How can you tell they’ve got it: Feelings Change and Differ?

If they’ve got it, you’ll see things like: Give an example of a time their feelings changed during a single day; Explain why two children might feel differently about the same event; Recognise that feelings are temporary and can change. Or just try it together: If you and your child watch the same film and you find it funny but your child finds it scary, can they understand why you both felt differently?

Personal & Social Development Emotional Literacy Ages 5–7

Feelings Change and Differ

Your child knows that feelings come and go through the day, and that the same thing can make two people feel different ways.

In curriculum terms

Understand that everyone has feelings, that feelings change throughout the day, and that the same event can make different people feel different things

Ages are typical, not deadlines — follow your child’s pace. How to help at home →

How to tell they’ve got it

Tick these off as you see them — no test required.

Give an example of a time their feelings changed during a single day
Explain why two children might feel differently about the same event
Recognise that feelings are temporary and can change

🖨 Print this page to keep the checklist — it prints beautifully.

Try this together

If you and your child watch the same film and you find it funny but your child finds it scary, can they understand why you both felt differently?

Where this sits on the map

Stuck here? Check the skills it builds on first. Confident? Here’s what it unlocks.

Builds on

Naming Basic Emotionsages 5–7Understanding feelings change benefits from naming basic emotions

Feelings Change and Differthis skill · ages 5–7

Unlocks

Comparing Characters Across Storiesages 5–9Comparing characters' adventures and reactions in stories is enriched by the foundational SEL understanding that the same event can make different people feel differently

Triggers and Causes of Feelingsages 5–7Identifying triggers benefits from knowing feelings change

solid = must come firstdashed = helps

Curriculum alignment

Where this fits in the official school curriculum — our best automated guess, not yet checked by a person.

Show candidate curriculum codes · 1 ACARA · 3 VIC

Australian Curriculum v9 candidate

AC9HS1K02low confidenceYear 1 · Knowledge and understanding

continuity and change between aspects of their daily lives and their parents’ and grandparents’ childhoods

Victorian Curriculum 2.0 codes & levels only

VC2HP2P02medium confidenceHealth and Physical Education · Levels 1 and 2 · Personal, Social and Community Health – Health Education strand

VC2HH2K03low confidenceHistory · Foundation to Level 2 · Historical Knowledge and Understanding strand

VC2HP4P02low confidenceHealth and Physical Education · Levels 3 and 4 · Personal, Social and Community Health – Health Education strand

These are candidate alignments generated by semantic matching — machine-suggested and unreviewed (v0.1), not official or verified mappings. For official curriculum content see australiancurriculum.edu.au, curriculum.nsw.edu.au and f10.vcaa.vic.edu.au. Don’t rely on them for registration or compliance purposes.

Nearby on the map

Expressing Feelings with Wordsages 5–7 Naming Basic Emotionsages 5–7 Triggers and Causes of Feelingsages 5–7 Emotion Vocabularyages 7–9

All Emotional Literacy skills →