Captain of My Superpowers: Emotional Literacy workshops in Schools

Lorien Frank
Mar 4
2 min read

Updated: Mar 5

Last week I was invited by the Lycée Français International (LFI) primary school in Foxrock to run a series of hands-on emotional literacy workshops for Year 1-3 pupils. The school's aim was to give younger learners a simple, playful vocabulary for the feelings they experience every day.

Superpower Emotions

We kicked off by introducing emotions as Superpowers. After suggesting 'invisible' and 'flying', the kids quickly named ten feelings, including happy, sad, scared, bored, excited, worried and angry. One child shouted "I'm HANGRY!" and the whole class erupted in giggles.

Feelings Inside the Body

Next, we explored where emotions live in our bodies. Sadness showed up as heavy shoulders, fear as butterflies in the tummy, worry as a busy head, and excitement as jumpy legs and a wide-open mouth.

Size Matters

We talked about intensity: most emotions are 'mouse-small', but sometimes they balloon into an 'elephant' or blast like a radio turned up to max. The discussion helped the kids see that big feelings can sometimes take control and make it hard to calm down our behaviour.

Captain of my Superpowers Toolkit

I demonstrated several simple calming tricks, including balloon-breathing, a 'shake-like-jelly' movement, and a Butterfly Hug. The children practiced each one, then chose their favourites and tucked them into their 'I am the Captain of My Superpowers' hats. Those hats are now a reminder they can steer their own feelings.

What I Saw

Even at this early age, many of the pupils displayed impressive emotional literacy. By the end of the session, 100% of the children could name at least five emotions and all of them selected a personal calming tool to keep in their hat.

Why it Matters

Early emotional awareness builds the foundation for resilience, better relationships and smoother learning. Giving children a language for feelings - and a toolbox to manage them - means they're less likely to get stuck in a cycle of frustration or anxiety later on.