Tonight with your 5 to 8 year old
The prompt
“Have you ever had a feeling that you didn't have a good word for? What was it like?”
What to listen for
If they can describe a mixed-up or hard-to-name feeling, that shows real emotional awareness beyond simple happy or sad. Help them find a word together without rushing it.
If they say no, that's fine, you can describe a feeling you've had that was hard to name, which models that it's normal and okay.
Don't worry about landing on the 'right' word tonight; just naming that feelings can be complicated is the win.
What this tells you
This tells you how much language and confidence they currently have for handling feelings that don't fit into neat boxes.