Lesson 1: Identifying my feelings

Recognising and naming different feelings.

New statutory RSHE guidance is here. We’re creating our brand new RSE & PSHE scheme ready for September 2026. Learn more

Learning objective

  • To name different feelings.

 

Cross-curricular links

Communication and language

ELG: Listening, Attention and Understanding

Children at the expected level of development will:

  • Listen attentively and respond to what they hear with relevant questions, comments and actions when being read to and during whole class discussions and small group interactions.

ELG: Speaking

Children at the expected level of development will:

  • Participate in small group, class and one-to-one discussions, offering their own ideas, using recently introduced vocabulary.
    Expressive Arts and Design

Expressive Arts and Design

ELG: Being Imaginative and Expressive

Children at the expected level of development will:

  • Invent, adapt and recount narratives and stories with peers and their teacher.
  • Sing a range of well-known nursery rhymes and songs.

See Statutory framework for the early years foundation stage, 2021 contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. 

EYFS outcomes

Early years foundation stage statutory framework

Personal, Social and Emotional Development

ELG: Self-regulation

Children at the expected level of development will:

  • Show an understanding of their own feelings and those of others, and begin to regulate their behaviour accordingly.

See Statutory framework for the early years foundation stage, 2021 – contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. 

Development matters

Personal, Social and Emotional development

Children in reception will be learning to:

  • Express their feelings and consider the feelings of others.
  • Identify and moderate their own feelings socially and emotionally.

Characteristics of effective learning

  • Playing and exploring.

See Development Matters (non-statutory curriculum guidance) contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. 

Before the lesson

Print

Teacher notes

Lesson plan

Adult-led task

Adaptive teaching

Adults could give support by:

  • Showing the Resource: Feelings or the Resource: Photos to prompt the children when creating faces that show different feelings.
  • Modelling the facial expression for the children to observe, encouraging them to notice what happens to the eyes, eyebrows, nose and mouth before recreating the expression themselves.
  • Encouraging the children to make different facial expressions in a mirror before recreating them using the natural materials or loose parts.
  • Sharing the Resource: Face template to help the children recreate different expressions by matching natural materials and loose parts on the template.

Key vocabulary

  • angry

  • feelings

  • happy

  • sad

  • worried

Created by:
Kapow Primary, 
RSE & PSHE specialist
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