Naming Basic Emotions
Name and recognise basic emotions — happy, sad, angry, scared, excited, and surprised — in themselves and in others by looking at facial expressions and body language
Lesson
Set out your lesson
“Feelings have names. Faces, body clues, and situations can help us choose a word such as happy, sad, angry, scared, or calm.”
Bring to the table
- Paper
- Crayons or pencil
Extra for the adult
Worked example. Someone whose toy broke might feel sad; tears or low energy can be clues, although people show feelings differently.
Optional challenge. Name two feelings a person might have in the same situation and explain why.
What to notice. Save a photo of the feeling faces, or a short note recording two feelings and clues your child identified.
Share and support
Compare teaching approaches
Teaching approaches
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1 approach
Feelings have names. Faces, body clues, and situations can help us choose a word such as happy, sad, angry, scared, or calm.
Make five simple feeling faces, match each to a short situation, and name one body clue that might go with it.
Family records and proof options
Keep a record of your learning
Save photos, notes, and attendance. Export a proof packet for compliance or portfolio reviews.
Practice this concept
Start practiceNaming emotions practice
Match everyday situations to basic emotion words in a short, deterministic practice round.
Free · no login · no ads · Practice answers and completion are not saved. Parent observation remains the lesson record.
Learning resources
Extra practice links — they do not replace Gakuva’s teaching approach.
NIMH · Practice link — not the full lesson
Children and Mental Health
Before you open · source notes
Children and Mental Health supports Naming Basic Emotions. An adult previews and guides; this is a learning page, not a scored quiz.
Free educational page, no sign-in required for the tested path.
Before you openAsk the learner one fact they learned and one question they still have.
Opening this link does not save learning or assess mastery.
Source, access and review notes
Public NIMH page. An anonymous GET on 2026-11-12 returned HTTP 200 with no login or payment prompt for this URL. Opening the link does not save practice or assess mastery. An adult should preview and guide the learner.
NIMH. “Children and Mental Health.” External page; Gakuva does not copy, host, embed, or redistribute materials.
Unknown — link only
Check understanding
- Label at least five basic emotions from pictures or real situations
- Match facial expressions to emotion words in a sorting activity
- Say 'I feel ___' using a correct emotion word when asked about their own day
“If your child sees a friend crying at a birthday party, can they tell you what that friend might be feeling and name the emotion?”
Curriculum record
- Type
- Language
- Subject
- Personal & Social Development
- Domain
- Emotional Literacy
- Age range
- Ages 5–13
Standards