feelings hub

welcome

Our online Feelings Hub has been set up to provide you a space to get ideas and resources you need for exploring the big (sometimes scary) world of feelings with your children and young people.

We know just being given a pack of cards (as cool as they are) sometimes isn’t enough and you need some help in getting the party (aka conversation) started. These ideas and resources have been collated and suggested to us by social workers, youth workers, psychologists and parents. If you have any other resources, ideas, or breakthrough conversation starters or activities, please send us an email on hello@ethni.com.au - we’d love to add them to this online space for others in our community to use.

We have broken up the Feelings Hub into age groups but these are not hard and fast. You may find great activities and ideas across the age ranges. At the end of the page, we also have some books and TED Talk suggestions for parents so you can do your own research as well!

a few ideas to get started

 

what are you feeling today.

Scatter the cards out on the floor or give the pack to them to take a look through and ask them to pick out which card they are feeling today (or they felt during the week). You might prompt them to explain further by asking them to tell you more or give you an example.

remember a time.

Go through the pack together, or pick out 3 cards at a time and ask them ‘Can you remember a time when you felt like this?’ with a follow up of ‘What words, feelings or pictures come to mind when you see this card?’

emotions on your body.

Get them to draw their body on a piece of paper - the bigger the better (get some butchers paper and draw their whole body!). Get them to look at each card or a select few and place it down where they experience that feeling on their bodies.

feeling the music.

List to some of their favourite songs together and get them to pick out which cards they feel when they hear that song. Why that feeling? What makes them thing of that feeling when listening to this song?

 

spot the feelings

When watching TV or movies, pause the show and ask if they can tell by the body language and the words what emotions that person is feeling.

story time.

When you are reading a story together, try to label the emotions of the characters. You can use some of the prompting questions about like ‘can you remember a time when you felt like that'?’

egg faces

Grab some plastic easter eggs or hard boil some eggs and get them to decorate and draw the eggs with different emotions. You can use some of the prompting questions above.

Draw your own Feelings Cards

Create your own or print off blank face templates like this one and have them draw different emotions or how they are feeling. Ask questions as above!

 

younger children

Getting in early to have conversations about our feelings helps build emotional intelligence later in life. These resources are suited to children aged 3 - 9 years.

 
 

some videos to watch

3 - 5 years

6 - 9 years

some books to read

  • In my Heart – A book of Feelings. Written by Jo Witek

  • Oakey the Oak tree. Written by Jodie Torney

  • The boy with big, big feelings. Written by Brittany Winn Lee

  • The Invisible String. Written by Patrice Karst

  • Listening to my Heart- a story of kindness and self-compassion. Written by Gabbi Garcia

  • Listening to my body. Written by Gabbi Garcia

  • The feeling series. Written by Trace Moroney

  • Only for me – A delightful and rhyming book, which empowers and teaches young children about protecting their body and their privacy. Written by Michelle Derrig

  • LOVE makes a family. Written by Sophie Beer

  • Rainbow Tree (meditation book). Story by Jade Weatherill

 

playlists

Thanks to the crew at Disney Pixar there are some great playlists to the theme of Inside Out. Pick and choose different songs from each playlist to create your own and use them as talking points with your kiddies on the different feelings and emotions each song brings up for them.

 
 
 
 
 
 

older children + tweens

There is so much going on in the lives of our tweens and teens that sometimes it can be emotion overload. Our Feelings Cards are perfect for this age group to reflect on their feelings and create conversation starters on what’s been going on in their lives.

 
 
 

for parents

We’ve compiled some videos and books you can dive into as a parent to up skill yourself more on the big wide world of feelings and how to best support your children and young people.

 
 

books for parents

Permission to Feel: Unlocking the Power of Emotions to Help Our Kids, Ourselves, and Our Society Thrive - Marc Brackett

Mothering our Boys – Maggie Dent

Guiding our teen boys into happy healthy men - Maggie Dent

The whole-brain child – Daniel J, Seigel and Tanya Payne Bryson

Untangled: Guiding Teenage Girls Through the Seven Transitions into Adulthood Written by Lisa Damour

Enough As She Is: How to Help Girls Move Beyond Impossible Standards of Success to Live

Healthy, Happy, and Fulfilling Lives. Written by Rachel Simmons

helplines

For that extra bit of support for your and your children and young people

Kids helpline - 1800 551 800

Lifeline- 13 11 14

Beyond Blue - 1300 22 4636

Headspace - https://headspace.org.au/

Domestic Violence hotline- 1800RESPECT

DV- connect 1800 811 811