Feelings and Mental Health — Year 2 Lesson Plan
National Curriculum: PSHE/RSE — Health and wellbeing: that mental wellbeing is a normal part of daily life, in the same way as physical health; simple self-care techniques, including the importance of rest, time spent with friends and family and the benefits of hobbies and interests (KS1 statutory guidance).
Overview
Pupils explore the concept of mental health in age-appropriate terms, understanding that it is a normal part of life that can go up and down. They extend their emotional vocabulary beyond basic feelings, learn what happens in the body when they feel anxious or overwhelmed, and build a personal toolkit of simple, evidence-based strategies for managing difficult emotions.
Learning Objectives
- Understand that mental health is an important part of overall wellbeing and that everyone has it.
- Use a broader vocabulary to describe a range of emotions, including more complex feelings.
- Recognise physical signals in the body that suggest a feeling is very strong.
- Identify and practise at least two strategies for managing difficult emotions.
Key Vocabulary
Suggested Lesson Structure
Show an expanded feelings wheel with 20 or more emotions. Ask pupils to point to three feelings they have felt this week and briefly share with a partner. Introduce the idea that all feelings are normal — no feeling is wrong or bad — but some feelings can be uncomfortable and it helps to have tools to manage them.
Introduce the concept of mental health using the phrase: mental health is how we feel inside our minds, and everyone has it, just like everyone has physical health. Explain that mental health can go up and down — just like how sometimes our bodies feel great and sometimes we feel unwell. Discuss what can affect mental health: big events, worries, loneliness, sleep and exercise.
Ask pupils to think of a time they felt worried or anxious. Where did they feel it in their body — tummy, chest, head? Draw a body outline on the board and invite pupils to point to where they feel strong emotions. Discuss that these physical feelings are the body's way of sending a message. Introduce the concept of listening to the body.
Pupils create a personal wellbeing toolkit — a small booklet or card — with at least three strategies they can try when feelings become difficult. Strategies to explore include: taking three slow deep breaths, going outside for a walk, drawing or writing feelings down, talking to a trusted adult, listening to music, giving someone a hug. Pupils choose strategies that feel right for them.
Practise one strategy together: the 5-4-3-2-1 grounding technique (name 5 things you can see, 4 you can hear, 3 you can touch, 2 you can smell, 1 you can taste). Discuss how it helps calm the mind. Close by reminding pupils that if feelings ever feel too big to handle alone, telling a trusted adult is always the right thing to do.
Common Misconceptions
- Pupils may believe that only some people have mental health, or that it is the same as having a mental illness. Clarify that everyone has mental health, just as everyone has physical health, and that having good mental health means being able to cope with everyday life most of the time.
- Some pupils think feeling sad or worried means something is wrong with them. Reassure them that all emotions are a normal part of being human and that it is about learning to manage them, not about never feeling difficult things.
Prior Knowledge
Pupils should already be able to:
- Ability to name a range of emotions including happy, sad, angry, worried and excited.
- Experience of using some simple coping strategies such as talking to an adult or taking a break.
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