Disgust

• Materials: Disgust Images (click here for link).
• Emotion Wheel

Disgust Activity Instructions

These child-friendly illustrations, created using AI, are designed to show actions or social interactions that express disgust and its many shades. The goal of this activity is to help children explore the deeper context of these emotions and practice putting them into words.

Exploring Core Emotions Under Disgust
In this level, children are encouraged to identify and differ between basic feelings related to disgust, helping build comfort with emotional language.

• Disapproving – Showing that you believe something is wrong or bad.
• Disappointed – Feeling down because something did not meet your expectations.
• Awful – Very bad or unpleasant.
• Repelled – Feeling strongly pushed away or disgusted by something.

Granular Emotions Under Disgust
In this more advanced level, children are guided to use more specific and nuanced vocabulary to describe emotional experiences. Use the emotion wheel to help them explore and expand their vocabulary.

• Disapproving
  • Judgmental – Quickly deciding something or someone is bad.
  • Embarrassed – Like you want to hide or disappear.
• Disappointed
  • Appalled – Feeling shocked because something seems very wrong.
  • Revolted – Feeling super grossed out by something.
• Awful
  • Nauseated – Feeling sick to your stomach, like you might throw up.
  • Detestable – You feel mad and upset just thinking about it.
• Repelled
  • Horrified – Like your heart jumps out and you want to run away or hide.
  • Hesitant – Feeling unsure or nervous about doing something.

💬 How to Guide the Conversation

1. What emotions are the characters feeling?
   Encourage specific words that go beyond “happy.”

Example:

Girl: Proud, relieved, appreciated

Boy: Playful, cheerful, included

2. What do you think led them to feel this way? What “triggered” this emotion?
   Ask children to imagine what happened before the moment shown in the picture.

“Was there a celebration? Did someone do something kind for them?”

3. What thoughts do you think the characters are having?
   Encourage empathy and perspective-taking.

“What might they be thinking right now? How did they feel just before this?”
“What do you think they’ll feel or think after this moment?”

4. What would you do or say in this moment?
   Help children explore appropriate communication and connection.

“What could someone say to keep this happiness going?”
“What words might make this moment even more special?”

5. Don’t forget the background characters!
   Ask about people in the background. What are they doing? How are they feeling? Are they supporting the emotion or missing a chance to connect?