Feelings And Kindness

Summary

Students learn to name their own feelings, recognize strong or uncomfortable feelings, and ask a trusted adult for help. This chapter also covers kindness, kind and unkind behavior, and including others.

Concepts Covered

1. Feelings
2. Naming Feelings
3. Strong Feelings
4. Asking For Help
5. Prolonged Sadness
6. Kindness
7. Kind Behavior
8. Unkind Behavior
9. Including Others
10. Emotions Vocabulary

Prerequisites

Builds on Chapter 1: Health And Food for the foundational idea of health, and Chapter 2: Family And Trusted Adults for the Trusted Adult concept used when asking for help.

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Teacher Notes: How to Use This Chapter

This chapter is written for you, the teacher, to read aloud, narrate, and guide from — kindergartners are not expected to read this page independently. Use the text below as a script or a source of talking points while your class explores the pictures and MicroSims. Every interactive element is designed for a child to click, drag, or point at while you talk them through it.

How Are You Feeling Today?

Hi, friend! Today we're going to talk about feelings — the happy ones, the wobbly ones, and everything in between. We'll also talk about kindness, and how the smallest kind action can make someone's whole day better. Let's think it through together!

What Are Feelings?

A feeling is something happening inside a person's body and mind, like happy, sad, mad, or scared. Everyone has feelings, every single day — feelings are not good or bad, they just tell us something about what is happening around us.

Talking points for read-aloud:

• Ask the class: "What is one feeling you had today?"
• Explain that a feeling can change quickly — a child might feel excited, then a little worried, all in one morning.
• Remind students that having a feeling is never wrong. What matters is what we do with the feeling.

Big Idea

Feelings are like weather inside of you — sunny, stormy, cloudy, calm. Weather always changes, and so do feelings!

Diagram: Feelings Weather Station

Feelings Weather Station Interactive Poster

Type: infographic poster-id: feelings-weather-station
Library: p5.js
Status: Published

Eight weather-like feelings, body clues, and moments when a trusted adult can help.

Use Explore mode to select a numbered marker and learn more. Use Quiz mode to practice finding each idea in the illustration.

Naming Feelings

Naming feelings means putting a word to what you feel inside, like saying "I feel happy" or "I feel frustrated." Naming a feeling out loud helps a child calm down and helps a trusted adult understand how to help.

The following table gives a few common feeling words a Kindergartner can practice naming, paired with a simple face clue a teacher can act out:

Feeling Word	Face or Body Clue
Happy	Big smile, bouncy body
Sad	Downturned mouth, slow movements
Mad	Furrowed eyebrows, tight fists
Scared	Wide eyes, freezing still
Calm	Relaxed shoulders, slow breathing

Diagram: Name That Feeling!

Name That Feeling! MicroSim

Type: microsim sim-id: name-that-feeling
Library: p5.js
Status: Specified

Bloom Taxonomy: Remember (L1) Bloom Taxonomy Verb: name, identify, recognize

Learning objective: Students name a feeling shown on a large friendly face by clicking the matching word/icon button, building the skill of Naming Feelings and expanding their Emotions Vocabulary.

Canvas layout: - Top area (280px): One large, simple, friendly cartoon face displayed at a time, showing a clear expression (big smile, tears, furrowed brow, wide eyes, or relaxed calm face) - Bottom area (170px): Five large buttons in a row, each with a word and a small matching icon: "Happy," "Sad," "Mad," "Scared," "Calm" - Bottom strip (50px): Score display ("You named 3 feelings!") and a Reset button

Visual elements: - 10 faces cycling one at a time, covering all five feeling words at least twice, drawn in a warm, simple, non-scary cartoon style - Buttons highlight in a soft color when hovered: yellow for Happy, blue for Sad, red for Mad, purple for Scared, green for Calm

Interactive controls: - Click: child taps the button matching the face's feeling - Button: "Reset" to start over - Button: "Next Face" appears automatically after each answer

Default parameters: - First face shown: a big smiling face (Happy) - Faces appear in a fixed friendly order so a teacher can predict what is coming next

Behavior: - When the correct button is clicked, the face nods, a cheerful chime plays, and the score increases by one - When an incorrect button is clicked, the face gently shakes side to side and the correct button glows so the child can try again — no harsh error sound or red X - After all 10 faces are shown, display a celebration message: "Great job! You know so many feeling words!"

Instructional Rationale: This is a Remember-level (name/identify) objective for pre-readers, so a simple click-to-match pattern with icon-supported buttons is appropriate — it does not require independent reading and gives immediate, forgiving feedback.

Implementation notes: Use p5.js. Store each face as an image or vector drawing tagged with its correct feeling word. Keep all button text large (28px+) and pair every word with an icon since this is a read-aloud/pre-reader audience.

Helpful Tip

You can help a child name a feeling by asking, "Does your tummy feel jumpy? Does your face feel hot?" Bodies often tell us about a feeling before words do.

Strong Feelings

A strong feeling is a feeling that is big and can feel uncomfortable, like being very scared, very angry, or very sad. Strong feelings can happen when something surprising, unfair, or scary happens. Everybody has strong feelings sometimes — even grown-ups!

A short list of situations that can cause strong feelings, useful for classroom discussion:

• Being teased or left out by other children
• A loud, sudden noise or a scary storm
• Getting hurt or seeing someone else get hurt
• A big change at home, like moving or a new sibling
• Losing a favorite toy or a pet

When a strong feeling shows up, a child's body might get a fast heartbeat, hot cheeks, or shaky hands. That is the body's normal way of reacting — it does not mean anything is wrong with the child.

Asking For Help

Asking for help means telling a trusted adult when a feeling is too big to handle alone. This is one of the most important skills in this whole chapter: no child should ever have to sit with a strong, uncomfortable feeling by themselves.

Remind the class that a trusted adult — like the parents, teachers, and community helpers they met in Chapter 2 — is always ready to listen. Asking for help is never something to be embarrassed about; it is a brave, smart thing to do.

Talking points for read-aloud:

• Practice the exact words a child could say: "I feel scared, can you help me?" or "My tummy hurts because I'm worried."
• Explain that a trusted adult would much rather be asked ten small questions than have a child stay quiet about a big worry.
• Remind students that asking for help works for any feeling — happy feelings too! Sharing joy with a trusted adult makes it even better.

Diagram: Who Can I Tell?

Who Can I Tell? Interactive Scenario MicroSim

Type: microsim sim-id: who-can-i-tell
Library: p5.js
Status: Specified

Bloom Taxonomy: Apply (L3) Bloom Taxonomy Verb: practice, demonstrate

Learning objective: Students practice the action of Asking For Help by choosing a trusted adult to tell about a strong feeling shown in a simple picture scenario.

Canvas layout: - Top area (200px): A simple illustrated scene showing a child experiencing a strong feeling (e.g., a child looking scared during a thunderstorm, or a child looking sad after being left out at recess), with a read-aloud caption below it - Middle area (200px): Three large pictures of trusted adults the child could tell (e.g., teacher, parent, school nurse), each in its own button-like frame - Bottom strip (100px): A large "Tell Them!" confirmation button and a Reset button

Visual elements: - 6 simple scenario illustrations cycling one at a time, each paired with one clear caption read aloud by the teacher, such as "This child feels scared. Who can they tell?" - Trusted adult pictures reused from the Chapter 2 trusted-adult set for visual consistency

Interactive controls: - Click: child selects one trusted adult picture in response to the scenario - Button: "Tell Them!" confirms the choice - Button: "Reset" to try a new scenario

Default parameters: - First scenario: a child feeling scared during a loud thunderstorm - Any of the three trusted adult choices is accepted as correct for every scenario, reinforcing that more than one trusted adult can always help

Behavior: - After the child clicks a trusted adult and presses "Tell Them!", a short warm animation shows the trusted adult kneeling down to listen, and a caption appears: "Great choice! Telling a trusted adult about a strong feeling always helps." - No answer is ever marked wrong — the sim always affirms the choice, because the learning goal is practicing the act of telling, not picking one "correct" person - After all 6 scenarios are complete, show a celebration message: "You know just what to do with a big feeling — tell someone you trust!"

Instructional Rationale: This is an Apply-level objective (practicing a real behavior in a scenario), so a scenario-based choice pattern is appropriate. Because the true goal is building the habit of asking for help — not testing which specific adult is "right" — the sim intentionally accepts every reasonable choice rather than scoring correctness.

Implementation notes: Use p5.js. Store scenarios as objects containing an illustration reference and a caption string. Keep interactions extremely simple (single click, single confirm) for pre-reader independence during play, while the teacher reads captions aloud.

Prolonged Sadness

Sometimes a strong feeling does not go away after a little while — it stays for many days. This is called prolonged sadness: feeling sad, worried, or upset for a long time instead of just for a little while.

If a Feeling Stays a Long Time

Most feelings come and go, like clouds passing by. But sometimes sadness or worry stays for many days in a row. If that happens to you, it is not your fault, and you are not alone. Telling a trusted adult when a feeling stays a long time is one of the most important things you can ever do. A trusted adult can help, and things can get better.

Guidance for teachers on this concept:

• This is sensitive content. Keep the tone calm, sincere, and reassuring — this is not the place for playful or dog-themed phrasing.
• Explain simply: "If you feel sad almost every day for many days, that is important to tell a trusted adult about, just like you would tell someone about a tummy ache that won't go away."
• Reassure the class that grown-ups have ways to help when sadness stays a long time, and that talking about it is always the right first step.
• This concept is an early, age-appropriate bridge toward mental health topics students will learn more about in later grades. The goal here is only: notice a feeling that stays a long time, and tell a trusted adult.

Emotions Vocabulary

Building an emotions vocabulary means learning more and more words for feelings, beyond just happy, sad, mad, and scared. The more feeling words a child knows, the easier it is to tell a trusted adult exactly what is going on inside.

A short list of additional emotion words a teacher can introduce gradually, one or two at a time:

• Excited — a bouncy, eager happy feeling
• Frustrated — feeling stuck and annoyed when something is hard
• Proud — feeling good about something you did
• Lonely — feeling like you want company
• Nervous — a wobbly feeling before something new

Before moving to the next MicroSim, let's define one more term: a match in the activity below means the feeling word on a card and the feeling shown on a picture card describe the same feeling.

Diagram: Feelings Word Match

Feelings Word Match MicroSim

Type: microsim sim-id: feelings-word-match
Library: p5.js
Status: Specified

Bloom Taxonomy: Remember (L1) Bloom Taxonomy Verb: match, recall, identify

Learning objective: Students expand their Emotions Vocabulary by matching feeling-word cards to picture cards showing a face with that expression.

Canvas layout: - Left column (250px): Five picture cards, each showing a simple face expressing one emotion (happy, excited, frustrated, proud, lonely) - Right column (250px): Five word cards in scrambled order, each showing one feeling word read aloud by the teacher - Bottom strip (60px): Score display ("4 of 5 matched!") and a Reset button

Visual elements: - Picture cards and word cards both have a distinct pastel background color that is consistent between a matching pair once solved, so children get a visual reward for pairing correctly - A connecting line is drawn between matched pairs once solved

Interactive controls: - Drag-and-drop or tap-tap-to-connect: child selects a picture card, then selects the word card they think matches - Button: "Reset" to shuffle and start again

Default parameters: - Cards appear in a shuffled but fixed starting layout for the first play so a teacher can preview it - Only 5 pairs shown at once to avoid overwhelming a pre-reader audience

Behavior: - When a correct pair is selected, both cards glow gold, a soft chime plays, and a line connects them permanently - When an incorrect pair is selected, both cards gently shake and return to their unselected state — no harsh error sound - After all 5 pairs are matched, show a celebration message: "Wow, look at all the feeling words you know!"

Instructional Rationale: This is a Remember-level (recall/match) objective, so a matching-pairs pattern is appropriate — it reinforces new vocabulary through repetition and visual pairing rather than requiring the child to read or write independently.

Implementation notes: Use p5.js. Store each pair as linked objects with a shared "pairId." Keep all card text large (26px+) and always paired with a picture, since this is a read-aloud/pre-reader audience.

Kindness

Kindness means treating others in a warm, caring, and helpful way. Kindness is a choice a person makes, and it is one of the most powerful things a Kindergartner can practice every single day. Kindness is like planting a tiny seed — even a small kind action, like sharing a crayon, can grow into a really good day for someone else.

Kind Behavior and Unkind Behavior

Kind behavior is an action that helps someone feel good, safe, or included, such as sharing, saying something nice, or helping a friend who fell down. Unkind behavior is an action that hurts someone's feelings or makes them feel bad, such as teasing, grabbing a toy, or saying mean words.

The following table compares a few examples of kind and unkind behavior side by side, useful for a classroom sorting discussion:

Situation	Kind Behavior	Unkind Behavior
A friend falls down	Ask "Are you okay?" and help them up	Laugh or walk away
Someone wants to play	Say "Yes, come play with us!"	Say "No, go away"
A classmate is crying	Sit with them and offer comfort	Ignore them
Sharing crayons	Offer to take turns	Grab all the crayons

Before this next activity, let's define one term the sim will use: a scenario is a short pretend story or picture that shows two children in a situation, so the class can decide what happens next.

Diagram: Kind or Unkind?

Kind or Unkind? Sorting MicroSim

Type: microsim sim-id: kind-or-unkind
Library: p5.js
Status: Specified

Bloom Taxonomy: Analyze (L4) Bloom Taxonomy Verb: distinguish, sort, compare

Learning objective: Students distinguish Kind Behavior from Unkind Behavior by sorting illustrated scenario cards into two labeled bins.

Canvas layout: - Top area (250px): One simple illustrated scenario card shown at a time, depicting two children in a situation (e.g., one child sharing a toy, or one child grabbing a toy away), with a read-aloud caption - Bottom area (200px): Two large labeled bins side by side: "Kind" (green, with a smiling sun icon) and "Unkind" (gray, with a raincloud icon) - Bottom strip (50px): Score display ("You sorted 5 scenarios!") and a Reset button

Visual elements: - 10 scenario cards cycling one at a time, evenly split between clearly kind and clearly unkind actions, drawn in a simple, warm, non-judgmental cartoon style - Bins glow softly when a card is dragged over them

Interactive controls: - Drag-and-drop: child drags the scenario card into the bin they believe matches - Button: "Reset" to start over - Button: "Next Scenario" appears after each placement

Default parameters: - First scenario: two children sharing a toy (Kind) - Scenarios appear in a fixed friendly order so a teacher can predict what is coming next

Behavior: - When a card is placed in the correct bin, the bin glows green, a cheerful chime plays, and the score increases by one - When a card is placed in the incorrect bin, the card gently slides back to the top and the teacher is prompted with a discussion question, such as "How do you think the other child felt?" - After all 10 scenarios are sorted, show a celebration message: "You really know the difference between kind and unkind!"

Instructional Rationale: This is an Analyze-level objective because the child must examine a small scenario and distinguish which behavior category it belongs to, rather than simply recalling a definition. The forgiving retry behavior keeps the activity appropriate for a pre-reader audience while still requiring a real comparison judgment.

Implementation notes: Use p5.js. Represent each scenario as an object with an illustration reference, a correct category, and an optional discussion prompt string. Keep all captions read-aloud length (one short sentence).

Helpful Tip

A kind action does not have to be big. A smile, a "you can play with us," or letting a friend go first are all kind behaviors that count!

Including Others

Including others means making sure everyone nearby feels invited to join in, instead of being left out. Including others is one of the clearest ways a Kindergartner can show kindness during play.

A short list of ways to include others, useful for classroom modeling:

• Inviting a child who is playing alone to join the game
• Making room in a circle or at a table for one more friend
• Choosing teams so that everyone gets picked kindly, not left for last
• Asking a new student to sit together at lunch

Diagram: Kindness Makes Room

Kindness Makes Room Interactive Poster

Type: infographic poster-id: kindness-makes-room
Library: p5.js
Status: Published

A four-step playground story about noticing, inviting, including, and repairing.

Use Explore mode to select a section and learn more. Use Quiz Me mode to practice finding each idea in the illustration.

Chapter Complete!

You did it, friend! You now know how to name your feelings, ask a trusted adult for help with a big feeling, and show kindness by including others. Healthy choices, happy you — see you in the next chapter!

Wrap-Up for Teachers

By the end of this chapter, most Kindergartners should be able to name a feeling on their own face or a classmate's face, recall that asking a trusted adult for help is the right response to a strong or long-lasting feeling, and identify an example of kind versus unkind behavior. These are Remember- and early Understand-level goals, with the sorting and scenario MicroSims providing light Analyze- and Apply-level practice — no multi-step reasoning is expected yet.

Quick Check for Read-Aloud Time — Click to expand

Ask the class: "If you had a big feeling that stayed for many days, what should you do?" Then reveal the answer: "Tell a trusted adult — they want to help you feel better." Follow up with: "What is one kind thing you can do for a friend today?"