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An introduction to the concept of emotions and how everyone experiences them every day.
Have you ever felt like there is a bright sun shining inside your chest, or maybe a little rain cloud over your head?
A feeling is how your heart and mind react to what is happening around you. Think of feelings like inside weather. Just like the outside sky can be sunny, rainy, or windy, your inside can feel different ways too! Feelings are very important because they tell us how we are doing. The most important thing to remember is that everyone has feelings. Your friends, your teacher, and even grown-ups feel different things every single day. There are no 'bad' feelings; they are just different kinds of inside weather.
Quick Check
True or False: Only children have feelings.
Answer
False. Everyone has feelings, including adults!
There are many different feelings, but we can start by learning big ones. First is Happy. When you are happy, you might smile, laugh, or feel like jumping for joy. Second is Sad. When you are sad, you might feel quiet, heavy, or even have tears in your eyes. Third is Mad. When you are mad, you might feel hot, grumpy, or want to stomp your feet. It is okay to feel all of these! They are a normal part of being a human being.
Let's look at a simple situation: 1. Imagine it is your birthday. 2. You see a big cake and all your friends. 3. You have a giant smile on your face. 4. This feeling is Happy.
Quick Check
If you feel like you want to cry because you lost your favorite toy, which of the 'Big Three' feelings are you having?
Answer
Sad
Just like the weather changes from morning to night, your feelings can change too. You might start your day feeling mad because you woke up early, but then feel happy when you see your best friend at school. This is why we call it 'inside weather.' It doesn't stay the same forever. Learning to name your feeling is the first step to understanding yourself better. When you can say, 'I feel mad,' it helps the feeling feel a little bit smaller and easier to handle.
See how feelings move in order: 1. You are playing outside and feel Happy. 2. It starts to rain, and you have to go inside. Now you feel Mad. 3. Your mom gives you a warm cookie. Now you feel Happy again! 4. In this story, you had different feelings in just a few minutes.
Can you identify the feelings in this story? 1. Sam dropped his ice cream cone on the ground. He felt Sad. 2. A friend saw Sam and shared their ice cream. Sam felt Happy. 3. Later, someone took Sam's toy without asking. Sam felt Mad. 4. Sam felt different feelings today!
What is a simple way to describe a feeling?
Which of these is NOT one of the 'Big Three' feelings we learned?
It is okay to feel mad sometimes.
Review Tomorrow
Tomorrow morning, ask yourself: 'What is my inside weather right now?' and try to name the feeling.
Practice Activity
Draw three circles. In the first, draw a happy face. In the second, a sad face. In the third, a mad face.