Feelings & Friends

Emotional Development & Friendship

Space to talk about feelings, ask for help and practise caring for others. Adults offer reassurance while children learn to manage everyday moments.

A teacher reassuring a child while classmates offer support

WHY THIS MATTERS

Little experiences.
Meaningful practice.

Early emotional learning includes recognising feelings, developing relationships and receiving support to manage difficult moments. A trusted adult can help children name what they feel and find a way to ask for help.

AT PLAY SCHOOL MASTERMIND

Our learning approach

Teacher-guided play makes room for practice, conversation and individual support. Examples for this learning area include:

Use feelings pictures or story characters to talk about emotions.
Practise asking for help, listening to a friend and waiting for a turn.
Take a quiet pause or try simple calming breaths with a supportive adult.

Activities are adapted to each child’s stage and the current class plan.

A JOURNEY AT THEIR OWN PACE

How the focus grows.

play group

My feelings matter

Use simple feeling words and picture prompts. Practise asking a trusted adult for help, settling after a goodbye and pausing when something feels difficult.

Explore program ↗

nursery

Naming feelings & making friends

Talk about happy, sad, worried and frustrated moments using stories and pictures. Practise asking for help, taking a quiet pause and listening to a friend.

Explore program ↗

junior kg

Understanding feelings

Talk about how a story character or friend might feel. Practise asking for help, waiting for a turn and using a teacher-guided calming strategy.

Explore program ↗

senior kg

Emotions, empathy & resilience

Name a feeling, discuss what caused it and ask for support. Use stories and everyday moments to explore another person’s viewpoint and what to try after a setback.

Explore program ↗

A LITTLE IDEA FOR HOME