Guess My Feeling wellbeing lesson plan
A primary wellbeing lesson for Years 1 and 2 that helps Australian teachers introduce emotional awareness and respectful friendships through a structured, ready-to-teach lesson. Students learn to recognise different feelings, understand how their actions affect others, and practise simple, respectful ways to respond to friends who may be feeling upset or left out.
Emotional Regulation & Mental Health
Snapshot
Guess My Feeling
The lesson gives teachers a structured way to introduce feelings, friendships and shared respect using simple, age-appropriate language.
Prep time:
5 to 10 minutes
Lesson length:
45 to 50 minutes
Key Focus
Recognising feelings and understanding how actions affect others
Lesson Format
Teacher-led discussion and structured activities
What students will learn
By the end of the lesson, students will be supported to:
Recognise
recognise common feelings such as happy, sad, left out or proud
recognise that the same action can affect different people in different ways
recognise when a friend might be feeling upset or excluded
Understand
understand that how we treat others affects how they feel
understand that kindness and inclusion help friendships feel safe and fair
Practise
practise naming feelings using simple, shared language
practise using kind words or actions when a friend is feeling upset
practise noticing how their own behaviour might make someone else feel
Who this lesson is for?
This lesson is designed for younger primary students who are building early language for feelings and learning how their behaviour affects others in friendships.
It is suitable for:
primary wellbeing lessons
Health or PDHPE teaching
pastoral care, circle time or advisory sessions
early friendship and respectful relationships work
classroom culture and kindness programmes
Suitability should be based on more than age alone. Teachers should consider the lesson focus, student maturity, cohort needs, classroom culture, existing discussion norms and available support pathways.
Best used when
Use this lesson when students need clear, practical language for recognising unkind behaviour and knowing what to do next.
Introducing feelings and emotional language Use when students are building early vocabulary for recognising and naming emotions.
Building classroom culture Use when reinforcing kindness, inclusion and respectful behaviour as part of everyday class expectations.
Supporting friendship skills Use when students need structured practice talking about how actions affect others in friendships.
Reinforcing respectful communication Use when revisiting how words and actions can make someone feel included or left out.
Preparing for transition Use when friendship groups are changing and students need shared language for discussing feelings.
Creating a structured wellbeing discussion Use when you want a calm, teacher-led discussion about feelings, friendships and shared respect.
The lesson can be used proactively with the whole class. It does not need to follow a specific incident.
Why this lesson matters
Young students are still building the language to understand that their actions affect how others feel. Giving them simple, shared vocabulary early helps them notice these connections in everyday friendships. Guess My Feeling supports this by helping students link behaviour and emotion in a calm, structured way, rather than waiting for a friendship problem to prompt the conversation. This lesson supports a classroom culture where students feel comfortable naming feelings, practising kindness and asking for help when something feels unfair, before unhelpful patterns of behaviour become harder to shift.
How this lesson supports wellbeing
This lesson supports student wellbeing by building practical social and emotional skills students can use in everyday school life. It helps students develop:
Capability How the lesson supports it
Emotional awareness Students practise naming and recognising common feelings.
Empathy Students consider how their actions might make a friend feel.
Relationship skills Students practise kind words and inclusive behaviour with friends.
Self-regulation Students build early language for talking about feelings calmly.
Help-seeking Students learn they can talk to a trusted adult if something feels unfair.
Belonging Students reinforce that everyone deserves to feel included and respected.
For teachers and school leaders, the lesson contributes to broader wellbeing, respectful relationships, child safety and pastoral care goals in Australian primary schools.
Teaching notes & Delivery Considerations
This lesson includes content about unkind behaviour, exclusion and asking adults for help. It should be taught with calm, clear discussion norms.
Before teaching
Remind students not to name classmates or share stories about other people
Frame the discussion around general examples and scenarios, not personal situations
Make clear that the lesson is about understanding feelings, not blaming anyone
Identify trusted adults students can speak to at school
During delivery
Use simple feelings words such as happy, sad, left out and proud
Give students time to practise naming feelings aloud
Use everyday friendship examples students may recognise, such as sharing or including someone in a game
Allow students to respond through discussion, drawing or partner talk depending on confidence
Supporting safe discussion
Keep examples general rather than tied to specific classmates
Reinforce that asking for help with feelings or friendships is a positive step
Be prepared to follow your school's child safety, wellbeing or child protection procedures if a student discloses harm or says they feel unsafe.
Adaptation options
Use partner talk or drawing for quieter groups
Extend discussion for students ready to explore more detailed friendship scenarios
Spend more time on trusted adults if students need support identifying help pathways
