Mood Bears in Education gives every child a language for their emotions - and every school a system to use it.
A fully structured, 'done for you' TA-led approach that gives children the language to understand their feelings, reduce escalation, and support inclusive classrooms.
Aligned with new statutory RSHE guidance (2026)
Supports EYFS - Y6 teaching of:
✔ recognising and naming emotions
✔ understanding how feelings affect behaviour
✔ developing strategies to manage emotions
✔ building emotional vocabulary and communication
Children who can name feelings precisely, and understand the science behind why their brain and body react the way they do, are better equipped to help themselves, are more resilient, regulated and ready to learn. Early intervention prevents escalation and this is delivered by simple daily tools in our 'done-for-you' scripted sessions which scaffolds staff confidence.
Written by award winning specilist teachers with decades of experience supporting inclusion to help you meet the new statutory RSHE expectations through emotional literacy and behaviour understanding.
“Schools don’t just need access to specialists - they need confident staff who know what to do in the moment. This approach turns expert recommendations into everyday practice.”
Why focus on emotional literacy?
Schools are increasingly expected to explicitly teach emotional understanding, reduce behaviour escalation, and support inclusion within the classroom.
Statutory RSHE guidance requires children to learn how to recognise, understand and manage their emotions and know how these influence behaviour.
Most schools haven’t been given a practical way to deliver this consistently. Mood Bears in Education bridges that gap.
When a child specifically labels emotions it does two things
1) reduces activity in the amygdala (threat centre)
2) increases activity in the prefrontal cortex (thinking brain).
What you will see:
- Children confidently naming feelings beyond 'happy' and 'sad'.
- Fewer behaviours escalating into bigger incidents.
- Support staff responding consistently and calmly.
- Children using strategies independently.
- Calmer classrooms with more time for learning
Inside a Mood Bears Session
Each 20–30 minute session follows a clear, five-step structure - so children know what to expect, staff feel confident delivering it, and understanding builds over time.
1. The Story
Inside each Mood Bear’s pocket is a short, relatable story based on real classroom and playground experiences (e.g. being left out, falling out with a friend, feeling overwhelmed).
The story pauses at a key moment — a ‘Paws Pause’ - where children begin to notice exactly what is happening.
2. Emotional Precision
The children use carefully designed tools such as feelings fans, word mats and mini mood dictionaries, to explore a rich emotional vocabulary that gives every feeling its precise name, uncover its real message, and find strategies that actually work.
3. Science: Understanding the Brain & Body
The Mood Bear expert arrives and works alongside the children to explore the emotional world of the character. What are the clues? What happened before? What might they be thinking and feeling? The Expert produces a 'report' to explains from a scientific / neuroscience point of view what is exactly happening inside the character. For example, if a child is left out and becomes angry, children learn that anger is a natural response to a social threat. They learn simple brain and body science - such as the role of the amygdala and the body’s stress response (fight/flight) - so they understand why feelings can escalate.
4. The Strategies
Through beautifully crafted activities the Mood Bear Expert teaches the children a strategy to support that emotion or to help embed and more deeply understand the science.
5. Become the Expert
Children reflect on what they’ve learned and how they can apply it back in class - becoming 'experts' in emotions themselves and are given the challenge to 'explain their strategy of the week to a friend or a parent".
Backed by all five Dragons' Den investors - Peter Jones called Mood Bears "something that could have real, consequential, positive impact". That's the standard we hold ourselves to in every school we work with.
Hear about impact of Mood Bears in real classrooms today
Eight 'experts at hand'...
Each of the eight Mood Bears is an expert in their own emotion. Together they give children and staff a memorable way to recognise what might be happening inside their brain and body and gives them the language to say so precisely. They learn together that feelings are not problems. Far from it, they are messages. And every message has something very important to say.
Let's consider Angry Bear for example...or is he? Sometimes things are not always as they seem. In sessions, we look closer and learn that what looks like anger, often is not precisely anger and that identifying a nuance could change the meaning of the message sent. Identifying the real messages our brain and body are sending often changes everything, including how we react and changes what we think 'might help'.
Example 1:
A Y6 child identifies that the character is perhaps not 'angry'. They believe he is actually 'fuming'.
- They learn the real message of 'fuming' is: Perceived injustice. Something felt deeply unfair.
- They then learn 'What might help': Validation. Being heard. Clear and fair boundaries.
Example 2:
Another Y6 child identifies that the same character is perhaps not 'angry'. They believe he is actually 'embarrassed'.
- They learn the real message of embarrassment is: A social threat. Feeling exposed or judged in front of others. Something felt deeply unfair.
- They then learn 'What might help': Protection. Quiet repair. A way to save face.
A sensory, tactile tool that meets CASEL and Ofsted expectations around inclusion
Our whole school curriculum planning from EYFS to Year 6 has five clear pillars:
- Notice (body awareness) → Self-Awareness
- Name (emotional vocabulary) → Self-Awareness
- Know (brain and body science) → Self-Awareness and Self-Management
- Connect (self, others, community) → Social Awareness and Relationship Skills
- Hope (Target setting) → Responsible Decision Making and Self-Management
What Schools Say:
'Our children now have a language for their feelings.'
'A child can say ‘I’m feeling like Nervous Bear right now’ and be completely understood.'
'Staff find the sessions easy to run and genuinely engaging. As a leader, it's the first time our emotional wellbeing provision has finally felt joined up.'
Mrs J Davies, Cwmbach Community Primary School.
Trusted by Leaders
Lucy Coy, BA(QTS) Hons NASENCO,
Co-Founder of HeadteacherChat, said:
"We love the fact that the Mood Bears in Education resources have been developed to a high standard by people who really understand the importance of emotional literacy and have experience teaching it.
When children can recognise and name what they’re feeling, they’re far more able to regulate, communicate needs, and use the support on offer, which reduces behaviour as communication and prevents issues escalating into repeated sanctions or exclusion from learning. It also helps staff respond consistently and with understanding, because the school has a shared language for emotions and strategies, rather than relying on individual interpretation.
Strong emotional literacy is the foundation of good SEND services, better relationships, and calmer classrooms where children are ready to learn."
The Pack includes:
- All eight physical bears (Nervous, Love, Happy, Hope, Silly, Sad, Calm and Angry)
- Ready-to-use planning and resources (download)
Designed for the support time already happening in schools, this fully structured approach fits seamlessly into class based TA-led sessions with no additional timetable pressure.
Download includes:
- Structured session plans for EYFS to Year 6, designed for delivery by support staff
- Character-led stories for each 20-minute session
- Practical resources including differentiated feelings fans, feelings wheels, word mats, class posters, worksheets and activities
Coming soon: Whole-school planning available Autumn 2026
Beautifully designed practical resources staff can use straight away
Mood Bears takes emotional literacy off the screen and into children’s hands.
Each session is complimented by carefully designed, high-quality resources that support staff can use immediately .
Mapped to the CASEL framework, the programme integrates and enhances your current personal development and wellbeing offer.
Designed by specialist SEMH expert teachers, we give you an inclusive small-group 20 minute programme gives children practical, science-backed tools to build resilience, self-esteem and emotional mastery.
In each 20-minute session, children explore a simple, relatable story based on a real-life problem. The Mood Bears arrive as experts, helping them understand what happens in their brain and body and what they can do next. Children learn that all feelings are welcome, and that by noticing their thoughts and responses, and understanding the why, they can select the tools and strategies to self-regulate and access learning.
Our fully scripted sessions remove the guesswork while building staff confidence and expertise - creating a shared language for emotions and supporting consistent, evidence-informed practice.