Naming feelings in two languages: emotional vocabulary before big emotions arrive
A child who can say "je suis frustré" does not need to throw the cup. How to build emotional vocabulary in French and English in calm moments.
Teach the words when nobody is upset
The middle of a meltdown is the worst time to introduce new vocabulary. Practise during play instead: name the feeling of a character in a picture book, or sort emotion cards into "me today" and "not me today".
Mind the gender agreement
French emotional adjectives agree with the speaker: "je suis content" / "je suis contente", "fatigué" / "fatiguée". Say the form the child will actually use about themselves, and keep it consistent — this is one of the few places where getting the ending right early saves a lot of unlearning later.
Give the feeling a body
Pair each word with a physical clue — hot cheeks, tight fists, a heavy tummy. Young children locate emotions in the body long before they can label them, so the body is the bridge to the word, in either language.
Printables that go with this
Stage Two Pack
Feelings vocabulary, shapes, colours and pre-writing strokes for growing symbolic play.
View the pack