How to Use Feelings by Libby Walden as a World Mental Health Day classroom resource

Boost emotional literacy and champion the importance of mental health in primary school during October 2025

Written by Maisie Waylett, Class Teacher

World Mental Health Day (October 10^th 2025) is the perfect opportunity to start meaningful conversations with your class about emotions and wellbeing. Here at The Story Project, we want to help teachers find those really special books that open discussions and build emotional literacy. We think that Feelings by Libby Walden might be the perfect book for you this World Mental Health Day!

If you’ve never come across this gem, Feelings is a visually stunning and poetically written picture book that explores a whole range of emotions—from joy and anger to sadness and pride. Each feeling is paired with bold, colourful illustrations, gentle rhyme and a cut out that follows each page, making it super engaging for younger learners.

Why Feelings by Libby Walden works so well in KS1 and KS2

For KS1 and KS2, World Mental Health Day is an opportunity to recap the learning already covered across the PSHE curriculum. By the end of Primary School, the statutory guidance states that pupils should know:

– That mental wellbeing is a normal part of daily life.

– That there is a normal range of emotions and scale of emotions that all humans experience.

– How to recognise and talk about their emotions, including having a varied vocabulary of words to use when talking about their own and others’ feelings

– How to judge whether what they are feeling and how they are behaving is appropriate and proportionate.

Now, let’s be honest: talking about emotions can be tricky, even for adults! Feelings breaks things down in a way that makes it easy for children to identify with different emotional states. Using discussion and class based activities alongside the story helps to further embed this learning, so children connect with the emotions on a deeper level. We love how books have the power to do this! Read more about this topic on our blog ‘6 benefits of using stories to support wellbeing’

Each double-page spread of Feelings focuses on a different emotion, using metaphors and vivid imagery (hello, visual learners!). This book is the perfect resource for building that emotional literacy and open discussion about how to recognise those big feelings!

On World Mental Health Day, Feelings by Libby Walden can anchor your lesson around mental well-being in a calm, age-appropriate way.

Easy Classroom Activities for World Mental Health Day using Feelings

Here are a few ideas to get you started:

Activity 1: Feelings Gallery Walk

Read the book aloud, photocopy and place each “feeling” page around the room on large A2 pieces of paper. Have students walk around and stop at each one to write or draw around the image what that feeling looks like in their own life.

Activity 2: Emotion Journal

After reading the book give children an A4 piece of paper. Fold it four times to create 8 squares. When unfolded, use each square to draw an image that represents an emotion. Share the images children have drawn and discuss why children have chosen different images.

Activity 3: Group Discussion

Use the book as a prompt for circle time. “When was a time you felt proud?” “How do you help someone who feels scared?” This encourages empathy and active listening.

FAQs

What are some simple ways to promote mental health in my classroom?

Daily check-ins where children can identify how they are feeling, gratitude jars, mindfulness moments, and regular outdoor time all help build a mentally healthy classroom culture. You can also use lots of books to foster empathy and mindfulness.

Here are some of our favourite new titles from Children’s Mental Health Week earlier in the year Children’s Mental Health Week – new books to explore with your class

How do I explain mental health to young children?

Use simple, age-appropriate language. Compare mental health to physical health—just like we take care of our bodies, we also need to take care of our feelings and thoughts. Here are a list of useful organisations with more information.

Young Minds

Mentally Healthy Schools

Mind

What is World Mental Health Day and why is it important for schools?

World Mental Health Day, held every year on October 10th, is a global initiative to raise awareness of mental health issues. In schools, it’s a chance to teach children about emotions, self-care, and kindness and can be a great opportunity to use a book like Feelings in a whole school assembly or as part of a classroom activity.

How does The Story Project support children to understand wellbeing mental health?

Using our book-led curriculum, The Story Project approach means that every lesson includes emotional vocabulary training and emotional regulation strategies. By the time children leave Year 6 they have built up a working toolkit of skills and knowledge to support them to understand, discuss and manage their emotions.

In specific topics throughout the primary journey children learn about the importance of looking after our mental and physical health. They also learn about mental illness in an age appropriate way, and what to do if they are worried about themselves or somebody else.

Because these topics are taught through stories children can explore them safely through the lens of the characters. Stories lead to much richer and open discussion that allows children to make stronger links with the learning.

If you found this page useful or would like more information about using stories to teach PSHE in your classroom, find out more here.