Play and Emotion in the Classroom: Art, Literature, and Technology for Children's and Youth Emotional Education (English)

"Play and Emotion in the Classroom" is an innovative pedagogical proposal developed by Yobana Orozco Benavides, focused on the creation and implementation of the digital platform “Juego Emociones en el Aula” (“Play Emotions in the Classroom”), a free and multilingual interactive website designed to strengthen the emotional education of children and adolescents. Through the integration of art, literature, and technology, this model seeks to develop socio-emotional skills such as empathy, emotional self-regulation, assertive communication, and emotional awareness. The project is grounded in an educational action-research approach, supported by national legal frameworks such as Law 438 of 2021 (which mandates emotional education from 2026 onward) and the Mental Health Law (Law 1616 of 2013, modified in 2025). It is also aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda, particularly SDGs 3, 4, and 10. The platform includes interactive resources such as the Emocionario, EmoChallenge, Spin and Act, EmoScript, Emoji Story, Emotional Diary, among others, allowing students and teachers to explore emotions through games, writing, animations, and dramatizations. Results have shown significant improvements in emotional expression, reduction of aggressive behaviors, increased student engagement, and the natural integration of emotions into subjects such as language, ethics, art, and technology. The model also supports teachers’ emotional well-being, recognizing their key role as emotional guides in the learning process. This adaptable and replicable educational model represents a meaningful contribution to 21st-century educational transformation, demonstrating that when emotion, creativity, and technology are consciously integrated into learning, the experience becomes deep, human-centered, and transformative.