Naming Your Feelings
Notice your feelings and try words such as happy, sad, or mad. Naming a feeling can help you tell someone how you feel.
What a learner can do afterwards
- Use words such as happy, sad, mad, or scared to name a feeling.
- Recognize that body and face clues do not tell you one exact feeling.
- Try a feeling word without explaining why, or ask for time or help to find one.
1 · Read
Happy, sad, mad, and scared are feeling words. Feelings are also called emotions. Mad and angry can name the same feeling. Sad means unhappy. Nervous means worried about what might happen. You can say, 'I feel sad.'
Mia is about to sing. She worries she might forget the song. Her tummy feels jumpy. She says, 'I feel nervous.' Her words help her tell a grown-up how she feels. She may still feel nervous.
Your body and face can give clues about feelings. A jumpy tummy can come with different feelings. A clue does not tell you one exact feeling. If a friend wants to talk, ask how they feel. Let them choose the words. Give them time if they need it.
You can name a feeling while you still feel it. You do not need to know why yet. If a word is hard to find, take your time or ask a grown-up you trust for help.
Feeling words help you tell someone how you feel. You can take time to find a word.
These readings and study cards were written for this dataset. Background study used the supplied emotion textbook chapter and two articles about noticing feelings and interpreting facial expressions.
More to read
Words for your feelings
Try this sentence: 'I feel ___.' You can fill the space with happy, sad, mad, or scared. Choose a word that fits your own feeling. Mad can also be called angry. A little sad and very sad both use the word sad. The feeling does not have to go away before you say its name.
Taking time to find a word
You notice a jumpy tummy. What are you feeling? The tummy clue alone cannot choose the word for you. Think about how you feel and try a feeling word. If no word fits yet, you can say, 'I do not know yet.' You can also ask a grown-up you trust to help you find words.
Listening to a friend's feeling words
Your friend has tears on their face. You can see the tears, but you do not know their exact feeling from that clue. If your friend wants to talk, ask, 'How do you feel?' Listen to the words they choose. If they need time, let them have time. People can show feelings in different ways.
2 · Watch
Take it off screen
Where it sits
Learn first
Nothing; this is a starting point.
8 questions wait behind this lesson, each with its answer explained. Every answer feeds the sky: stars light as they are learned, and dim when it is time to come back.