100+ Emotion Words for Kids (Free Poster!) + 12 Fun Activities to Build Emotional Vocabulary

List of Emotions for Kids + Two Feelings Vocabulary Posters + Emotion Words Cards + Fun Activities to Help Them Build Emotional Vocabulary!
Helping kids build a strong emotional vocabulary is about more than just learning new words—it’s about giving them the tools to understand, express, and manage their feelings.

Talking about emotions doesn’t always come naturally. As parents, educators, or therapists, we can play a key role in helping children recognize their feelings and find the right words to express them.

In this post, you’ll learn:

Why emotional vocabulary matters for kids’ emotional development
A list of feeling words (100+!) grouped by the six basic emotions (happiness, sadness, anger, fear, surprise, and disgust).
Practical tips to help children talk about their feelings
Emotion vocabulary activities to help kids learn new feeling words and use the ones they already know more often

🎁 You’ll also be able to download a free Feelings Vocabulary Poster with all the emotion words listed below, plus a set of illustrated flashcards featuring emotion words and expressions.

Table of Contents

Why is it Important to Teach Emotional Vocabulary
Basic Emotions
How to Build Your Child’s Emotional Vocabulary
List of Emotions
12 Fun Activities to Help Kids Expand Their Feeling Vocabulary
Download your Feelings Vocabulary Poster and Emotions Word Cards

Why is it important to teach emotional vocabulary to kids?

Kids need more than just “happy” and “sad” to describe what they’re feeling. The more emotion words they know, the easier it is for them to talk about what’s going on inside—and that’s a big part of learning how to handle emotions in a healthy way.

When children can name their feelings, they’re more likely to:

Stay calmer when things don’t go their way
Talk things out instead of acting out
Get along better with other kids and adults
Bounce back more easily from stress or disappointment
Focus and learn more effectively at school
Understand others’ feelings, which helps them build empathy

Kids aren’t born knowing how to describe their emotions. It’s something we teach—and the earlier we start, the better.

Research suggests that children with a broader emotional vocabulary are better equipped to manage their emotions, leading to fewer behavioral issues.

What are the basic human emotions?

Emotions are the body and brain’s response to something a person hears, sees, tastes, smells, touches, remembers or does.

Emotions are neither good nor bad; it’s our reactions to those emotions that make the experience positive or negative.

here are many ways to categorize emotions, but two systems are widely used:

Dr. Paul Ekman, a psychologist known for his research on facial expressions, identified six basic emotions that show up across cultures: anger, disgust, fear, happiness, sadness, and surprise.
Dr. Robert Plutchik adds two more emotions—trust and anticipation—to create a model of eight basic emotions. His Wheel of Emotions shows how these emotions relate to each other and form pairs of opposites: joy/sadness, surprise/anticipation, trust/disgust, and anger/fear.

How to build your child’s emotional vocabulary?

Helping kids learn emotion words doesn’t take a formal lesson.

It happens through everyday conversations.

In this section, we’ll explore simple ways to help your child learn new feeling words and use the ones they already know.

Label the emotion
Name the feeling your child is experiencing
- “You look happy eating that ice cream.”
- “You seem frustrated with that puzzle.”
Reflect the feeling
Listen, acknowledge, and mirror what your child is feeling—without rushing to solve it
- “I see you are angry that your sister took your pencils. That makes sense.”
- “You’re disappointed because the game ended early.”
Ask questions about feelings
- “How are you feeling today?”
- “Did going to the park make you happy?”
- “How do you feel when you think about Gran?”
- “What are you afraid of?”
- “Why do you like your teacher?”
- “What has upset you enough to make you cry?”
Talk about others’ emotions
- Comment on feelings in animals or people around you:
  “Look at that dog wagging his tail. He must be happy to see you.”
  “Look at the rabbit hiding in the corner. It must be frightened by all the noise.”
- Ask about TV characters’ feelings:
  “How do you think Jim feels right now?”
- Point out emotions in others:
  “Your brother is sad because his best friend is moving schools.”
Model and Praise Emotional Expression
- Share your own feelings:
  “That speeding car really scared me.”
- Praise emotional communication:
  “I liked how you told your sister you were mad instead of yelling.”
Comment on physical cues and behavior
- “Are you kicking your toys because you feel angry?”
Explore Different Perspectives
Talk through emotional alternatives:
“What would have made that situation feel less disgusting?”
Use Visual and Play-Based Tools
Try hands-on tools that make learning about emotions more engaging:
- Feelings charts or mood trackers for kids.
- Games that focus on feelings, like charades, memory match, or role-play
- Emotions flashcards

We’ll explore these ideas in more detail in the last section of this post.

List of Emotions for Kids (100+ Feelings Words)

Now that we’ve covered practical ways to support your child’s emotional vocabulary, let’s look at a list of over 100 feeling words to help kids better express what they’re feeling.

These words are grouped under the six basic emotions to make them easier to explore and talk about.

You will also see six illustrated emotion cards throughout this section. Each one shows a child expressing one of the basic emotions and includes a list of related feeling words to help expand vocabulary.

🎁 You can download all six cards, along with the full Feelings Vocabulary Poster, at the end of this post.

In the next section, we’ll share fun, hands-on activities to help kids learn new emotion words—and start using them more often in everyday life.

Happy Words

Happy
Joyful
Satisfied
Fortunate
Content
Cheerful
Merry
Lucky
Jolly
Delighted
Smiling
Sunny
Cheery
Joking
Grinning
Thrilled
Chuffed
Excited
Friendly
Loving
Fantastic.

Sad Words

Sad
Unhappy
Sorrowful
Depressed
Tragic
Unfortunate
Awful
Miserable
Down
Gloomy
Blue
Heartbroken
Sorry
Glum
Hurt
Low
Weepy
Out of sorts.

Surprise Words

Surprise
Shock
Amaze
Stun
Startle
Astound
Unusual
Wonderful
Mind-blowing
Astonish
Unexpected
Remarkable
Breathtaking.

Fear Words

Fear
Afraid
Terror
Frightened
Horror
Alarm
Panic
Dread
Anxiety
Worry
Unease
Nervous
Timid
Suspicion
Cringe
Shudder,
Uncomfortable
Tense
Concerned
Scared
The creeps.

Anger Words

Anger
Annoy
Irritate
Frustration
Rage
Fury
Bored
Crabby
Temper
Displease
Bug
Drive crazy
Mad
Hassle
Cross
Embarrassed
Jealous
Overwhelmed
Tell off.

Disgust Words

Disgust
Revolting
Sickening
Loathe
Horrible
Gross
Ugly
Dirty
Foul
Nasty
Yucky
Grotty
Vile
Wicked
Ghastly
Horrid.

🎁 Remember to download all six cards, along with the full Feelings Vocabulary Poster, at the end of this post.

12 Fun Activities to Help Kids Expand Their Emotional Vocabulary

Once kids know some basic emotion words, we can help them grow their vocabulary by encouraging them to use more specific words in different situations. These activities are simple, flexible, and great for different ages and skill levels.

The list below focuses on building emotional vocabulary through everyday play and conversation.

➡️ Emotion Word of the Day
Introduce one new feeling word each day (e.g., “proud,” “frustrated,” “hopeful”) and talk about what it means, when someone might feel that way, and how it compares to similar emotions.
Make it fun:

Give them a point every time they use the word in context.
Turn it into a “secret word challenge” where they listen for you saying it during the day and shout “found it!” when they hear it.

➡️ Emotion Word Scavenger Hunt
Give kids a list of emotion words to “hunt for” in books, shows, or real-life conversations. They write down when they see someone showing that feeling or when they hear the word.
Variations:

Choose a theme (e.g., “find three different anger words”).

➡️ Emotions Worksheets and Workbooks
Worksheets and workbooks are a great way to help kids learn about emotions in a structured way. Use them to introduce new feeling words, practice naming emotions, or sort feelings into groups.

If you’re interested in exploring emotions even further,, I recommend checking out our Emotions Bundle. It includes a variety of hands-on resources to support emotional vocabulary and emotional awareness:

Basic Emotions Workbook
Explore six basic emotions (joy, sadness, anger, disgust, fear, and surprise). Learn how each emotion feels in the body and how it shows on the face.
Exploring My Emotions
Look into 15 different emotional states. Kids reflect on how each emotion feels, what thoughts and behaviors come with it, and how to manage it. Includes fun flip-pages about feelings we have inside that others can’t see.
Emotions covered: Happy, Sad, Angry, Anxious, Tired, Shy, Excited, Calm, Scared, Bored, Overwhelmed, Guilt, Confused, Brave, Embarrassed.
Feelings Expedition
25 games and activities to help children understand and talk about their feelings.
Emotions Flashcards (26 Feelings Cards with Definitions)
Use these cards to teach new emotion words, play matching or guessing games, or start conversations. For example, you can show a card and ask, “Have you ever felt this way?” or “What might make someone feel like this?”
Feelings Playdough Mats
Each mat shows an emotion word and a blank face outline. Kids use playdough to shape facial expressions that match the feeling. It’s a hands-on way to connect words with emotional cues and expressions.

➡️ Emotion Sorting Game

Give kids a bunch of feeling word cards (or just write the words on slips of paper) and ask them to sort them into categories:

Positive, Negative, or Neutral
Or by the six basic emotions: Happy, Sad, Angry, Afraid, Disgusted, and Surprised.

➡️ Feelings Synonym Match
Choose a common emotion word (e.g., “sad”) and ask kids to match it with synonyms and antonyms.
Example:

Word: Sad
- Synonyms: down, disappointed, heartbroken
- Antonym: happy
Word: Angry
- Synonyms: frustrated, furious, irritated
- Antonym: calm
  Use 3–6 words depending on age/ability, and create a matching list or card set.

➡️ Emotion Word Booklet
Kids create a simple “emotion dictionary” where each page has:

A new feeling word
A kid-friendly definition
A drawing of someone feeling that way
A sentence using the word

➡️ What’s Another Word For…?
Pick a basic emotion word (e.g., “mad”) and brainstorm more precise alternatives.
Start with words they already know and slowly stretch toward newer ones.

➡️ Feelings Taboo
Choose an emotion word (e.g., “nervous”) and list 3–4 “taboo” words they can’t say (e.g., scared, worried, anxious). They have to explain the word without using those clues.

➡️ Emotion Wheels
Spin, point, or pick a feeling from an emotion wheel, then talk about a time you felt that way or act it out. It’s a fun way to learn new words and connect them to real experiences.
Tip: We’ve created several printable emotion wheels with different levels of complexity—check out our other post for ideas on how to use them.

➡️ Alphabet Emotions Game
Go from A to Z and try to name one emotion word for each letter of the alphabet.
Example: A – Anxious, B – Brave, C – Confused…

➡️ Emotion Word Race (By Letter)
Pick a letter and set a timer—see how many emotion words your child can write or say in 60 seconds (or any time you choose).
Example: Letter “S” – Sad, Silly, Shocked, Satisfied…

➡️ Hangman: Emotions Edition
Play classic Hangman using only emotion words—helps with spelling, guessing, and word recognition.

Other Emotion and Feelings Resources

A (FREE) List of Emotions Poster Download

Download “My Feelings Vocabulary” a free poster with a list of emotions for kids that you can use at home or in the classroom.

Fill in your details below the picture:

100+ Emotion Words for Kids (Free Poster!) + 12 Fun Activities to Build Emotional Vocabulary

Why is it important to teach emotional vocabulary to kids?

What are the basic human emotions?

How to build your child’s emotional vocabulary?