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Discovery Rangers

The Secret Life of Emojis: Who Decides What We Type?. Ranger Mission

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Tech & STEMRanger MissionAges 4-12 · 2 min

The Secret Life of Emojis: Who Decides What We Type?

A hands-on field mission for the Discovery Rangers episode.

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Ever wondered who decides which emojis get added to your phone? This mission explores the fun and official world of emoji creation, just like we learned about in our episode!

The Big Question

How can the same little emoji picture mean different things to different people?

What You'll Need

  • Paper
  • Crayons or markers
  • A smartphone or tablet (optional)

Mission Steps

  1. Draw Your Emoji. On a piece of paper, draw your own emoji that shows how you feel right now. Think about colors and shapes that show your mood.
  2. Share Your Emoji. Show your drawing to someone else in your family. Explain what feeling or idea your emoji is trying to show.
  3. Guess Their Emoji. Look at the emoji someone else drew. Can you guess what feeling they are trying to show? Talk about any differences in how you understood each other's drawings.
  4. See the Difference. If you have a smartphone, find one emoji (like the "face with tears of joy" or "skull") and show it to different family members. Do they all see the same meaning?

Talk About It

  • What emoji did you draw, and what feeling were you trying to show?
  • Did anyone else in your family draw an emoji that you understood right away? Why do you think that was?
  • How can an emoji that looks the same on two different phones mean something different to the people using them?

Take It Further

For older kids: Research the Unicode Consortium. What is their job? How do people suggest new emojis to them? Try to find out how many emojis were added this year and pick one new emoji you think is important and explain why it should be included.

FAQ

Q: My child keeps using the skull emoji to mean "laughing so hard." Why? A: Emojis are visual symbols, and their meaning can evolve over time, especially with younger generations who use them creatively in online communities. The skull emoji can be interpreted as "I'm dead" from laughter. Q: How do emojis get added to my phone? A: New emojis are approved by the Unicode Consortium. Then, phone companies like Apple and Google create their own designs for that approved emoji, which is why they can look a little different across devices.

The Ranger Field Mission

Works after any episode · Any age · No equipment

Run this after every episode to turn listening into something your child actually keeps. Do as many steps as they have energy for — even one counts.

  1. 1

    Say it back

    Before snacks or screens, ask your Ranger to teach you the one big idea — as if you'd never heard it.

  2. 2

    Find it in the wild

    Hunt for one real example of today's idea — in the kitchen, the yard, the sky, or the sidewalk. Point at it and name it.

  3. 3

    Make something

    Draw it, build it from what's on the table, act it out, or record a 20-second “Ranger report.” Making it forces real understanding.

  4. 4

    Ask the next question

    Finish with “What's one thing the episode didn't answer?” Stick it on the fridge — that's the start of the next adventure.

Keep exploring

This mission is part of Parenting With Purpose - free tools that turn everyday moments into real learning. Browse every episode in the Library or open the Discovery Rangers podcast.

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