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Naming Our Feelings

Learn the words for happy, sad, angry, scared, surprised and calm, and practise spotting each feeling in yourself.

  • Define and explain Naming Our Feelings in your own words
  • Use key terms such as body clue accurately
  • Apply what you have learned to new examples and questions
  • Avoid the common mistakes learners make with this topic

Feelings are like the weather inside your mind — they change all the time, and every one of them is normal. In this chapter you will learn the words for your emotions, find out what they are trying to tell you, and practise sharing them in kind, safe ways.

This lesson focuses on Naming Our Feelings: learn the words for happy, sad, angry, scared, surprised and calm, and practise spotting each feeling in yourself.

Definition: Naming Our Feelings

Learn the words for happy, sad, angry, scared, surprised and calm, and practise spotting each feeling in yourself.

Key ideas

You can choose your actions

You cannot always choose your feelings, but you can choose what you do with them. Shouting or hitting hurts other people, while using words, taking a pause, or asking for help keeps everyone safe. Practising this choice is a skill that gets easier over time.

Feelings are messages

Every feeling is trying to tell you something. Anger can mean something feels unfair, sadness can mean you need comfort, and nervousness can mean you want to be careful. When you listen to the message, you can decide what to do next instead of just reacting.

Key term — body clue: A signal in your body that shows a feeling, like a wobbly tummy when you are nervous or hot cheeks when you are angry.

Worked example: Naming Our Feelings

Name three feelings and one body clue for each.

Answers vary, but could include: happy → smiling and bouncy energy; nervous → wobbly tummy; angry → hot face and clenched fists.

Answer: Answers vary, but could include: happy → smiling and bouncy energy; nervous → wobbly tummy; angry → hot face and clenched fists.

Common mistakes
  • Feelings you hide will just go away Hidden feelings usually grow bigger and pop out later. Naming a feeling out loud or drawing it helps it shrink.
  • You should always cheer someone up straight away Jumping to fix a feeling can make someone feel unheard. Listening first and showing you understand usually helps much more.

Practice

Why might hiding your feelings make things worse?
Think about what happens to a feeling you never name.

Hidden feelings tend to grow and burst out later, often at the wrong moment. Naming them helps them settle.

True or false: it is okay to feel angry sometimes.
Think about whether anger is a message or a misbehaviour.

True. Anger is a normal feeling; what matters is expressing it safely.

Name two calm-down tools you could use when a big feeling arrives.
Think of things that slow your body down.

Any two: slow breathing, counting to ten, drawing the feeling, squeezing a soft toy, asking a trusted adult for help.

What is empathy?
It starts with noticing how someone else feels.

Noticing how someone else feels and caring about it.

Quick check

Naming Our Feelings — quick check

Which of these best defines "body clue"?

A signal in your body that shows a feeling, like a wobbly tummy when you are nervous or hot cheeks when you are angry.

Your friend is crying because she lost her toy. What could you say to show empathy?

Something like: 'You seem really sad about losing your toy. That sounds upsetting. Would you like help looking for it?'.
Key takeaways
  • Naming Our Feelings: learn the words for happy, sad, angry, scared, surprised and calm, and practise spotting each feeling in yourself.
  • You can choose your actions: You cannot always choose your feelings, but you can choose what you do with them.
  • calm-down tool: Something you can do to feel steadier when a big feeling arrives, such as slow breathing, drawing, or asking a trusted adult for help.
  • Watch out for: feelings you hide will just go away
What Feelings Are For →Back to Grade 7 chaptersRelated resources →