Big feelings come in small packages, and as a parent I know how hard a tough moment can be for both child and grown-up. At Sunny Days Children’s Academy, we believe social and emotional learning is just as important as academic growth. Helping young children understand and express their feelings in healthy ways builds confidence, strengthens friendships, and supports success both inside and outside the classroom.
Naming Our Feelings
One of our favorite classroom activities focuses on teaching children about emotions such as happy, sad, mad, excited, scared, and calm. Through circle time discussions, storytelling, movement activities, and role play, children learn how to recognize emotions in themselves and others while practicing safe and respectful ways to express those feelings.
Picture Cards, Faces, and a Favorite Book
During this lesson, children explore emotions using colorful picture cards, facial expressions, and body language. They also enjoy listening to The Way I Feel by Janan Cain, which helps them connect emotions to real-life situations and experiences they may encounter every day.
Learning Through Play and Role Play
To make learning interactive and engaging, children take part in activities such as:
- Acting out different emotions for classmates to guess.
- Practicing facial expressions and body movements connected to feelings.
- Discussing situations that may cause certain emotions.
- Sharing safe ways to calm down or express big feelings.
These activities encourage communication, empathy, self-awareness, and problem-solving skills while helping children feel comfortable talking about their emotions in a supportive environment.
Why Feelings Matter for School Readiness
A child who can say “I’m frustrated” instead of grabbing a toy, or take a deep breath before trying again, is building skills that matter every bit as much as letters and numbers. Taking turns, sharing, waiting, and bouncing back after a disappointment all start with understanding feelings. That’s why social-emotional growth is part of every day here, from our Preschool 2 room for 3- to 4-year-olds to our Pre-K classroom, where children get ready for the bigger social world of kindergarten.
At Sunny Days, we create learning experiences that help children grow academically, socially, and emotionally. By teaching children how to recognize and manage feelings at an early age, we help build strong foundations for positive relationships, self-confidence, and emotional well-being.
Just as important, children learn that every feeling is okay, even the uncomfortable ones. What we practice together is what to do with those feelings: using words, asking for help, taking a break, or finding a safe way to let the big feeling out.
Try It at Home
- Name it out loud: “You look disappointed that the park is closed.” Naming a feeling helps children learn the words.
- Feelings check-in: at dinner or bedtime, ask everyone to share one feeling from their day, grown-ups included.
- Practice calm-down tools when everyone is calm: try smelling the flower and blowing out the candle (slow breaths in and out).
- Read together: pause during stories to ask, “How do you think she feels? How can you tell?”
Related Reading
- Celebrating Every Family: Our Multicultural Project
- Teaching Story Sequencing in Pre-K: Beginning, Middle, and End
- Free Pre-K or Sunny Days? What Cherry Hill Working Parents Should Know
Visit Our Cherry Hill Day Care
I’d love to show you how our teachers support children through big and little feelings every day. Tours take about 15–30 minutes. Schedule a tour to visit our Cherry Hill day care today or call (856) 320-2001. We offer part-time, half-day, and full-day schedule options and accept New Jersey child care subsidy.
Have questions first? Our FAQ page covers hours, meals, and the daily updates you’ll get, and you can explore all of our classrooms from infants through Pre-K.
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