask the children to guess the feeling. You
should get different answers. Lead a discussion on how the same body movement is interpreted
differently. Take two more volunteers to illustrate the point.
Discuss how we may express one emotion verbally but our body language expresses something
different, which may confuse the observer. Young people get themselves into risky situations when
this ‘mismatch’ between verbal and non-verbal behavior occurs, and ‘mixed’ messages are sent.Review
Ask the children how they express their feelings such as happiness, fear, nervousness, anger and
sadness. Discuss the differences in their answers.
What other emotions do they feel in their bodies that have not been expressed by these statements?- Do they feel overwhelmed by emotions sometimes?
- What do they do when they feel so?
- Would others know what they are feeling in their body?