Pumpkin Emotion Pairs with Conversation Starters - 15 Emotions - 30 Conversation Starters

A fun, hands-on way to spark meaningful conversations about feelings through play, connection, and reflection.

Learning to recognise, name, and talk about emotions is an essential part of a child’s development, and it doesn’t have to be serious! This Halloween themed resource turns emotional learning into a playful, interactive experience that encourages children to connect through conversation.

This resource combines the familiar fun of a matching game with open-ended conversation prompts, helping children explore what emotions look like, feel like, and mean in everyday life. It’s perfect for home, classroom, or therapy use - anywhere that children are learning about feelings, empathy, and social understanding.

About This Resource

The Pumpkin Emotion Pairs Game includes a set of expressive pumpkin faces, each representing a different emotion such as happy, sad, silly, proud, angry, and worried.

Children cut out and mix the cards, then take turns flipping them to find pairs. When a matching pair is found, players answer a conversation question designed to get them thinking, talking, and reflecting.

Each prompt encourages meaningful discussion, creativity, and emotional awareness - the result is a resource that supports emotional vocabulary, empathy, and communication in a light, accessible, and child-friendly way.

Features

1. Pumpkin Emotion Flashcards (Pairs)

• Bright, engaging pumpkin illustrations showing a variety of emotions.

• Designed for matching and memory games, ideal for small groups or one-to-one sessions.

• 15 emotions included: happy, sad, silly, frustrated, angry, calm, worried, scared, bored, proud, loved, tired, annoyed, shocked, excited.

2. Conversation Starters

• Two open-ended discussion prompts for each emotion.

• Questions are designed to encourage deeper reflection, storytelling, and empathy.

• Perfect for emotional literacy work, circle time, or ELSA sessions.

3. Printable Game Format

• Easy-to-cut, ready-to-use PDF design.

• Suitable for laminating for repeated classroom use.

• Clean, calming layout to keep focus on emotions and conversation.

4. Instruction Sheet

• Includes clear “How to Play” guidance.

• Encourages fun, friendly discussion while supporting emotional learning goals.

Benefits

• Encourages emotional expression – Gives children language to describe their feelings in a safe, supported way.

• Builds empathy and understanding – Helps children notice and respond to others’ emotions through shared discussion.

• Supports social–emotional learning (SEL) – Strengthens self-awareness, communication, and emotional regulation.

• Inclusive and accessible – Simple visuals and flexible prompts suitable for SEN, EAL, and primary learners.

• Promotes connection – Encourages turn-taking, active listening, and meaningful interaction between peers or adults and children.

• Versatile and adaptable – Works for individuals, pairs, or small groups in both classroom and home settings.

How to Use

Cut out all the pumpkin cards and mix them up. Place them face down in a grid. Players take turns turning over two cards at a time to find matching pairs. When a match is found, say the emotion out loud and answer Question 1 on the back. Keep your pair, and let the next player take their turn. Continue until all pairs have been found, the player with the most pairs wins!

Shuffle the cards and play again, this time answering Question 2 for new conversations and reflections.

Encourage children to take their time, there are no right or wrong answers! The goal is to think, share, and listen.

Suggested Uses

• Whole-class emotional literacy sessions

• Small group or one-to-one ELSA work

• Calm corners, wellbeing spaces, or PSHE lessons

• Speech and language therapy sessions

• SEN / SEND and inclusion support

• Parent–child bonding or family SEL activities

• Icebreakers, reflection games, or end-of-day check-ins

The Pumpkin Emotion Pairs Game blends fun and learning to create an engaging way for children to explore emotions.
Through matching, talking, and reflecting, children develop the confidence to recognise how they feel, understand others’ emotions, and express themselves.

This simple activity builds emotional vocabulary, empathy, and communication skills, all through play and connection. Whether used in the classroom, therapy sessions, or at home, this game helps children turn small conversations into big emotional growth.

Download the Pumpkin Emotion Pairs with Conversation Starters today and make learning about feelings fun, meaningful, and memorable! Download now.