Adjectives of Feelings
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Learning to name one's emotions is an essential step. This activity sheet, designed for absolute beginners (A1), introduces the most fundamental feeling adjectives through the simple concept of opposites. With its visual approach and basic vocabulary, this matching game allows younger learners to acquire their first words to express how they feel. A perfect resource for a first lesson on emotions.
Your Worksheet
Assess your students' knowledge with this ready-to-use worksheet, designed to reinforce grammar and vocabulary points.
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Pedagogical Guide
Resource Objective & Content
The objective is to introduce the concept of opposites (antonyms) with basic vocabulary about feelings and emotions to very young learners (A1 level).
The document is an exercise titled "Antonyms Game" for A1 level on the theme "Adjectives of Feelings". Students must connect eight pairs of words with opposite meanings. The vocabulary consists of some of the most common adjectives to describe simple emotions and states: happy/sad, excited/bored, good/bad, kind/cruel, friendly/unfriendly, brave/afraid, strong/weak, and hot/cold. This activity builds the very first foundations of feelings vocabulary.
Suggested Procedure
Before the activity (~5 min): HAPPY OR SAD?
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Use facial expressions. Show a big smile and say "happy", then ask students to repeat and do the same. Then, make a sad face and say "sad". This physically anchors the concept of opposition.
During the activity (~5 min): LET'S FIND THE OPPOSITES TOGETHER
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Distribute the worksheet. Complete the exercise in a fully guided manner with the class.
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For each word on the left, say it aloud, mime it, then collectively find its opposite on the right. Use simple emoticons drawn on the board to illustrate each pair.
After the activity (~5 min): HOW DOES HE FEEL?
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Show simple pictures or drawings of characters with clear expressions (a child laughing, a child scared, etc.).
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Ask simple questions to the class: "Is he happy or sad?", "Is she brave or afraid?".
Adaptations
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To simplify: As the activity is already very simple, the main adaptation is to use a maximum of mimes, facial expressions, and emoticons for each word before starting the worksheet.
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To extend: Students can draw two faces: one showing a positive feeling from the list, and one showing its opposite. They then write the correct adjective under each drawing.
