Lessons·life-skills·kids · intermediate
My Feelings Matter
Learn to name your feelings, understand what happens in your body when emotions are big, and discover healthy ways to handle them.
About 20 minutes
Have you ever felt two feelings at the same time — like excited AND scared?
Before you start
Watch How to Deal With Emotions by BBC Teach (5 min) — Notice how different feelings show up in your body. Does your tummy feel funny when you're nervous? Do your hands clench when you're angry?
- How many different feelings can you name? Try to write down at least 8.
- Think about yesterday — what feelings did you have? What caused them?
- When you feel really angry, what do you usually do?
Sam's Big Day
Sam woke up on Monday morning. Today was the school play! He had the main part. His tummy felt like it was full of butterflies. Was he excited? Was he scared? Actually, he was both — and that's completely normal.
At breakfast, his sister took the last piece of toast. Sam felt a flash of anger. 'That's not fair!' he shouted. His mum said gently, 'I can see you're feeling cross. Take a deep breath and tell me what happened.'
Sam took a breath. The anger got smaller. He said, 'I'm nervous about the play, and I really wanted that toast.' His mum smiled. 'That makes sense. You're feeling a lot of feelings today, aren't you?'
Naming his feelings helped Sam understand them. And understanding them helped him feel better.
The Feelings Thermometer
Imagine a thermometer — but instead of temperature, it measures how BIG your feelings are.
**Level 1 — Calm:** Everything is fine. You feel relaxed and happy.
**Level 2 — A bit wobbly:** Something has bothered you. You feel a little annoyed or a bit worried.
**Level 3 — Getting hot:** Your feelings are getting bigger. Your heart might beat faster. You might feel like shouting.
**Level 4 — Boiling!** Your feelings are VERY big. You might cry, shout, or want to run away.
The trick is to notice when you're at Level 2, BEFORE you reach Level 4. That's when you can use your calming tools — deep breaths, counting to ten, squeezing your hands, or telling a grown-up how you feel.
What You Now Know
- Naming Feelings
- When you give a feeling a name — like 'angry' or 'nervous' — it becomes easier to understand and manage.Instead of shouting, Sam said 'I'm feeling cross' — and he felt a little bit better straight away.
- Feelings in Your Body
- Feelings aren't just in your head — they show up in your body too.Butterflies in your tummy (nervous), tight fists (angry), warm feeling in your chest (happy).
- The Feelings Thermometer
- A way to measure how big your feelings are, from 1 (calm) to 4 (boiling).If you notice you're at Level 2, you can use a calming tool before you reach Level 4.
- Calming Tools
- Things you can do when feelings get too big — like deep breaths, counting, or talking to someone.When Sam felt angry about the toast, he took a deep breath and his anger got smaller.
Let's Talk About It
- What does your body do when you feel angry? Nervous? Excited?
- Is it OK to feel angry? What about sad? Are any feelings 'bad'?
- What calming tools work best for you? Can you teach one to the group?
- Why do you think it helps to NAME your feelings out loud?
Feelings Vocabulary
| English | Türkçe |
|---|---|
| chuffedI was absolutely chuffed when I got picked for the team! | çok memnunTakıma seçildiğimde mutluluktan havalara uçtum! |
| guttedI was gutted when the match was cancelled. | çok üzgünMaç iptal edilince moralim acayip bozuldu! |
| crossMum was really cross when I forgot my homework. | kızgınÖdevimi unutunca annem bana çok kızdı. |
| nervousI felt nervous before my first day at the new school. | gergin / heyecanlıYeni okulumdaki ilk günümden önce kendimi çok gergin hissettim. |
| brilliantThe school play was brilliant — everyone clapped! | harikaOkul gösterisi harikaydı — herkes alkışladı! |
| overwhelmedThere was so much homework, I felt overwhelmed. |
Writing task
Write about 80 words on this and have it marked, with corrections. Free account needed.
Discuss this in English
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