RL.E.82 SELECTS OR DEMONSTRATES HAPPY, SAD, ANGRY

In RL.E.79, the child learned the attribute words that describe the physical feelings of coldness, tiredness and hunger. Here we are concerned with the words that describe emotional feelings. We concentrate on the words ‘happy’, ‘sad’ and ‘angry’, but of course there are many others, such as ‘frightened’, ‘excited’, ‘lonely’, ‘cross’ and ‘pleased’, that you could teach as well.

For the child who is talking, the ability to describe the way she feels will be of immense value – a value that we all recognise from our own experience. For the child who is not yet talking, understanding the words that describe feelings will help her to indicate when we are interpreting her feelings correctly and to be more aware of what is happening to people who are describing their feelings to her.

How to Assess

There are 2 ways to assess this skill – choose the one which best suits your child.

1. Ask your child ‘What do you do when you feel happy?’ or direct her to make a happy face. Repeat for ‘sad’ and ‘angry’. Score plus if your child demonstrates all 3 feelings.
2. Find or draw pictures of people displaying each emotion. Have at least 2 sets of such pictures. Ask your child to point to the person who is happy/sad/angry. Repeat with alternative pictures. Score plus if your child selects each picture correctly at least twice.