Facing Feelings

As the last of the Halloween jack-o-lantern faces are folding in on themselves they sometimes change expressions. On a neighborhood walk the other day I started snapping photos wondering how kids would use their feelings vocabulary to describe various grins and grimaces as well as words these faces might be saying. Given the importance of helping children learn to talk about and express their feelings, using pumpkins seems like a great opportunity to talk about feelings in a non-threatening way.

I've linked a couple lists of feelings words and shared some examples from them below:

• From psychpage.com
• From UC Santa Barbara​​

AFRAID
fearful
terrified
scared
suspicious
nervous
worried
​frightened
alarmed

OPEN
satisfied
loving
free
satisfied
understanding
​accepting
receptive
​kind

CONFUSED
perplexed
anxious
upset
uncertain
unsure
hesitant
shy
skeptical

GLAD
amused
happy
content
joyous
jubilant
delighted
cheerful
​thankful

ANGRY
mad
frustrated
upset
irate
inconsolable
annoyed
irritated
cranky​