Why Teach Mental Health Education in Kindergarten Through Grade 3? Introducing "We All Have Feelings"

Every educator who has ever stood at the front of a Kindergarten through Grade 3 classroom knows the scene. A standard Tuesday morning can instantly pivot when a missing crayon triggers a full-scale meltdown, or when a child quietly retreats into total withdrawal during storytime. For young learners, the world is full of massive, overwhelming emotional inputs—yet historically, early elementary education has treated emotional regulation as something children should simply "figure out" alongside learning their ABCs and 123s.

At Erika's Lighthouse, we believe that we cannot expect children to thrive academically if they do not feel safe, understood, and emotionally grounded. Research supports what educators see everyday: children's mental health is closely connected to healthy emotional development, relationships, and learning. The CDC defines positive mental health in early childhood as reaching developmental and emotional milestones while building healthy social skills.

That is why we are thrilled to announce the launch of our brand-new Introduction-Level curriculum: "We All Have Feelings." Designed specifically for K–3 classrooms, "We All Have Feelings" translates essential mental health literacy. This prevention focused approach reflects decades of research showing that early mental health education helps students build emotional awareness, reduce stigma, and strength and help seeking skills.

What Is K–3 Mental Health Literacy?

In middle and high school, mental health literacy often involves understanding specific clinical diagnoses and self-advocacy. In early elementary, mental health literacy is foundational and preventative. It focuses on:

• Building Vocabulary: Giving children clear language to label their internal emotional experiences.
• Body Awareness: Helping students recognize how emotions manifest physically in their bodies (e.g., racing heart, tight stomach).
• Destigmatization: Normalizing conversations around emotions so children realize that everyone has mental health.
• Help-Seeking Skills: Teaching that asking for help from a trusted adult is an act of courage, not weakness.

One of the first lessons children learn is that everyone has mental health, just as everyone has physical health. Learning to care for our mental health is a lifelong skill.

This is also why “We All Have Feelings” is a foundations-level curriculum rather than a diagnostic or screening tool. It's designed to build the vocabulary and comfort that makes leading more specific conversations about depression and mental health possible, not to identify or label individual students.

Alignment with National Frameworks for Educators

To ensure educators can seamlessly integrate these lessons into existing instructional schedules, "We All Have Feelings" was built to align directly with national educational standards and counseling frameworks:

National Health Education Standards (NHES/SHAPE America)

• Standard 1 (Comprehend Concepts): Functional health concepts regarding mental well-being and emotional awareness.
• Standard 3 (Access Valid Information): Identifying trusted adults and valid school/community resources.
• Standard 4 (Interpersonal Communication): Expressing feelings, wants, and needs effectively and safely.
• Standard 7 (Self-Management Practices): Demonstrating health-enhancing behaviors and age-appropriate self-regulation.
• Standard 8 (Advocacy): Promoting emotional wellness for self, peers, and the school community.

ASCA Mindsets & Behaviors for Student Success

• M 1: Belief in development of the whole self, including a healthy balance of mental, social/emotional, and physical well-being.
• M 2: Sense of acceptance, respect, support, and inclusion for self and others in the school environment.
• B-SMS 2: Demonstration of self-discipline and self-control.
• B-SMS 7: Effective coping skills when faced with a problem.
• B-SMS 9: Personal safety skills.
• B-SS 2: Positive, respectful, and supportive relationships with peers.
• B-SS 3: Positive relationships with adults to support success.

CASEL Core Competencies

• Self-Awareness & Self-Management: Identifying emotions, recognizing bodily triggers, and executing coping strategies.
• Social Awareness & Relationship Skills: Empathy toward peers, identifying trusted adults, and practicing explicit help-seeking communication.

Curriculum Structure: The 4-Lesson Core Unit

The full program is structured sequentially to guide young learners step-by-step from emotional self-awareness to active help-seeking and personal advocacy.

Lesson 1: Understanding Small Feelings and Big Feelings

Students learn that feelings are a normal part of mental health. They explore the difference between "small" (everyday) feelings and "big" (overwhelming) feelings, identifying where emotions physically show up in their bodies. (Foundation & Body Awareness | NHES Standard 1, ASCA M 1, M 2)

Lesson 2: Coping with Small Feelings and Big Feelings

Students build practical self-management tools (e.g., calming breathwork, movement, quiet breaks) and learn that asking for help when experiencing "big feelings" is an essential coping strategy in itself. (Coping Strategies & Intro to Help-Seeking | NHES Standards 1 & 7, ASCA B-SMS 2, B-SMS 7)

Lesson 3: Who Can Help Me?

Students develop help-seeking literacy by defining what a "trusted adult" is (e.g., kind, safe, helpful), completing a "Stop-and-Move" activity, and practicing how to ask an adult for help. (Trusted Adults & Role-Play | NHES Standards 3, 4 & 8, ASCA B-SMS 9, B-SS 2, B-SS 3)

Lesson 4: Unit Assessment

A flexible evaluation unit offering three assessment choices to fit different classroom needs: the "Traffic Feeling Light Game", a "Show Me What You Know" role-play task, or a visual "My Healthy Feelings Plan" worksheet. (Demonstrating Mastery | NHES Standards 1, 3, 4, 7 & 8)

Note: For schools with limited instructional time, the program also includes a Standalone Lesson: We All Have Feelings that synthesizes key takeaways—into a single, high-impact workshop.

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How “We All Have Feelings” Fits Into a School's Broader Mental Health Strategy

“We All Have Feelings” is designed as a Tier 1 program: universal, prevention-focused education for every student, not an intervention for students already showing signs of distress. Introducing these foundational skills in grades K-3 gives schools a head start on the same skills students build on in later grades through Erika's Lighthouse’s middle and high school classroom curriculum.

This early groundwork also supports the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC) framework, which recognizes that student well-being is shaped by the whole school environment, not the classroom alone.

Bringing Mental Health Literacy to Your School

Developing "We All Have Feelings" has been a labor of love driven by a clear need observed in real classrooms. When we equip K–3 students with the vocabulary to articulate their internal world, promote help-seeking, and create safe spaces for open discussion, we don't just prevent classroom disruptions—we lay the groundwork for a lifetime of resilience, empathy, and academic success.

Together, let's shine a light on early mental health literacy and ensure no student feels alone in their feelings.

Bring “We All Have Feelings” to Your School

“We All Have Feelings” is free for K-3 classrooms, along with every Erika's Lighthouse curriculum. Get free access to start bringing this curriculum to your school.