Year 7 · RSHE (PSHE) · beta

Mental health: How can I talk about my feelings?

This unit develops emotional literacy and communication skills. Pupils learn to identify and articulate their feelings, develop active listening skills, and manage conflict constructively. The unit emphasises that emotions are normal and provides practical strategies for effective communication.

This is an attributed Oak National Academy lesson sequence, not a completed or academically approved DASKEREL course. Supporting transcripts may depend on video, images, practical equipment or teacher explanation. Follow each lesson’s supervision guidance. For religious education and RSHE, follow the school’s syllabus, policy and safeguarding procedures.

Prior knowledge

  • Pupils should understand from Key Stage 2 that everyone experiences different emotions and that feelings can change throughout the day or in different situations.
  • Pupils should know basic emotion vocabulary such as happy, sad, angry, worried or excited, and recognise that talking about feelings with trusted adults can help when upset.
  • Pupils should be familiar from previous units with the importance of treating others with respect and kindness, and understand that disagreements are a normal part of relationships.

Source curriculum references

  • Pupils should be taught about the management of conflict, reconciliation and ending relationships.
  • The importance of developing one’s own interests, hobbies, friendship groups, and skills.
  • Skills for communicating respectfully within relationships and with strangers, including in situations of conflict.
  • How to talk about their emotions accurately and sensitively, using appropriate vocabulary.
  • That happiness is linked to being connected to others.
  • That worrying and feeling down are normal, can affect everyone at different times and are not in themselves a sign of a mental health condition.
  • That managing worry and feeling down can be helped by seeing them as normal.
  • How to develop key social and emotional skills that will increase pupils’ safety from involvement in conflict and violence.
  • Skills to support self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills and responsible decision making, as well as skills to recognise and manage peer pressure.

Oak source metadata. DASKEREL has not independently verified school-level coverage.

Loading lessons…