LESSON 13: Happy Face Play
Lesson Focus: Sequential Memory
Age Group: 2-3 years old
Duration: 30 minutes
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

1. Remember: Identify happy facial features
2. Understand: Connect happy feelings to expression
3. Apply: Show happiness through face and body
    

MATERIALS:

1. Music player with 2 joyful tracks and 2 neutral tracks
2. Visual cue cards: HAPPY FACE (smiling emoji or photo), NEUTRAL FACE
3. Drum or hand clapper (for start/stop cues)
4. Floor spots or tape (to define personal space)
5. Powerpoint

LESSON PROCEDURES:

1)Welcome and Warm-Up (3 minutes)

• Circle time: gentle wiggles, shoulder rolls, happy stretches.
• Introduce “happy face.” Show cue card and model a big smile. Learners copy and say “happy!”

2) Concept Demo: What is a Happy Face? (4 minutes)

• Teacher models happy vs. neutral face.
• Highlight features: smiling mouth, bright eyes, lifted cheeks.
• Call-and-response: show HAPPY FACE card; learners mirror expression.
• Ask 2–3 learners to describe what makes a face look happy.

3) Guided Practice: Happy Body Moves (8 minutes)

Use 30-second intervals to explore different body parts with joyful movement prompts:

• Happy hands – wave, clap, open wide
• Happy feet – tiptoe, stomp gently, bounce
• Happy arms – stretch up, swing side to side
• Happy shoulders – roll, shrug, wiggle
• Happy head – nod, tilt, gentle shake
• Happy tummy – hug yourself, twist side to side
• Happy knees – bend, bounce, march
• Happy whole body – spin, jump, dance freely

Use music to guide tempo and drum/clap to cue transitions. Encourage expressive movement and joyful energy.

4) Mirror Moment: Face and Feeling (5 minutes)

Invite learners to act out simple happy scenarios with both facial and body expression. Hold each for ~30 seconds:

1. Playing with bubbles – smile with open arms, light jumps
2. Eating yummy fruit – smile with pretend munching, happy eyes
3. Hugging a teddy – soft smile, gentle cuddle motion
4. Dancing with a friend – big smile, swaying arms
5. Building blocks – focused smile, reaching and stacking
6. Splashing in water – giggle face, playful hand splashes
7. Riding a toy car – excited smile, pretend steering
8. Petting a puppy – gentle smile, soft hand strokes

Remind children to show happy face and happy body for each. Narrate with warmth and clarity.

5) Music Response: Happy Switches (5 minutes)

Use 4 music excerpts (2 joyful, 2 neutral), each ~30 seconds. For each joyful track, prompt:

1. Show your happy face
2. Move your happy body
3. Say a happy word or line – e.g., “Yeah!” “Great!” “Cheers!”
4. Freeze for 3 seconds when music stops

For neutral tracks, rest quietly with neutral face and still body. Alternate tracks and praise expressive transitions.

6) Application Game: Happy Parade (3 minutes)

Narrate a simple story with joyful scenarios. Children act out each part with happy face and body:

“Let’s go on a happy parade! First, we’re walking to the park with big smiles. Now we see our friends—wave happily! We play with a ball—bounce and laugh! Then we eat our favorite snack—yum yum, happy tummy! We ride our toy cars—zoom zoom with happy faces! And finally, we give a big happy hug to our teddy—soft and smiling.”

Use drum/clap to cue each scene. Keep narration slow, clear, and joyful.
 

7) Cool-Down and Reflect (2 minutes)

• Breathing: grow BIG like a balloon on inhale, become SMALL on exhale.
• Reflection: “Show me your happy face.” “What made you feel happy today?”

ASSESSMENT

• Identification: Learner points to or mimics happy face when shown cue card.
• Demonstration: Learner produces clear happy facial expression and body movement on cue.
• Connection: Learner links feeling to expression in mirror or scenario play.
• Control: Learner switches between happy and neutral expression with music or verbal cues.

REMARKS

• Safety and Inclusion: Offer seated options; model facial expressions clearly.
• Classroom Management: Use freeze signal consistently; narrate positive examples (“I see your happy eyes!”).
• Language Support: Pair emotion words with visuals and gestures; keep prompts short (“Happy face!” “Freeze!”).
• Differentiation:
  • For emerging learners: focus on one feature (smile only).
  • For advanced learners: combine face and body (happy jump with smile).
• Transitions: Pre-cue switches (“Ready to show happy in 3-2-1”) to support executive function.
• Environment: Clear space; place music source where you can pause quickly.
• Family/Carer Note (optional): Try a home mirror game—make happy faces together and talk about what brings joy.