Early Atlas

Skill

Identifies Basic Emotions

Child names basic emotions in themselves and others.

Ages 24–48 months

emotional-understanding emotions feelings-vocabulary preschool

Why it matters

Putting a name to feelings is the first step toward managing them; emotional vocabulary lets a child seek help, build empathy, and self-regulate.

Builds toward this milestone

  • expresses a broad range of emotions and recognizes these emotions in self and others. — Head Start ELOF
  • recognizes and interprets emotions of others with the support of familiar adults. — Head Start ELOF

Explore milestones →

What mastery looks like

  • Names happy, sad, mad, and scared when shown faces or in real situations.
  • Labels their own feeling with a word at least sometimes.

How to observe it

  • When a story character shows a feeling, can the child name it?
  • During a strong feeling, does the child have a word for what they feel?

Accessibility

  • Pair feeling words with photos, drawings, or signs for children with language differences.
  • Use a consistent set of feeling visuals so the cues stay familiar.

Activities

Evidence

Early Atlas