Triggers and Causes of Feelings · seed 1 · A4, ink-friendly. The answer key prints on its own page for grown-ups.

What Made You Feel That Way?

Personal & Social Development · Emotional Literacy · ages 5-7
Name ______________________   Date ____________

  1. Ben's balloon popped and he felt sad. What was the trigger?

    • Ben crying
    • The balloon popping
    • Ben feeling sad

  2. What is a trigger for a feeling?

    • Something that happens first and causes the feeling
    • The feeling itself, like happy or sad
    • What you do after you feel something

  3. A feeling can happen with no trigger at all.

    Circle one:   True   False

  4. In the story, Ana cried when her tower of blocks fell down. What made Ana feel sad?

    • Her tower of blocks falling down
    • The color of the blocks
    • Ana likes towers

  5. Which sentence correctly finishes: I felt happy because ___?

    • I felt happy
    • yesterday was Tuesday
    • my friend shared her snack with me

  6. Which is a trigger for feeling proud?

    • Feeling proud
    • Finishing a hard puzzle by yourself
    • Going to sleep

  7. Which sentence correctly connects a trigger to a feeling?

    • I felt scared because a big dog barked at me
    • I felt scared because I like dogs
    • I felt scared because it is Tuesday

  8. Zak says, I felt mad, and nothing caused it. What is wrong with what Zak said?

    • Zak is not allowed to feel mad
    • Nothing is wrong with what Zak said
    • Every feeling has a trigger, even if it's small
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Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

What Made You Feel That Way? W1-mt_9Y5-GjF2B0-s1

  1. The balloon popping · The balloon popping happened first, so that is the trigger.
  2. Something that happens first and causes the feeling · The trigger comes first, and it makes the feeling happen.
  3. False · Every feeling has a trigger, even if it is small or hard to notice.
  4. Her tower of blocks falling down · The tower falling down happened first, so that is what caused her sad feeling.
  5. my friend shared her snack with me · Sharing snacks is a real trigger. Just naming the feeling again is not a reason.
  6. Finishing a hard puzzle by yourself · Finishing something hard is an event that can cause a proud feeling.
  7. I felt scared because a big dog barked at me · A barking dog is something that really happened. Tuesday and liking dogs do not explain fear.
  8. Every feeling has a trigger, even if it's small · Something always happens first, even if Zak has not noticed it yet.
Worksheet · LightMySky