How do you feel today? Let’s get talking…
It can sometimes be tricky to get children to open up about how they are feeling. Use our feelings emoji sheet to encourage them to share how they have felt during the day, and then our conversation starters to help them open up to you even more.
Conversation starter ideas
General
- What happened to cause this feeling?
- Can you describe the feeling?
- Which kind of situations make you feel happy, angry, sad, etc
- How did you feel when you got to school today?
- How did you feel at break time/lunchtime?
- How did it feel to see your friends?
- How did you feel about staying a small distance away from your friends?
- Tell me one thing you enjoyed about today?
- What was the best thing about today?
- What is one thing you would change about today?
- Tell me something fun you did today?
- Tell me something you did not like about today?
Happy
- What things made you feel happy?
- What was your favourite thing to do that made you feel happy?
- If you were filling a box of things that make you happy, what would you put in it?
- Can you think of some good ways to make other people feel happy?
- What do you think happiness looks/sounds/tastes/smells/feels like?
Angry
- What caused you to feel angry?
- How did you react to feeling angry?
- Did you speak to anyone about how you were feeling
- Do you know any good ways of calming down when you feel really angry?
Bored
- What could have been done better to stop you being bored?
- Can you tell me some of your favourite memories?
Worried
- If you had to draw a machine that sucked all the worries out of you, what would it look like?
- Can you tell me about some times when you felt happy and calm? What were you doing?
Sad
- What’s the kindest thing someone’s ever done for you?
- Can you tell me about some things you’re looking forward to?
- Who’s good at cheering you up? Why? What do they do that makes you feel better?
Excited
- Where in your body do you feel excitement? What is the feeling like?
- If you made up an excited dance, what would it look like?
Grumpy
- What can you see out of the window. Can you describe it to me?
- Imagine you’re a grumpy monster. What do you look like?