How can you tell they’ve got it: Hidden and Masked Feelings?

If they’ve got it, you’ll see things like: Give an example of a time someone might hide their feelings and explain why; Identify mismatches between someone's words and their body language; Explain that hiding feelings is common but that it's usually better to share with someone trusted. Or just try it together: If a friend at school says 'I'm fine' but looks upset and is being very quiet, can your child recognise that the friend might not actually be fine?

Personal & Social Development Emotional Literacy Ages 7–9

Hidden and Masked Feelings

Your child knows that people sometimes hide how they feel — smiling when they are sad, or saying 'I'm fine' when they are not.

In curriculum terms

Recognise that people sometimes hide or mask their true feelings — smiling when they're actually sad, or saying 'I'm fine' when they're not — and understand why someone might do this

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 someone might hide their feelings and explain why
Identify mismatches between someone's words and their body language
Explain that hiding feelings is common but that it's usually better to share with someone trusted

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Try this together

If a friend at school says 'I'm fine' but looks upset and is being very quiet, can your child recognise that the friend might not actually be fine?

Where this sits on the map

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

Builds on

Expressing Feelings with Wordsages 5–7Recognising masked feelings builds on expressing own feelings appropriately

Mild to Strong Emotionsages 7–9Recognising masked feelings benefits from understanding emotion intensity

Hidden and Masked Feelingsthis skill · ages 7–9

Unlocks

Culture and Experience Shape Emotionsages 9–11Cultural shaping of emotions builds on knowing people mask/hide feelings

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.

This skill sits outside the F–6 Australian Curriculum — no candidate code matched (v0.1). No NSW K–6 outcome code matched (v0.1). No Victorian Curriculum 2.0 code matched (v0.1).

Nearby on the map

Emotion Vocabularyages 7–9 How Emotions Feel in Your Bodyages 7–9 Mild to Strong Emotionsages 7–9 Culture and Experience Shape Emotionsages 9–11

All Emotional Literacy skills →