Enrichment · Wellbeing

Words for big feelings,
sized for small people.

Young children feel frustrated long before they can say “frustrated”. Each card gives a feeling word, what it means in a child’s words, what it looks like, a sentence to practice and one thing to try when the feeling comes.

Make a set of cardsWhat you get

Make a set of feeling word cards

The worked example is made up: a pre-K first week and a kindergarten set of bigger words. Saved on this device only.

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What you get

Enrichment · WellbeingFree

What you finish with
A set of 6, 9 or 12 feeling word cards for ages 3 to 6, each with a child-friendly meaning, what the feeling can look like, a sentence to practice and something to try, plus notes on the words children used.
Who it is for
Preschool and kindergarten teachers, child care providers, parents and caregivers of children aged 3 to 6.
Format
Browser card maker with saved sets. Prints the cards as a cut-out sheet or a list; presents one card at a time for a screen at circle time; downloads a spreadsheet (.csv); exports and imports a file.
Access
Free. No account, no sign-in and nothing to install. Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The Wellbeing space in Caveat Enrichment.
Support
Questions about access, an order or a correction: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. Start with first feelings; add next feelings and bigger words as children are ready.
  2. Read one card at a time: say the word, make the face together, and read the sentence.
  3. Ask: when have you felt this way? Accept any answer, including none.
  4. Use the word during the day when you see the feeling: you look frustrated; the puzzle is hard.
  5. Note the words children start using on their own.

Make a set of cards

Why feeling words matter early

Grow the words a step at a timeFirst feelingsHappy, sad, mad, scaredCalm, excited, tiredAges 3 and upNext feelingsFrustrated, worried,proudLonely, shy, braveAges 4 and upBigger wordsDisappointed, nervousGrateful, overwhelmedAges 5 and upGrow the words a step at a timeFirst feelingsHappy, sad, mad, scaredCalm, excited, tiredAges 3 and upNext feelingsFrustrated, worried, proudLonely, shy, braveAges 4 and upBigger wordsDisappointed, nervousGrateful, overwhelmedAges 5 and up
Drawn for this page. The ages are rough guides; children learn feeling words at very different paces.

Words before actions

A child who can say “I’m mad” has another option besides hitting. Preschoolers’ understanding of emotions has been linked to how well they get along with other children, both at the time and later in kindergarten.

Every feeling is okay

The cards call feelings comfortable or uncomfortable, not good or bad. Children can have any feeling; what we teach is what to do with it.

Model it out loud

Name your own feelings in plain words: “I feel frustrated; the printer is jammed. I am going to take a breath.” Children copy the words and the calm.

Sources

  1. Denham, S. A., et al. (2003). Preschool emotional competence: Pathway to social competence? Child Development, 74(1), 238 to 256. doi:10.1111/1467-8624.00533
  2. Lieberman, M. D., et al. (2007). Putting feelings into words: Affect labeling disrupts amygdala activity in response to affective stimuli. Psychological Science, 18(5), 421 to 428. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9280.2007.01916.x
  3. Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning (CSEFEL), Vanderbilt University: teaching young children feeling words (csefel.vanderbilt.edu).
  4. Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework (2015): Social and Emotional Development, emotional functioning (eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov).

Words, meanings and sentences were written for this page; the example sets are made up. These cards teach feeling words; they do not assess any child. Nothing you type is sent to Caveat. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.