Body Language
Body Language is how people share feelings and ideas using their face, hands, and body instead of words.
A kitchen tells you a lot without any words. Flour on the counter and a warm oven show that someone is baking. A clean, empty counter shows that no one has cooked yet. Your face, hands, and body do the same — their position tells people how you feel.
Explaining body language by grade level
Watch a friend talk about something fun. Do their hands move a lot? Do they smile or lean in close? The way a body moves can tell you how a person feels.
Projects that explore body language
People move their hands when they talk, but not all people move the same way. This project sorts subjects as shy or outgoing, then tracks their hand motions during a talk. Outgoing subjects used more varied gestures, while shy subjects showed more self-aimed movements like playing with hair.
Eye contact is one form of body language you can measure. You watch people for three minutes and count how often they make or avoid eye contact. You do this in two settings — one where people know each other and one where they do not.