Feeling recognition is the central skill in 31898 Shine A5 Book – 8YRS-12YRS, a child-friendly healthy relationships booklet for kids aged 8 to 12. It begins by helping children sort feelings into comfortable and uncomfortable categories, using clear words such as happy, sad, angry, afraid, excited, lonely, proud, worried, upset, relaxed, confident, caring, strong, positive and secretive.
The booklet includes reflective prompts that ask children to write about times when they have felt comfortable feelings, why those feelings felt good, and whether they would like to experience them more often. These pages could be useful for emotional literacy work, wellbeing lessons, SPHE or RSE activities, nurture sessions, counselling, family support, or one-to-one work with a trusted adult.
Uncomfortable feelings are handled in a gentle and accessible way, acknowledging that children may want to cry or scream, or may notice physical signs such as a sore tummy. Children are invited to remember a time when they felt uncomfortable, or to draw or write about someone else who might have felt that way, which makes the activity more flexible for children who are not ready to share personal experiences directly.
A practical safety planning section encourages children to think about what they could do to feel safe again when uncomfortable feelings make them feel unsafe. Parents, carers, teachers, social workers, family support workers and school counsellors may find it helpful when supporting primary school children to talk about feelings, safe people, safe places, help-seeking and healthy relationships. Developed by Monaghan and Cavan Children and Young People’s Services Committees.
