Inside Out Day: Family Dinner Conversation Game

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After watching Inside Out this weekend, the kids wondered if they had little characters that were inside their own heads.  Do they have little balls of memories?  Is there a “Joy” or a “Disgust” in their brain?  It sparked an interesting conversation about our emotions, what they are, & how they make us feel.  I decided to come up with a fun dinner table conversation game to play with kids, based on the characters from Inside Out, called “Inside Out Day”.

We often play “High, Low” at our dinner table, where the kids talk about the High and Low of their day.  It’s a great way to get each of them talking with each other & to learn a little more about their day.  The kids get excited for their turn and I am always eager to hear (& often surprised) by what their high and low is.  The game that I have created is similar to “High, Low”, but challenges kids to really think about their emotions & feelings of the day.  

The “Inside Out Day” Dinner Table Game is based off the movie characters from Inside Out.  In this game, kids can draw an Inside Out character or one of our free printable Inside Out conversation cards.  Whatever card they draw, then they have to tell something that happened to them that caused them to feel that emotion.  They are basically telling about their day, from the inside out.

For example, Andrew draws Disgust.  He would have to tell us one thing that caused disgust today.  This could be the broccoli on his plate, the smell of the garbage can, or falling in a puddle of mud.  Another example, Aiden draws Joy.  He would have to tell us one thing that caused joy today.  This could be playing with a new friend on the playground, being the line leader, or a fun trip to the park.  Everyone could take turns passing around the bowl of toys or cards & giving a situation that reminded them of that emotion.  It’s a simple game to play, but a great way to spark conversation at the dinner table while exploring emotions with your kids!

Be sure to take some time to pick up your copy of Inside Out at Walmart, enjoy watching it during a fun family movie night, & play this simple dinner time game with your kids.  Click here to download and print the Inside Out Dinner Table cards.  This game would be a great way to explore the feelings of your child in a comfortable setting, using Inside Out movie characters that they know and are familiar with.