Great Quotes for Kids about Feelings and Emotions

Every single day things happen that stir up our feelings and emotions! Depending on what happens to us, we may become happy, angry, frustrated, sad, scared, excited or one of many other emotions! Feelings and emotions are a gift to us and one of the things that makes humans different than other species.

So, it is very natural to feel angry or scared! It is also important for us to think why we feel a certain way. If we think about what it is that makes us feel like we do, we can then try to control our reactions.

But this is easier said than done!  Sometimes, our emotions seem to take control of us. There might be events, both good and bad, in your life that take you by surprise. It can be hard to manage your feelings during these times. 

Sometimes our emotions can get us into trouble. You may see a young child throwing a temper tantrum and getting punished. It is easy for us to hurt people, make bad choices or not do our best when we let our feelings control our words and actions.

During these times, is important to remember that we don’t always choose how we feel, but we can choose how to act or react! In other words, you have control of your emotions! You have the power to change the way you feel. Sometimes, you just have to step back, take a deep breath and look at the bigger picture to get your emotions under control.

Taking control of your emotions will help you be the best version of yourself. It will help you in school, with your friends, your family and your activities. Check out our list of great quotes for kids about managing emotions below and then see a few ways to become better at controlling yourself:

• Our emotions need to be as educated as our intellect. It is important to know how to feel, how to respond and how to let life in so that it can touch you. – Anonymous
• Don’t mix bad words with your bad mood. You’ll have many opportunities to change your mood, but you’ll never get the opportunity to replace the words you spoke… – Anonymous
• A big part of emotional intelligence is being able to feel an emotion without having to act on it. –Anonymous
• Positive people have negative thoughts, too. They just don’t allow those thoughts to grow too big. And they make sure to stop them from following them around all day. – Karen Salmansohn
• Feelings are much like waves, we can’t stop them from coming, but we can choose which one to surf. – Jonathan Martensson
• Change your thoughts, and you can change your world. – Norman Vincent Peale
• Your mind is a garden, your thoughts are the seed….you can grow flowers, or you can grow weeds. –Anonymous
• Sometimes you have to forget what’s gone, appreciate what still remains, and look forward to what’s coming next.—Anonymous
• Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else: you are the one who gets burned. – Buddah
• Never react emotionally to criticism. Analyze yourself to determine whether it is justified. If it is, correct yourself. Otherwise, go on about your business. – Norman Vincent Peale
• “One can be the master of what one does, but never of what one feels.” – Gustave Flaubert
• “But feelings can’t be ignored, no matter how unjust or ungrateful they seem.” – Anne Frank
• “It’s not what happens to us, but our response to what happens to us that hurts us.” – Stephen Covey

Additional Resources:

• Check out all of our other great quotes for kids

Topics for Discussion:

• What are your 3 favorite quotes above?  Why?
• Do you disagree with any of the quotes?  Why?
• Think of a time when someone was patient with you. What happened? If you feel comfortable, share it with someone.
• Tell of a time when you chose to be patient, rather than become angry. What was the outcome? Was it good or bad, and why?
• Ask your grandparents, parents and teachers what life was like when they were your age. Think about how different things are now. Do you think they needed more patience? Why or why not?
• Have you ever experienced an event that made you react in a very emotional way. If so, please share it with your group.
• Is there a time when you stepped back and took a look at the larger picture during a life event? What happened when you did that? Do you think you responded differently than you would have if you reacted right away.?
• Do you think it is important to manage your emotions and feelings?How could you possibly help others to understand how to manage emotions and feelings?

Take Action:

• Choose one thing in your life where you are not patient and make a commitment to change this.  Start doing it and see how it makes you feel.
• Take action with something that may be hard to do, but matters to you. Find a cause that you care about, such as animals, and find something you can do to help. Click here for a great list of ideas to help animals from the ASPCA or here for a list of project ideas from GenerationOn.

Teacher Features:

• Here is a link to a Critical Reading Skills worksheet that you can use for elementary school students.
• Here is a link to a Critical Reading Skills worksheet that you can use for middle school students