Everyone has feelings. Happy, sad, angry, and scared are four basic feelings that all people experience. Feelings are not good or bad — they are signals that tell you something about what is happening around you or inside you.
Use emotion face cards or pictures and have children identify each feeling. Read stories and ask "How do you think this character feels?" Have children draw faces showing different emotions. Practice naming feelings throughout the day as they come up.
Children often think that some feelings are "bad" (like anger or sadness) and should be avoided. They do not yet understand that all feelings are normal and helpful. Some children think that if they feel angry, they are a bad person.
Everyone has feelings — every single person on the planet. Some of the most common feelings are happy, sad, angry, and scared. You probably feel at least one of these every single day, and sometimes you might feel more than one at the same time.
Happy is the warm, good feeling you get when something nice happens — like playing with a friend, getting a hug, or hearing your favorite song. Sad is the heavy, quiet feeling that comes when something upsetting happens — like losing a toy, saying goodbye to someone, or seeing someone get hurt. Angry is the hot, tight feeling you get when something feels unfair or frustrating — like when someone takes your turn or breaks something you made. Scared is the jumpy, careful feeling that comes when you sense danger or do not know what is going to happen — like hearing a loud noise at night or trying something new for the first time.
Here is something really important: no feeling is "bad." Anger is not bad. Sadness is not bad. Fear is not bad. They are all normal parts of being human, and they each have a job. Sadness helps you process loss. Anger tells you something feels unfair. Fear keeps you safe by making you cautious. The feelings themselves are never the problem. What matters is what you do when you feel them. Feeling angry is fine — hitting someone because you are angry is not. Feeling scared is fine — it is smart to be cautious when something might be dangerous. Learning to name your feelings — "I feel sad right now" — is the first step toward handling them well.
This is a foundational topic with no prerequisites.
No prerequisites — this is a starting point.