💛 SELGrade 2Lesson 1
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Recognize Emotions and Triggers

How to use: Print the PDF before you call your child. Read the lesson once together and talk it through, then the exercises on paper. Correct together with the answer key and the Parent checklist. The next day, your child redoes this lesson here on screen (about 10 minutes) to review it and save progress.

Learning Objectives

  • 1Name common emotions and identify the situations that trigger them
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Mini Lesson

Every day you feel different things inside — and that is completely normal! Those feelings are called emotions, and the things that cause them are called triggers.

What is an emotion?

  • An emotion is a feeling inside your body and mind.
  • Example: happy, sad, angry, scared, proud, calm.
  • Emotions are not right or wrong — they just are.

What is a trigger?

  • A trigger is a situation or event that starts an emotion.
  • Example: Losing your favorite toy can trigger the feeling of sadness.
  • The same trigger can cause different emotions in different people.

How can I recognize my emotions?

  • Notice what your body feels — a tight chest, a big smile, shaky hands.
  • Ask yourself: What just happened? How does it make me feel?
Six emotion facesSix cartoon faces showing happy, sad, angry, scared, proud, and calm emotions arranged in a 3-by-2 grid.Emotionshappysadangryscaredproudcalm
Six emotion faces — happy, sad, angry, scared, proud, and calm.
Trigger causes emotion diagramA diagram showing that a situation (trigger) leads to an emotion, with three examples: getting a gift leads to happy, losing a toy leads to sad, and a loud noise leads to scared.Trigger leads to EmotionGetting a gift(trigger)happyLosing a toy(trigger)sadA loud noise(trigger)scaredSituations cause emotions.
Three examples showing how a situation (trigger) leads to an emotion.
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Ask yourself: "Can I name what I am feeling right now? What happened that made me feel this way?"

Vocabulary
Emotion
A feeling inside your body and mind, like happy or sade.g. Excited is the emotion I feel before a game.
Trigger
A situation or event that starts an emotione.g. Losing my favorite toy was a trigger for sadness.
Recognize
To notice and name somethinge.g. I learned to recognize when I feel angry.
Body signal
What your body tells you, like a tight chest or shaky handse.g. A tight stomach was a body signal that I was nervous.
Calm
Peaceful and steady, not upsete.g. After deep breaths I felt calm again.
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Guided Practice

Pick a word from the Trace menu and pass over the ghost letters with your finger or pen. Tap 🔍 Bigger for a fullscreen practice canvas.

Tracing Pad

Tip: Say the feeling word out loud as you trace it.

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Exercises

Tap each card to see the emotion on the back. Mark it mastered when you can name the feeling from the situation alone.

1 / 8 remaining · 0 mastered

You get a surprise gift from a friend.

(tap to flip)

1. What is an emotion?

2. What is a trigger?

3. Maya wins first place in a race. Which emotion is she most likely to feel?

4. Sam loses his favorite book. Which emotion is most likely?

5. A dog barks loudly right next to Ella. She is most likely to feel —

6. Is it okay to feel angry sometimes?

7. What does it mean to recognize an emotion?

8. Liam reads a whole book on his own for the first time. He most likely feels —

9. How can your body help you recognize an emotion?

10. Two children see a spider. One feels scared; the other feels excited. Why can this happen?

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Parent Checklist

For the parent: after correcting together, check off what your child has really understood

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