Why Teaching Kids About Feelings Matters

✨ Teach Your Kids About Feelings With Our Free Feelings Printable ✨

As parents, we often focus on teaching our children about the world around them — colours, numbers, letters, and shapes. But what about the world within them?

Helping kids understand and talk about their feelings is just as crucial. Building emotional literacy not only nurtures their mental well-being but also strengthens their ability to navigate life’s ups and downs with resilience and confidence.

Why Emotional Literacy Matters

When children learn to identify and express their emotions, they develop essential life skills like empathy, communication, and self-regulation.

Rather than feeling overwhelmed by big emotions like anger, sadness, or frustration, they learn that these feelings are normal, valid, and manageable.

Talking openly about emotions helps kids recognise that all feelings — from joy to worry — have a place in our lives.

How To Start The Conversation

LEAD BY EXAMPLE | Share your feelings with your child. Saying, “I felt frustrated when…” or “I’m really happy because…” shows them that everyone has emotions and it’s okay to express them.

ASK OPEN ENDED QUESTIONS | Instead of “How was your day?” try “What was the best part of your day?” or “Did anything make you feel upset?” This invites them to reflect on their experiences and emotions.

USE EVERYDAY MOMENTS | Use stories or movies to explore different emotions together, e.g “How do you think that character feels right now?”

USE OUR COLOURING SHEET | It's a great prompt as it's full of different feelings for you to explore with your kids.