Meaning of Emotions, Types and Reasons for Emotions for Pre-School Level 4

Class: Pre-School Level 4
Term: Second Term
Week: 6
Age: 5 years
Duration: 30 minutes
Subject: Social Habits
Curriculum Theme: Social Habits
Previous Lesson: Children’s social interactions and feelings.
Topic: EMOTIONS: Meaning, Types and Reasons for Emotions
Subject Matter: EMOTIONS – Meaning of emotions. – Types of emotions. – Reasons for different emotions.

Specific Objectives

By the end of the lesson, pupils should be able to:

Cognitive Domain

• Define emotion in simple terms.
• Identify different types of emotions such as happy, sad, angry, and tired.
• State simple reasons why people feel happy, sad, angry, or tired.

Affective Domain

• Express their own feelings respectfully.
• Show empathy towards others’ emotions.
• Participate actively in discussions about feelings.

Psychomotor Domain

• Role-play different emotions with appropriate facial expressions and body language.
• Point to pictures showing various emotions.

Social Domain

• Share their feelings with peers and the teacher.
• Understand that it is okay to feel different emotions.

Reference Materials

• NAPPS National Unified Teaching Scheme for Pre-School Level 4
• Early Childhood Care and Education resources

Instructional Materials

• Charts and posters showing people expressing different emotions (e.g., happy, sad, angry, tired, surprised, scared).
• Emotion flashcards.
• A small mirror.
• Storybook with characters showing various emotions.

Rationale for the Lesson

Understanding emotions is crucial for children’s social and emotional development. This lesson helps 5-year-olds recognise and name their own feelings and those of others, fostering empathy and teaching them appropriate ways to express themselves, which is vital for healthy relationships and self-regulation.

Prerequisite/Previous Knowledge

Pupils have some basic understanding of feelings and have experienced various situations that make them feel good or not so good.

Lesson Content/Board Summary

EMOTIONS: Meaning, Types and Reasons for Emotions

What are Emotions?

• Emotions are how we feel inside. They are feelings that come from our hearts and minds.
• We can show our emotions with our faces, our bodies, and our words.

Types of Emotions:

1. Happy/Joyful: Feeling good, cheerful, excited.
2. Sad: Feeling unhappy, down, like crying.
3. Angry: Feeling frustrated, upset, like shouting.
4. Tired: Feeling sleepy, low on energy, needing rest.
5. Surprised: Feeling shocked or amazed by something unexpected.
6. Scared: Feeling afraid or frightened.

Reasons for Different Emotions:

• Happy/Joyful:
  • When you play with friends.
  • When you get a new toy.
  • When someone gives you a hug.
  • When you eat your favourite food.
• Sad:
  • When you miss your mummy or daddy.
  • When your toy breaks.
  • When you fall down and hurt yourself.
  • When a friend is unkind.
• Angry:
  • When someone takes your toy without asking.
  • When you cannot do something you want to do.
  • When someone pushes you.
• Tired:
  • After playing for a long time.
  • When it is time for bed.
  • When you have not slept well.

Key Words

• Emotion – how we feel inside.
• Happy – feeling good.
• Sad – feeling unhappy.
• Angry – feeling upset.
• Tired – feeling sleepy or needing rest.

What the Teacher Should Show or Draw

• Display charts and posters of different emotion faces.
• Use emotion flashcards to demonstrate each feeling.
• Draw simple smiley, sad, angry, and tired faces on the board.

Emotions Song

Tune: “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star”

Lyrics:

Happy, happy, yes I am,
Smiling face, I clap my hands.
Sad, sad, I might cry,
Tears can roll from my eye.
Angry, angry, I feel mad,
But I won’t be mean or bad.
Tired, tired, time for rest,
Feelings help me do my best!

Actions:

• Happy: Smile, clap hands.
• Sad: Make a sad face, pretend to wipe a tear.
• Angry: Make an angry face, cross arms gently.
• Tired: Yawn, rub eyes.

How to use the rhyme: Sing the song together, encouraging pupils to make the corresponding facial expressions and actions for each emotion. Repeat several times.

Watch and Learn About Feelings

The teacher will show a short video about different feelings and how they look.

Teaching Methods/Instructional Techniques

Play-based Learning, Demonstration, Guided Practice, Songs and Rhymes, Storytelling, Picture Talk, Question and Answer, Role-play, Imitation, Practical Activity.

Instructional Procedures

Step 1: Introduction

Time: 3 minutes

Teaching Skill: Engagement/Recall

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher greets the pupils warmly and asks them, “How are you feeling today?” The teacher sings a short “Hello” song and encourages pupils to share their current mood.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils respond to the greeting, sing along, and may share how they are feeling (e.g., “I am happy,” “I am fine”).

Learning Point: Pupils are engaged and begin to think about their feelings.

Step 2: Meaning of Emotions

Time: 4 minutes

Teaching Skill: Explanation/Visual Aid

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher explains in simple terms that emotions are how we feel inside our bodies and minds. “Sometimes we feel happy, sometimes we feel sad, sometimes we feel angry. These are all called emotions.” The teacher shows a chart with different emotion faces.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen attentively and observe the emotion charts. They may point to a face that shows how they feel right now.

Learning Point: Pupils understand that emotions are feelings we have.

Step 3: Types of Emotions (Happy/Joyful)

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Demonstration/Role-play

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher introduces “happy” or “joyful” emotion. “When do you feel happy? I feel happy when I see your smiling faces!” The teacher shows a picture of a happy child and demonstrates a happy face and body language. The teacher asks pupils to make a happy face and clap their hands.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils identify the happy face, make happy faces, and clap their hands. They may share simple reasons why they feel happy (e.g., “I am happy when I play”).

Learning Point: Pupils recognise and can express happiness.

Step 4: Types of Emotions (Sad, Angry, Tired)

Time: 6 minutes

Teaching Skill: Guided Practice/Discussion

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher introduces “sad,” “angry,” and “tired” emotions one by one, using pictures and demonstrating each expression. For each emotion, the teacher asks, “When do people feel sad/angry/tired?” and provides simple, relatable examples (e.g., “You might feel sad if your toy breaks,” “You might feel angry if someone pushes you,” “You might feel tired after running around”). The teacher guides pupils to role-play each emotion.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils identify the emotions from pictures, make sad, angry, and tired faces, and practice the body language. They mention simple reasons for these emotions.

Learning Point: Pupils recognise and can express sad, angry, and tired emotions and understand common reasons for them.

Step 5: Rhyme and Video Reinforcement

Time: 4 minutes

Teaching Skill: Song/Visual Learning

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher leads pupils in singing the “Emotions Song” from the Board Summary, encouraging them to perform the actions for each feeling. Afterwards, the teacher shows the short video about feelings to reinforce the concepts visually and audibly.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils sing the song with actions and watch the video, repeating the names of emotions they hear or see.

Learning Point: Pupils reinforce their understanding of emotions through song and video.

Step 6: Role-play and Discussion on Expressing Emotions

Time: 4 minutes

Teaching Skill: Role-play/Social Skills

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher gives different scenarios (e.g., “Your friend shares a biscuit with you,” “Someone takes your crayon,” “You are sleepy after break time”). For each scenario, the teacher asks, “How would you feel?” and “What can you do?” The teacher guides pupils to role-play the emotion and discuss appropriate ways to express it (e.g., “Say ‘thank you’,” “Say ‘please give it back’,” “Tell the teacher you are tired”). The teacher emphasises that it’s okay to feel all emotions, but we must express them respectfully.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen to scenarios, role-play the emotions, and suggest appropriate actions or words to express their feelings.

Learning Point: Pupils practice expressing emotions and learn respectful ways to communicate their feelings.

Step 7: Evaluation/Review

Time: 4 minutes

Teaching Skill: Questioning/Assessment

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher checks pupils’ understanding through short questions and practical tasks.

1. “What is an emotion?” (Teacher guides if needed: “It’s how we feel inside.”)
2. “Show me a happy face!” (Teacher observes.)
3. “Show me a sad face!” (Teacher observes.)
4. The teacher holds up different emotion flashcards and asks, “What emotion is this?”
5. “Tell me one reason why someone might feel happy/sad/angry/tired.”

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils respond orally and demonstrate the required skill where appropriate.

Learning Point: Pupils demonstrate understanding of the lesson.

Step 8: Conclusion

Time: 2 minutes

Teaching Skill: Summary/Reinforcement

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher summarises the lesson by reminding pupils that everyone has emotions and it’s good to talk about how we feel. The teacher encourages them to always try to be joyful and to share their feelings with a trusted adult when they are sad or angry.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen and repeat key phrases like “It’s okay to feel.”

Learning Point: Pupils understand the importance of acknowledging and communicating their feelings.

Lesson Keywords

• Emotion – how we feel inside.
• Happy – feeling good and joyful.
• Sad – feeling unhappy.
• Angry – feeling upset or mad.
• Tired – feeling sleepy and needing rest.

Differentiation

• Support for Slower Learners: Provide larger, clearer emotion pictures. Focus on identifying only two primary emotions (happy and sad) initially. Use more repetition and hand-over-hand guidance for role-playing expressions. Allow them to point rather than verbalise.
• Extension for Quicker Learners: Encourage them to identify more complex emotions (e.g., surprised, excited, shy). Ask them to describe a personal experience that made them feel a certain way. Challenge them to suggest different ways to help a friend who is feeling sad or angry.

Note for teachers using this lesson plan

Before the lesson, prepare your emotion charts, flashcards, and ensure the video link is working. A small mirror can be very helpful for pupils to see their own expressions as they role-play. Encourage a safe and open classroom environment where children feel comfortable sharing their feelings without judgment. Emphasise that all emotions are normal, but how we express them matters. For angry feelings, guide pupils towards healthy coping mechanisms like taking deep breaths, counting to three, or telling an adult, rather than shouting or hitting. Observe pupils’ facial expressions and body language during activities to gauge their understanding and comfort levels.