‘Emotional Maps’: Exploring Integrated Curriculum Development in Social and Emotional Learning and Art Education for Lower Primary Pupils

Lee Yoke Sang  [Singapore]

Abstract

Emotional cognition and management skills form the bedrock of social development in lower primary pupils; however, abstract instruction often yields limited results. This study innovatively integrates core social and emotional learning content into the art curriculum, developing the ‘Emotional Maps’ series of integrated lessons. Through non-verbal, non-judgmental artistic creation, the programme provides pupils with a safe channel to perceive, identify, express, and regulate their emotions. Pupils utilise visual languages such as colour, line, shape, and texture to externalise their internal emotional states into artistic works including ‘Emotional Weather Reports,’ ‘Emotional Masks,’ and ‘My Island of Calm.’ This case study details the theoretical underpinnings, specific activity designs, and implementation process of the programme. Practice demonstrates that this artistic integration pathway effectively enhances students' emotional granularity, provides visualised emotion regulation strategies, and fosters a more emotionally supportive classroom atmosphere. It offers an embodied, experiential model for implementing SEL in lower primary grades.

Keywords: Social and Emotional Learning; Art Education; Curriculum Integration; Emotion Management; Expressive Arts

Introduction

 The Social and Emotional Learning framework implemented by Singapore's Ministry of Education aims to systematically cultivate five core competencies in students: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship management, and responsible decision-making. For lower primary pupils, whose emotional experiences are rich and immediate yet limited by developing emotional vocabulary and cognitive expression, traditional discussion-based SEL curricula often struggle to reach their emotional core. Art, particularly visual art, serves as a pre-linguistic and symbolic medium, offering children a natural and safe pathway to explore and communicate their inner worlds. Grounded in expressive arts therapy theory and emotional development theory, externalising emotions through artistic creation enables children to establish an observable, manageable ‘distance’ from their emotional experiences, thereby facilitating understanding and integration. Consequently, this study designed the ‘Emotional Map’ programme to organically embed SEL objectives within the visual arts creation process, enabling children to develop emotional literacy naturally through the act of ‘making’ art.

I. Instructional Case Design: Overview of the Series of Lessons

1. Target Learners: Year 2 primary school pupils.

2. Overall Course Objectives:

 Identify and name a wider range of nuanced emotions.

Employ visual art elements to express diverse emotional states.

Master 1-2 strategies for self-emotional regulation through artistic creation.

Learn to respect and appreciate others' varied emotional expressions.

3. Series Lesson Design:

Lesson One: My Emotional Weather (Identification and Naming)

Activity: During morning assemblies or lesson introductions, pupils select colours and simple graphic symbols on small cards to depict their current ‘emotional weather’ (e.g., bright sunshine for happiness, dark clouds for anger, drizzle for sadness, gentle breeze for calm). Sharing is voluntary but encouraged. Teachers demonstrate first by sincerely sharing their own ‘weather’ to establish a safe environment.

Integration Point: Combines SEL's ‘self-awareness’ with art's ‘expressing feelings through visual symbols’. Continuous practice helps students develop emotional awareness habits and observe emotional shifts and changes.

Lesson Example Two: Emotion Masks (Externalisation and Expression)

Activity: After reading an emotion-themed picture book, guide pupils to consider: If each intense emotion (e.g., anger, fear, joy, jealousy) had a distinct ‘face,’ what would it look like? Students create an ‘emotional mask’ representing a specific emotion using materials like paper plates, paint, yarn, and coloured paper. The focus is not on aesthetic appeal but on conveying the emotion through colour, lines (e.g., sharp lines for anger, soft curves for sadness), and composition.

Key Integration Point: Transforming internal, invisible emotional states into external, visible, tangible objects. During the post-creation sharing session, pupils can display and introduce their masks (‘This is my “Anger”—it's red with sharp teeth because when I'm angry, I feel like I might explode...’), fostering emotional vocabulary development and the courage to express feelings.

Lesson Example Three: Constructing My “Island of Calm” (Regulation and Soothing)

Activity: Discuss actions that can be taken to feel better when experiencing sadness, anxiety, or overwhelm. Introduce metaphors such as “safe harbour” or “inner garden”. Students design and construct an imaginary ‘Island of Calm’ on a cardboard box or drawing paper using various materials (soft fabrics, soothing blue-toned paints, natural objects like pebbles and leaves, calming image collages) to create a sense of tranquillity.

Integration Points: Focuses on SEL's ‘Self-Management’ and ‘Positive Coping Strategies’. The creative process itself serves as a mindful and soothing activity. Completed works can be displayed in the classroom's ‘quiet corner’. When needing to calm down, students may view or touch their ‘island’ as a visualised psychological regulation tool.

II. Teaching Outcomes and Reflections

1. Outcome Analysis:

Refined Emotional Granularity: By associating emotions with specific colours, shapes, and textures, students' emotional vocabulary expanded from simple ‘good/bad’ to nuanced descriptions like ‘frustrated (like tangled threads)’, ‘excited (like a bouncing bright yellow ball)’, and ‘reassured (like a soft blue blanket)’.

Providing a Safe Emotional Outlet: This approach offers vital channels for emotional expression to students who are less articulate or introverted. One pupil, who remained silent after a conflict, indirectly conveyed inner turmoil and helplessness through a drawing depicting ‘a small boat in a black whirlpool,’ providing a point of entry for the teacher to offer support.

Enhancing the class's emotional atmosphere: When emotions are permitted to be expressed in diverse forms and respectfully acknowledged, the class's inclusivity and empathy strengthen. Pupils begin to understand and respect their peers' varied ways of expressing feelings.

Bestowing therapeutic value upon art education: Art lessons transcend technical training, acquiring a profound educational function in supporting children's mental wellbeing and social development.

2. Implementation Key Points and Reflections:

Establishing an Absolutely Safe Environment: The core principle that ‘there is no right or wrong, no beauty or ugliness here; all feelings and expressions are accepted’ must be repeatedly emphasised and practised. The teacher's non-judgmental attitude is paramount.

Teachers' Own Emotional Literacy: Teachers must possess strong emotional awareness and expression skills, able to demonstrate authenticity and accept all themes that may emerge in students' work, including so-called ‘negative’ emotions.

Establishing Boundaries and Seeking Professional Support: This course constitutes developmental, preventative SEL activities, not psychological therapy. Teachers must recognise their own limitations and refer pupils exhibiting persistent signs of severe emotional distress to the school counsellor.

Process Over Outcome: Assessment should be based entirely on pupils' participation, engagement, and reflection, not the completion or technical skill of the artwork.

Conclusion: The Emotional Maps programme successfully bridges social and emotional learning for lower primary pupils through the creative and inclusive medium of art. It renders abstract SEL objectives concrete, actionable and experiential, enabling children to naturally develop emotional awareness, expression and regulation skills through free artistic creation. This interdisciplinary approach not only pioneers new pathways for effective SEL implementation but also deepens and broadens the humanistic value of art education. It serves as a valuable practice in realising holistic education and nurturing children's emotional wellbeing. It demonstrates that the most effective education is often that which touches the heart and equips it with tools for expression.

References

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2. Singapore Ministry of Education. (2021). Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Primary Stage Teaching Resource Pack. Singapore: Curriculum Development Division.

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