Exploring Feelings

Overview

Age Group: Year 2 (6-7 years old)
Class Size: 12 students
Duration: 45 minutes
Unit: Feelings and Positivity (Lesson 1 of 7)
Lesson Title: Introduction to Feelings
Subject: PSHE (Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education)

National Curriculum Links

This lesson aligns with PSHE Education Programme of Study (England, statutory from September 2020) for Key Stage 1 (Years 1 and 2):

Self-regulation and Mental Wellbeing:
- “Recognise, name and describe feelings including good and not so good feelings.”
- “Recognise what helps them to feel good, or better, and know how to ask for help.”
Learning Objectives from the PSHE Association framework (Key Stage 1):
- Identify and recognise different feelings
- Understand that it is OK to have different feelings
- Begin to express feelings and understand how behaviour affects others

Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, pupils will be able to:

Identify different feelings including comfortable (positive) and uncomfortable (negative) emotions.
Express their own feelings clearly and confidently.
Understand that everyone experiences a variety of feelings and that it’s okay to have uncomfortable emotions sometimes.
Begin to develop vocabulary to describe their emotions.

Key Vocabulary

Feelings
Comfortable feelings (happy, calm, excited)
Uncomfortable feelings (sad, angry, scared)
Express
Emotions

Resources Needed

Storybook with clear emotional content (e.g., The Colour Monster by Anna Llenas or a similarly themed, age-appropriate story you may have)
Large emotion faces cards (happy, sad, angry, scared, calm, excited)
Feeling chart / wall display
Whiteboard and markers
Drawing paper and crayons/coloured pencils
“Feelings” puppet or soft toy (to facilitate discussion)

Lesson Structure

1. Introduction and Learning Intentions (5 minutes)

Welcome pupils and explain the focus of the lesson: understanding feelings.
Share learning intentions clearly with the class: “Today, we will learn about feelings and find out how to say what we feel.”
Use simple language and check understanding by asking, “Can you say a feeling word you know?”
Refer to the feeling faces displayed in the classroom.

2. Storytelling and Feelings Identification (15 minutes)

Read a short story with clear emotional moments. Pause to ask: “How do you think the character feels here?”
Hold up emotion faces to prompt responses.
Encourage pupils to share if they have felt a similar feeling and when.
Use the puppet to “talk” to the class about its feelings to create a non-threatening environment for sharing.
Link each feeling discussed to whether it is comfortable or uncomfortable, reinforcing that it’s OK to feel both.

3. Class Discussion and Interactive Activity (10 minutes)

Ask pupils to name and describe times they have experienced comfortable and uncomfortable feelings. Model with a personal example first.
Introduce the “Feelings Wall” – a place to put emotion faces, adding examples seen in the story and from pupils’ sharing.
Play a quick game: “Feelings Charades” – pupils take turns acting out a feeling, while others guess which it is. This supports emotional vocabulary and expression.

4. Creative Expression (10 minutes)

Invite pupils to choose one feeling they have experienced recently (comfortable or uncomfortable) and draw a picture about it.
Prompt sentence to write or dictate: “I feel ___ when ___.” Teachers assist where needed.
Encourage pupils to share their drawings with a partner or with the class if comfortable.
Reinforce respect and empathy throughout sharing.

5. Plenary and Assessment (5 minutes)

Recap by asking the class to name two feelings they learned today — one comfortable and one uncomfortable.
Reinforce the message: “All feelings are okay to have, and talking about them helps.”
Teacher formative assessment: Listen to pupils’ sharing to gauge their understanding and use of vocabulary.
Provide positive feedback and encourage pupils to notice their feelings over the week.

Differentiation

For SEND/EAL pupils: Use of visual aids, repetition, and sentence starters.
For more confident learners: Encourage use of deeper vocabulary (e.g., frustrated, joyful) and to share examples in more detail.
For quieter pupils: Use the puppet for indirect sharing or paired talk before whole class sharing.

Cross-curricular Links

English: Storytelling and descriptive language development.
Art: Drawing feelings.
Drama: Roleplay/charades for feelings.

Additional Teacher Notes

Maintain a safe and respectful environment, ensuring all feelings shared are accepted without judgement.
Use positive reinforcement to build pupils’ confidence in expressing emotions.
Introduce the idea that feelings change over time, providing a foundation for lessons on coping strategies in future sessions.

Reflection and Next Steps

Plan to build on this lesson with deeper exploration of specific feelings, recognising body signals, and positive coping strategies in subsequent lessons of the unit.
Adjust subsequent lessons based on pupils' demonstrated comfort and vocabulary development around feelings.

This lesson plan strives to meet statutory PSHE guidance while providing engaging, age-appropriate learning that builds self-awareness and emotional literacy from the start of the "Feelings and Positivity" unit.

Teaching Instructions