Understanding Our Emotions

Lesson Details

• Subject: PSHE
• Year Group: Year 2
• Lesson Duration: 40 minutes
• Class Size: 8 students
• UK Curriculum Area: Relationships Education (KS1) – Recognising and Understanding Emotions

Learning Objectives

By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:

• Recognise and name different emotions.
• Understand what might cause different emotions.
• Express their own feelings appropriately.
• Develop empathy by identifying emotions in others.

Resources Needed

• Emotion flashcards (illustrations and words)
• Mirror (for facial expression practice)
• Whiteboard and markers
• Small handheld mirrors (one per student)

Lesson Breakdown

1. Introduction – Feeling Check-In (5 mins)

• Greet students warmly and encourage them to share how they feel using a simple thumbs-up, thumbs-sideways, or thumbs-down gesture.
• Brief discussion: "Why do we have different feelings throughout the day?"
• Introduce today's topic: understanding emotions using flashcards.

2. Exploring Emotions – Flashcard Activity (10 mins)

• Show emotion flashcards one by one (happy, sad, angry, worried, excited, surprised, tired).
• Ask students: "Can you name this feeling?" Discuss each in simple terms and give an example (e.g., feeling happy when playing with a friend).
• Encourage students to mimic the facial expression shown on the flashcard using mirrors.

3. Emotion Matching Game – Pair Work (10 mins)

• Hand out flashcards face down—each student gets a card.
• Ask students to walk around the room and find someone expressing the same emotion.
• Once paired, students discuss a time they felt that way.
• Whole-class reflection: "How easy was it to recognise each other’s feelings?"

4. Scenario Role-Play (10 mins)

• Read out short scenario cards (e.g., "Tom lost his favourite toy" or "Mia’s mum surprised her with a treat").
• Students act out how they think the person would feel and show expressions accordingly.
• Class discussion: "What can we do when someone feels this way?" (Encouraging empathy).

5. Reflection & Calm Down Activity (5 mins)

• Briefly revisit the flashcards: "Which emotion was the easiest to recognise? Which was trickiest?"
• Introduce ‘Emotion Breathing’: Each student holds an imaginary balloon and takes a slow deep breath in, then slowly blows the balloon up (for emotional regulation).
• Ask students to share one thing they learned about emotions today.

Teacher Notes

• Ensure that students feel safe sharing emotions without judgment.
• Model empathy by validating student responses (e.g., “That’s a really great example of feeling excited!”).
• Reinforce that all emotions are okay, but how we respond to them is important.

Assessment & Follow-Up

• Informal observation: Are students able to correctly name emotions during activities?
• Exit question: “Can you tell me one positive way to help a friend who feels sad?”
• Follow-up lesson idea: Exploring how our body reacts to emotions (e.g., heart beating fast when nervous).

This engaging, interactive approach ensures that Year 2 students learn about emotions in a way that is both meaningful and fun! 🎭✨