😀Feelings & Emotions Poems KS2 | Creative PSHE & Wellbeing Activities😡
Poetry is a wonderful way for children to explore the world around them – but it’s also a powerful tool for exploring the world inside them. Writing about feelings helps children develop vocabulary, empathy, and confidence, while also supporting PSHE and wellbeing.
In the classroom, exploring emotions through poetry can make discussions about happiness, sadness, anger, worries, and excitement both creative and safe.
👉 In my Poetry Days in primary schools across the UK I work hard to get the children excited about writing and performing their own poems. I visit over 100 schools every year and I’d love to work with your children and teachers.
📅 You can book me for:
In-person Poetry Days across the UK
Online Poetry Workshops (affordable and flexible)
➡ Secure your date here: Poets in Schools – Ian Bland
Here are five poems to get your class thinking and writing about different emotions, each followed by a fun classroom activity.
😀 Bounce! (Happy Poem)
I’ve got a smile that just won’t stop,
It bounces higher than a hop.
It skips and dances, zooms and zings,
It makes me want to spread my wings!
✨ Activity idea:
Children write their own “happy poem” using action verbs (bounce, skip, soar) and onomatopoeia. Perform with claps, jumps, or stomps to add rhythm.
😡 Volcano (Angry Poem)
My fists are tight, my face is red,
A roaring fire inside my head.
I stamp, I shout, I want to SCREAM —
Like lava bursting from a dream!
✨ Activity idea:
Ask children to describe anger using similes (like a storm, like a lion, like thunder). Perform poems with stomps or drum beats to channel strong emotions safely.
😢 Raincloud (Sad Poem)
A raindrop drips across my cheek,
My voice is soft, too small to speak.
The world feels grey, the skies all cry,
I wipe the teardrops from my eye.
✨ Activity idea:
Brainstorm metaphors for sadness (raincloud, broken toy, empty chair). Display their writing as teardrops or raindrops on a classroom wall.
😟 Butterflies (Worried Poem)
My stomach flips, my knees feel weak,
My voice is shaky when I speak.
The butterflies just zoom and race,
A hundred wings inside my space!
✨ Activity idea:
Children draw butterfly outlines and write their “worry words” inside the wings. Works brilliantly as part of a PSHE circle time.
🤩 Fireworks (Excited Poem)
Bang! Zoom! Flash!
My heart goes WHAM!
Like fireworks inside —
KAPOW! KAZAM!
✨ Activity idea:
Write “excitement sound poems” using onomatopoeia. Perform together as a class “firework chorus” with actions and sound effects.
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Exploring emotions through poetry gives children the chance to express themselves in a creative, thoughtful, and fun way. By linking poetry to PSHE and wellbeing, you can help pupils build both confidence and empathy.
👉 In my Poetry Days in primary schools across the UK I work hard to get the children excited about writing and performing their own poems. I visit over 100 schools every year and I’d love to work with your children and teachers.
📅 You can book me for:
In-person Poetry Days across the UK
Online Poetry Workshops (affordable and flexible)
➡ Secure your date here: Poets in Schools – Ian Bland
