A box full of feelings helps children to remain or get in touch with their inner world of feelings, recognise emotions in themselves, accept them, name them and have a more differentiated awareness of them. The box contains picture cards, figures, dolls and  masks representing different emotions and allowing children to explore them in a safe space. A box full of feelings also includes stories and emotive music. In line with our wellbeing policy children are encouraged to share their emotions and discuss how they or others may be feeling in order to develop their emotional literacy. 

In our nursery we have one persona doll which visits a room when necessary. Persona dolls promote equality and anti-discrimination in our nursery. It is a special event when a persona doll visits the room and the children look forward to seeing them once again. During a group discussion based on a wide range of issues, the persona doll listens to the children’s thoughts, feelings and ideas on a topic. 

On introduction, the persona doll has a book which tells them all about which country the doll lives in, what their name is, how old they are and other details allowing them to get to know the persona doll and show the same respect as other members of the room. The persona doll gives our children self-confidence, a sense of fairness and critical thinking skills as they create a bond. It is a great way of talking about a topic that may have come about during the day during staff observations.