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Expanding the Emotion Lexicon

“Expanding the Emotion Lexicon” is a short 15-minute practice from Zayenha Practice in the Parenting domain. Teach your child 50 feeling words (not just "sad": frustrated, hopeless, let-down, broken). Precision = regulation. You can read its goal and first step for free; the full practice with every step and the interactive part comes with Plus.

Teach your child 50 feeling words (not just "sad": frustrated, hopeless, let-down, broken). Precision = regulation.

15 min Intermediate

Goal

Expand child's feeling vocab from 5-10 to 50, building emotional granularity linked to better mental health.

Steps

1

Post Plutchik's emotion wheel on fridge — 32 core emotions.

4 more steps locked

Expected Outcome

Immediate

Child uses a feeling word never used before.

Evidence base

School: Constructed Emotion + Atlas of Emotions

Founders: Lisa Feldman Barrett · Paul Ekman (2017)

Feldman Barrett in "How Emotions Are Made" proved vocabulary creates emotions, not just describes them.

Frequently asked questions

How long does "Expanding the Emotion Lexicon" take?

This exercise takes about 15 minutes, practiced with another person in a Written reflection format.

When will I notice the effect of "Expanding the Emotion Lexicon"?

Child uses a feeling word never used before. In the short term: In a month, vague "I'm angry" drops, precise words rise.

Is "Expanding the Emotion Lexicon" evidence-based?

Yes — it draws on Constructed Emotion + Atlas of Emotions (Lisa Feldman Barrett, Paul Ekman (2017)). Feldman Barrett in "How Emotions Are Made" proved vocabulary creates emotions, not just describes them.

Is "Expanding the Emotion Lexicon" suitable for beginners?

Its difficulty level is: Intermediate. No external tools required — it can be practiced directly inside the platform.

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