Thanksgiving Emotions Sorting Mats | Identifying Feelings | SLP SPED Autism SEL

Build emotion identification and feelings vocabulary with these hands-on Thanksgiving Emotions Sorting Mats — a fun, seasonal way for students to recognize and sort emotions. Perfect for independent work stations, centers, language groups, and SEL lessons.

📦 What's Included

• 6 unique Thanksgiving-themed sorting mats: Turkey, Place Setting, Pumpkin Pie Slice, Corn on the Cob, Leaf, and Acorn
• Sorting and classification activities for these emotions:
  • Happy • Sad • Surprised • Angry • Worried • Excited
• Print-and-go PDF — ready to use after laminating

🎯 Skills Targeted

• Identifying emotions and feelings
• Feelings vocabulary
• Sorting and classification
• Emotional regulation awareness
• Social-emotional learning (SEL)
• Visual discrimination
• Perspective-taking (recognizing how others feel)
• Receptive and expressive language
• Thanksgiving and fall vocabulary

📚 How to Use

• Set up at an independent work station or center for emotion sorting practice
• Use in a language group to build feelings vocabulary and discussion
• Use in counseling or SEL lessons to introduce and identify emotions
• Differentiate easily: increase or decrease the number of mats (emotions) students sort at once
• Extend with conversation — "When do you feel worried? When do you feel excited?"
• Pair with a Thanksgiving or November unit to keep SEL practice seasonal and engaging

💛 Perfect For

• Speech-language therapy sessions (SLPs)
• Special education classrooms (SPED)
• Autism classrooms and ABA programs
• School counselors and SEL instruction
• Preschool, PreK, and Kindergarten
• Language and social skills groups
• Independent work stations and task boxes
• Thanksgiving, November, and fall units
• Early childhood and ECSE
• Homeschool social-emotional learning

🌟 Why Teachers & SLPs Love This Resource

• Built-in differentiation — adjust the number of emotions to match any level
• Thanksgiving theme makes SEL practice seasonal and engaging
• Targets a core SEL and language goal (identifying emotions)
• Natural springboard for feelings conversations and perspective-taking
• Works for centers, independent work, language groups, and counseling
• Reusable year after year once laminated

🔗 Explore more sorting activities:

• More Hands-On Sorting Activities
• Even More Sorting Activities

🍂 More hands-on fall and Thanksgiving favorites:

• Hands-On Pumpkin Activities
• Hands-On Fall Activities
• Hands-On Thanksgiving Activities