Wellbeing

Social Emotional Learning

Introducing Our New Emotion Wheel

We have newly introduced an Emotion Wheel as a resource across the school to support students in developing emotional literacy. We are excited to share how this simple tool is already helping children better understand themselves and others.

What Is Emotional Literacy?

Emotional literacy is the ability to:

• Recognise and name our feelings
• Understand why we might be feeling that way
• Express emotions in safe and helpful ways
• Recognise emotions in others

It goes beyond “happy,” “sad,” or “angry.” Emotional literacy gives children a broader emotional vocabulary, helping them make sense of what is happening inside them.

When children can accurately name a feeling, they are much more able to manage it.

Why It Matters for Self-Regulation

Self-regulation is the ability to manage our emotions, behaviour and reactions, especially in challenging moments.

If a child can only identify feeling “angry,” their reaction may be quick and strong. If they can recognise they are actually feeling “left out,” “embarrassed,” “worried,” or “disappointed,” they have a clearer starting point for problem-solving.

Naming an emotion helps calm the brain. It creates a pause between the feeling and the reaction, and that pause is powerful.

The Emotion Wheel supports this by:

• Expanding emotional vocabulary
• Showing that feelings can have layers
• Helping children understand that big emotions often begin as smaller ones
• Normalising all feelings as part of being human

Why It Builds Compassion

The Emotion Wheel doesn’t just support self-awareness — it strengthens empathy.

When children understand their own emotions, they become better at recognising emotions in others. They begin to think:

• “Maybe she’s feeling nervous.”
• “He looks frustrated. I wonder what happened.”

This shift moves children from judgment to curiosity, helping build kinder and more understanding friendships.

How We Are Using It at School

Across classrooms, students are learning to use the Emotion Wheel to:

• Check in with their feelings
• Reflect on social situations
• Describe how emotions feel in their bodies
• Practise sentences such as, “I’m feeling disappointed because…”

We consistently reinforce that all feelings are okay, but not all behaviours are okay. Emotions give us information. Our response is what we learn to manage.

How Families Can Use This Language at Home

You might try:

• Asking, “Where are you on the Emotion Wheel right now?”
• Offering gentle choices: “Are you feeling frustrated or disappointed?”
• Modelling your own emotions: “I’m feeling a little overwhelmed — I’m going to take a breath.”

When adults use emotional language openly, children learn that feelings are normal and manageable.

Supporting Confident and Compassionate Learners

By introducing the Emotion Wheel as a shared school resource, we are building a consistent language around emotions. Emotional literacy strengthens children’s ability to:

• Focus and learn
• Solve problems
• Maintain friendships
• Recover from mistakes
• Show compassion to themselves and others

Teaching emotional language is not separate from learning; it strengthens the foundation for it.

Feel free to download the Emotions Wheel poster if you think it would be helpful at home, as your child's classroom teacher, or the wellbeing team, for a copy. 

SWPBS

Whittlesea Primary School's 'Calm Down' strategies:  

Deep breathing exercises are a simple yet effective way to calm students when they are dysregulated in the classroom. Slow breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth can slow the heartbeat down and help the student calm down.

Distraction can sometimes help a student stay calm. A variety of books, calm colouring, word finds, and fidget toys can be useful. Having books in the calm-down space provides children with a distraction from their emotional state. Drawing and colouring are forms of art therapy and help children to calm down and express emotions. Each classroom's calm-down space has a supply of colouring books, calming colouring, plain paper, and sharpened pencils for students to use.  

Sensory tactile objects, also known as ‘fidget toys’, are objects for students to hold and touch. They also help students to refocus and gain control over their emotions. A ‘calm down tool kit’ is available for students if required. Personal sensory boxes can also be developed to cater for individual needs. 

Possible fidget toys could include: 

• Stress Balls – Students can squeeze and poke the stress ball to release negative emotions. 

• Calming Bottles – Fill a plastic bottle with water and items such as glitter and jelly beads. Students can stare at the glitter floating around. This settles their breathing and emotions. 

• Bottle of Bubbles – This helps students control their breathing and calm down. 

• Small Puzzles – Puzzles distract students away from negative emotions, calming them down.

 • Stretchy Bands – Put a range of different-sized rubber bands in the kit for students to pull and stretch. 

• Pipe Cleaners –Students can bend them into different positions. 

• Noise-Cancelling Headphones – Some students become overwhelmed when there is too much noise. By blocking out the noise, the student can calm themselves down. 

Brain Breaks:

During learning time, all teachers will use a variety of Brain Breaks that are simple physical and mental exercises. They have a positive effect on learning by:

• increasing engagement and cognitive functioning
• supporting the brain maturation process
• enhancing focus, mood and learning
• increasing students’ perceived competence
• improving classroom behaviour
• and strengthening teacher-student relationships.

Calm Down Spaces:

When students are dysregulated, they may need a space to regulate their emotions and be ‘calm’. All learning areas at WPS have a designated classroom area where students can take time to regulate and then continue their learning. 

When students feel great frustration,  anger, sadness or anxiety, they become confused and may be unsure how to control their emotions. By providing them with a quiet place to calm themselves down, students can regain control over their emotions. This also provides opportunities for diffusing a negative emotion or situation  

before it escalates. 

Setting up a ‘calm down space’ in the classroom gives students the responsibility of self-regulating their emotions in a peaceful and safe place.