How to explain feeling vs fact to a five years old?

2023 Jan 12

When we talk about feelings, we’re talking about how something makes us feel, or how we react emotionally to something. For example, you might feel happy when you’re playing with your friends, or sad when someone you care about is upset.

Facts, on the other hand, are things that can be proven to be true or false. For example, the fact that the earth is round is something that can be proven, while the fact that the earth is flat is something that can’t be proven and would be considered false.

To explain this to a five-year-old, you might use simple examples that they can understand. For example, you could say that when you’re happy, you might smile and laugh, while when you’re sad, you might cry. These are feelings.

Then you could give an example of a fact, like “The sun is a star.” And ask if that’s true or false, and let them understand the difference.

You could also use real-life examples that the five-year-old is familiar with, like a toy they like or a place they go to. Show them how it’s important to talk about feelings, but also the facts that we can check to know things are true or false.