Explore · Personal & Social Development · Self-Awareness

Naming Your Feelings

Notice what you are feeling and put a name to it — being able to label an emotion is the first step to understanding and managing it

ages 5 to 68 practice questionsvideo included

What a learner can do afterwards

emotional literacy research
Fostering Emotional Literacy in Young Children (HeadStart.gov)
emotion vocabulary development 4-11 years (PMC)

The lesson

Feelings live inside you. They have names, like happy, sad, mad, and scared. Naming a feeling helps you understand it.

Try it together

Mia's tummy feels jumpy before her turn to sing. She stops and thinks. She says, 'I feel nervous.' Naming it helps her feel calmer.

Good to know

Notice your body. A tight tummy, hot cheeks, or heavy chest are all clues. Ask yourself, 'What am I feeling right now?'

Feelings can be small or big. A little sad and a very big sad are both sad. The name works for every size.

You do not need to know why you feel it yet. Just naming the feeling is a great first step.

Naming a feeling is the first step to understanding it.

Watch it

Where it sits

Learn first

Vocabulary: self Feeling of not understanding

This opens up

Feelings Versus Actions

Then practise

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.