For grown-ups
Feelings worth talking about
We don't need a giant dictionary of emotions. Sometimes it is more useful to start with the feeling that is showing up right now.
Start here
Common feelings children know
Happy
A pleasant feeling when something feels good, enjoyable, exciting, or goes the way we hoped.
Explore this feeling →Worried
An uneasy feeling that can happen when we think something might go wrong or when we are unsure about what will happen.
Explore this feeling →Jealous
An uncomfortable feeling that can happen when we worry that someone else has something we want, or that we may be losing someone's attention, love, or place.
Explore this feeling →Sad
A low or heavy feeling that can happen when something hurts, disappoints us, changes, or does not go the way we hoped.
Explore this feeling →Angry
A strong feeling that can appear when something feels unfair, frustrating, hurtful, or gets in the way of what we want.
Explore this feeling →Frustration
The agitated feeling of being blocked from a goal — wanting something to work and it isn't.
Explore this feeling →Curiosity
A strong wish to discover, ask, explore, or understand something that catches our attention.
Explore this feeling →From the books
Feelings explored in Dad's Stories
These are the feelings explored across the Dad's Stories books. Each one has a simple parent guide, and related books or games appear when they are available.
Joy
A warm, uplifting feeling of delight, pleasure, or deep happiness.
Parent guide →Anger
A strong feeling that can arise when something feels unfair, hurtful, frustrating, or blocked.
Parent guide →Interest
A feeling of attention and curiosity that draws us toward something we want to notice, explore, or understand.
Parent guide →Disgust
A strong feeling of aversion that can make something seem unpleasant, unsafe, or difficult to be near.
Parent guide →Sadness
A feeling of sorrow or heaviness that can follow loss, disappointment, change, hurt, or missing someone.
Parent guide →Fear
A protective feeling that can arise when something seems dangerous, threatening, or uncertain.
Parent guide →Distress
A state of strong emotional discomfort that can happen when something feels overwhelming, painful, upsetting, or too difficult to manage alone.
Parent guide →Surprised
A feeling that happens when something unexpected occurs or when reality is different from what we expected.
Parent guide →Affection
A warm feeling of fondness, care, or tenderness toward another person, animal, or sometimes a place or thing.
Parent guide →Desire
A strong wish to have, do, experience, or move toward something.
Parent guide →Boredom
A feeling of low interest or restlessness when nothing seems engaging, meaningful, or stimulating enough.
Parent guide →Shyness
A hesitant or self-conscious feeling that can make social situations feel uncomfortable or slow to enter.
Parent guide →Annoyance
A feeling of irritation when something repeatedly bothers us, gets in our way, or does not happen as we would like.
Parent guide →Curiosity
A strong wish to discover, ask, explore, or understand something that catches our attention.
Parent guide →Disappointment
A low or unhappy feeling that happens when something we hoped for does not happen as expected.
Parent guide →Sorrow
A deep or lingering form of sadness that can follow loss, hurt, separation, or something that matters deeply.
Parent guide →Frustration
The agitated feeling of being blocked from a goal — wanting something to work and it isn't.
Parent guide →Gratitude
A feeling of appreciation for something helpful, kind, meaningful, or good that we have received or experienced.
Parent guide →Horror
An intense reaction of fear, shock, or revulsion to something perceived as deeply frightening or disturbing.
Parent guide →Nostalgia
A reflective feeling that can arise when remembering a meaningful time, place, person, or experience from the past.
Parent guide →A note for parents
And yes, grown-ups have feelings too.
The games may begin with a child's feeling, but the conversations often lead somewhere bigger. These are a few grown-up feelings that can be useful to name together.