In this adapted version of the postman game, children “deliver” emotional messages to each other. The messages contain emotional situations, and the receiver must guess and react to the emotion, helping the group learn to name, interpret, and empathize with various feelings.

Skill focus/goal(s):

This activity works best outdoors, in a spacious garden or schoolyard, where children can move freely between stations (representing different “houses”).

Classroom layout:

It can also be adapted for indoor play using clearly marked areas in a large classroom or gym.

This game strengthens empathy and emotional awareness by encouraging children to recognize and express emotions in a non-verbal and creative way. Each child must interpret an emotional situation, imagine how it feels, and translate that inner state into gestures, posture, or tone of voice. This process develops their ability to identify emotions in themselves and others, even when they are not explicitly named.

As children observe their peers and try to guess the emotion, they learn to pay attention to subtle emotional cues and body language. This sharpens their observational skills and builds a richer emotional vocabulary.

The game also promotes empathy by inviting children to imagine the experiences behind each emotion. When they guess or reflect on what the character might be feeling and why, they practice putting themselves in someone else’s shoes. Over time, this builds greater sensitivity to others’ emotions in real-life situations.

The playful and safe context helps even shy or quiet children feel comfortable expressing themselves and seeing emotions as a normal and shared human experience.

After playing this game, students will be:

• able to recognize the emotions expressed by others through facial expressions, tone, and movement.
• able to recognize and label their own basic emotions in ways appropriate for their age.
• able to communicate their emotions using gestures, storytelling, and simple verbal expressions.
• able to use age-appropriate emotional vocabulary during group interactions.

Use this game to introduce or reinforce emotional vocabulary, especially in early primary grades. It can be a playful way to explore empathy by encouraging children to reflect on which emotion “belongs” to which character or context.

Example: During a unit on friendship, the postman delivers emotional messages between fictional friends. Children must decide how to respond kindly to someone feeling lonely or angry.

It also works well as a circle time warm-up or end-of-day reflection.

• A bag or box labelled “Postman’s Bag”
• 20–30 folded cards with short emotional situations written on them (can be illustrated for younger children)
• A chair or soft hat for the postman (optional, to add a playful ritual)

• What do you think the character in your envelope is feeling?
• Why might someone feel this way?
• Have you ever felt like this? When?
• How would you help someone who feels like that?

1. Some children may struggle to express an emotion clearly or may feel embarrassed.
   
   Tip: The teacher can support them with simple prompts like “Think of a moment when you felt this way” or “How would your body look if you felt this emotion?
2. Some children may exaggerate their emotional expressions.
   
   Tip: The teacher can guide a short conversation about how real emotions are often more subtle and can vary greatly between individuals.
3. Some children will guess emotions quickly, while others need more time to reflect.
   
   Tip: The teacher should validate both approaches and encourage exploration through questions like “What else could this child be feeling?”
4. The teacher plays a key role in creating a safe emotional climate.
   
   Tip: If giggles or discomfort arise, they should be addressed warmly, reinforcing that all emotions are normal and that interpreting them takes practice and kindness.
5. Children who feel shy or hesitant may need additional modelling or examples.
   
   Tip: The teacher can provide simple emotional scenarios to help them participate more confidently and expand their emotional vocabulary.

Beginners: benefit from cards with simple, familiar situations and visual icons (like a sad face or a gift). The teacher can read the cards aloud and help them express the emotion through mimicry and gestures.

Advanced learners: more complex scenarios can be introduced — for instance, ambiguous feelings like “You’re happy your friend won, but also a bit jealous”. These situations allow richer emotional discussion and more sophisticated expression. 

Experts: Older children can also write their own emotional messages to add to the postman’s bag.

• How did it feel to receive and act out someone else’s emotion?
• Was it easy to guess what others were feeling? Why or why not?
• Did you ever feel unsure about an emotion? What helped you decide?
• How do you think we can use this skill in the classroom or with friends?
• Can two people feel different emotions in the same situation? What does that tell us?
• Is it easy or hard to guess emotions? Why?