Pages Notes

1. Feelings Vocabulary

• Catching feelings
• Fishing for feelings
• Finding feelings wordsearch
• Collect other feelings

The activities are intended to help children build a vocabulary of emotions and an understanding of words to describe the intensity of an emotion. The SEAL Community have published a useful feelings words progression list. 

A useful way to explore feelings and emotions is The RULER* approach  / Mood Meter.

There are many versions of the Mood Meter available suitable for use in the classroom (see additional resources / ).

*RULER is an acronym for the five skills of emotional intelligence:

Recognising emotions in oneself and others
Understanding the causes and consequences of emotions
Labeling emotions with a nuanced vocabulary
Expressing emotions in accordance with cultural norms and social context
Regulating emotions with helpful strategies

2. Feelings, Thoughts and Behaviour

• Feelings, thoughts and actions
• My jelly fish brain
• Feeling crabby

• Adjusting your sails

The activities are all about understanding the links between Feelings, Thoughts and Behaviour. 

It is important to note that while feelings, thoughts, and behaviours are interconnected, they are not necessarily causal. In other words, just because a child feels a certain way does not mean they will always behave in a specific way. There are many factors that can influence how a child responds to their emotions and thoughts, including their temperament, past experiences, and social context. Overall, helping children understand the link between their feelings, thoughts, and behaviours can be an essential part of promoting emotional regulation, positive thinking, and healthy social interactions.

3. Physical Feelings / Body Sensations

• Emotion maps - angry
• Emotion maps - excited
• Emotion maps - scared
• Emotion maps - happy

These activities are useful for exploring the link between physical feelings and emotions. The ability to recognise and understand the physiological signals that come from the body, such as heart rate, breathing, and sensations from organs can be an important part of recognising what we are feeling. It is particularly important for helping children to understand feeling safe / unsafe. 

If we can encourage children to label their emotions, and to talk about how their bodies feel when they experience different emotions, we can help them develop a greater understanding of the connection between their thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations.