In the classroom
Ten simple ways to use the book in everyday classroom life.
Emotional literacy works best when it is part of the ordinary school day rather than a separate lesson. None of these need planning time, printing, or preparation — most take a few minutes and use nothing but the book itself.
They support PSHE, the EYFS Personal, Social and Emotional Development strand, and the growing focus on belonging and inclusion in schools — but they are designed first and foremost to be genuinely usable by a busy teacher.
Word of the week
Choose one emotion word each Monday and display it somewhere visible, then refer to it naturally across the week — "I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed today, just like our word of the week." Children can add a sticky note to the display when they notice themselves feeling that way, or draw it if writing is a barrier.
Morning check-in
As children come in, they say or point to a word that captures how they're feeling. This can be as quick as a glance and a word, or paired with a chart of words on the wall. It helps to offer a private option too — a card kept in a tray, or a quiet word with an adult — so that no child has to announce a difficult feeling publicly. With younger children, a smaller set of words works better than all fifty-two.
Link to the class story
When reading any book or text, pause and ask: "What word from our feelings dictionary could describe how this character is feeling right now?" Following it with "and what do you think they need?" moves children from naming a feeling to thinking about how to respond to it. No extra planning, and it works with any text.
End-of-day reflection
Just before home time, ask children to choose a word that describes how they felt about something that happened today. Give them a minute to talk it over with a partner, then invite two or three to share with the class. It takes under five minutes and makes reflection an ordinary part of the day.
Book on display
Keep the book open on a stand at a different page each day, or pin a different page to a display board. New words enter children's awareness gently, with no active teaching time at all.
Tricky word challenge
Introduce one of the more ambitious words — nonchalant, zealous, quirky — as a tricky word of the day. Framed as a challenge rather than a lesson, it stretches vocabulary and gives children a word most adults don't expect them to know.
Say it out loud yourself
The most powerful thing an adult can do is use the words about themselves. "I felt frustrated when the printer jammed, but I'm relieved it's working now." Children learn emotional vocabulary the way they learn any vocabulary — by hearing it used naturally, and often, by people they trust.
Shades of meaning
Put two or three near-neighbours side by side — worried, anxious, terrified — and ask which is strongest, or which fits a particular situation best. This is where children move from having a word to having the right word, and it doubles as vocabulary work.
Feelings across the curriculum
Use the words beyond story time. How did that historical figure feel? How might someone feel when they get stuck on a problem? How did you feel in PE today? It reinforces that feelings belong everywhere in school life, not only in PSHE lessons.
After a wobble
When something has gone wrong, use the book to find the word before unpicking the behaviour. "Which of these is closest to how you felt?" Naming the feeling first often makes the conversation that follows far more productive.
A note on responding
Inviting children to name how they feel makes it more likely that some will name something difficult. That is a good sign, not a problem — but it helps to decide in advance how your setting will respond. In most cases acknowledging the feeling is enough: naming it is the point, and it does not need fixing. If something a child says concerns you, follow your school's usual pastoral and safeguarding routes as you would for any other disclosure.