😊 Emotions Lesson Pack
EYFS + KS1 · 5 Lesson Plans · Print-ready
Lesson 1: What Are Feelings?
Learning Objective: Children can name at least 4 emotions and understand that all feelings are okay.
Duration: 30–40 minutes
Teacher Script:
"Good morning everyone. Today we're going to talk about feelings. Feelings are things that happen inside us — in our hearts and our tummies — and they help us understand how we are."
"Can anyone show me a happy face? ... What about a sad face? ... A surprised face?"
"Brilliant! Every feeling you have is important. There are no wrong feelings. Today we're going to explore some of them together."
Activity: Feelings Faces Circle
- Sit children in a circle. Pass around a "feelings ball".
- Whoever holds the ball names a feeling and shows it on their face.
- The class mirrors the expression together.
- Ask: "Has anyone felt this way this week?"
Feelings Vocabulary Cards (print & laminate):
Lesson 2: Where Do Feelings Live in Our Bodies?
Learning Objective: Children can connect emotions to physical sensations in the body.
Duration: 30–40 minutes
Teacher Script:
"Did you know our feelings live in our bodies? When you're nervous, you might feel butterflies in your tummy. When you're happy, you might feel light and warm."
"Let's explore where YOUR feelings live."
Activity: Body Map
Print a simple outline of a body for each child. Ask them to colour where they feel different emotions:
- Red for anger
- Yellow for happiness
- Blue for sadness
- Purple for calmness
Share and discuss as a class.
Lesson 3: Big Feelings & Small Feelings
Learning Objective: Children understand that feelings can vary in intensity.
Duration: 30 minutes
"Some feelings feel really BIG — like when you're really, really upset or super excited. Some feelings are smaller, like when you're just a tiny bit grumpy."
"Today we're going to use a Feelings Thermometer to measure how big or small our feelings are."
Feelings Thermometer (print & display):
Lesson 4: What Helps When Feelings Are Hard?
Learning Objective: Children can identify at least 2 strategies to help manage big feelings.
Duration: 35–40 minutes
"Sometimes feelings can feel too big. That's okay — it happens to everyone, even grown-ups! But there are things we can do to help."
"Let's make our very own Calm Kit — a list of things that help us when feelings get too big."
Calm Kit Ideas (display and discuss):
Lesson 5: Kindness & Feelings
Learning Objective: Children understand how our actions affect others' feelings.
Duration: 30–35 minutes
"Our feelings don't just belong to us — the things we do and say can change how others feel too."
"Today we're going to think about kindness and how being kind can make someone else feel amazing."
Activity: Kindness Cards
Each child writes or draws one kind thing they could do for someone in the class. Share anonymously and guess who might benefit.
Discussion Prompts:
- "How does it feel to be kind to someone?"
- "How does it feel when someone is kind to you?"
- "Can you think of a time kindness helped a big feeling go away?"
- Always create a safe, non-judgmental space before discussing feelings.
- Be aware that some children may disclose difficult home situations — follow your school's safeguarding policy.
- Adapt language and activities to match your class's developmental level.
- These lessons work best delivered over 1–2 weeks with reflection time in between.