Being able to name and express emotions – the ones we like and the ones we don’t like – is important for mental health.

Emotional literacy is the ability to recognize how we feel, understand our feelings, label them and express them.

Naming, talking and writing about our emotions can help us manage them. It can help us deal with uncomfortable feelings. It can help us recognize feelings in others. It’s an important skill for adults and children. To learn more, read the CMHA Mental Health Week 2021 Fact Sheet.

In order to name and express emotions, we need a vocabulary for emotions. The larger the vocabulary, the more clear we can be about describing how we feel.

Teaching Emotion Vocabulary

• Activities to Increase Emotional Vocabulary
• Got SEL? Teaching Students to Describe Emotions
• Printable Feelings & Emotions Cards with 8 Matching Card Games Ideas
• CMHA Mental Health Week School Toolkit
• Teaching Mental Health in the ESL Classroom

Vocabulary Lists and Tools

• Merriam-Webster Learner’s Dictionary: Words for emotions
• Feelings Cards
• In the Mood? 100 Ways to Describe How You Feel
• List of Emotions: A Huge List of Useful Words to Describe Feelings and Emotions
• List of Feeling Words From A to Z

Books about Feelings

One way to introduce children to words for feelings is through books. Find suggestions for books about feelings in:

• 21 Awesome Kids’ Books Exploring Feelings and Emotions
• 21 Multicultural Children’s Books About Feelings
• Books to Help Kids Handle All Kinds of Uncomfortable Feelings
• Children’s Books About Feelings to Nurture Emotional Intelligence!
• Children’s Books That Teach Kids About Emotions

This week is CMHA Mental Health Week. The theme is ‘Name it, don’t numb it. #GetReal about how you feel.’