Lab Exploring

Emotion Arcade

Most emotional literacy support teaches a handful of feelings from pictures of faces and explains them in words, and many young children never get it. Emotion Arcade is a set of games an ELSA plays with one or two children, built on the theory of constructed emotion: children notice what their body is doing, look at what is happening around them, and build their own words for what they feel. There is a version for KS1 and a version for KS2.

The idea we are testing

1Feelings are built, not foundThe brain builds each feeling from the body, the situation and the words a child knows. Each game practises one of those parts.

2The body and the moment come firstChildren meet the moment first and attach the word afterwards, so the games work for children who do not read yet.

3Fun enough to ask for againArcade games, stickers, and tokens for taking part, never for a right answer.

Where it is now

There is nothing to try yet. We are shaping it with the people it is for, and will show it once it works.

When it is ready, it graduates into a product or service.

Who it is for

ELSAs

Ready-made sessions for one or two children, ways to adapt each game for SEND, and a record of each child's progress and response to intervention, kept on the device or shared with colleagues through a school account.

SENCos and schools

Emotional literacy support that follows current research on how feelings are made.

Educational psychologists

A playful way to see which feeling concepts a child already uses.

Taking part

We are looking for ELSAs and schools in England to try it with children and tell us what happens. If that is you, get in touch.

Let's talk

Tell the Companion about a moment that puzzles you, or write to Ricardo directly.

Talk to the Companion