Year 2 – Exploring Feelings and Empathy in German

Learning a new language is about much more than remembering words. It is about communicating, making connections, and developing an understanding of ourselves and others.

In Year 2, our young German learners have been exploring greetings and emotions through playful and interactive learning experiences.

We began with simple German greetings such as Guten Morgen (Good morning), Guten Tag (Good afternoon), Auf Wiedersehen (Goodbye), and Tschüss (Bye). From there, we moved on to a simple but meaningful question: Wie geht’s dir? (How are you?).

The children learned to express their feelings and needs using phrases such as Ich bin glücklich (I am happy), Ich bin traurig (I am sad), Ich bin wütend (I am angry), Ich bin müde (I am tired), Ich bin krank (I am ill), Ich bin hungrig (I am hungry), and Ich bin durstig (I am thirsty).

But our learning went beyond vocabulary!

Throughout the unit, we explored how to respond when someone tells us how they feel. What can we do if a friend is sad? How can we support someone who is angry, tired, or feeling unwell? What could we say or do to help?

These discussions encouraged the children to recognise that everyone experiences different emotions and that our words and actions can make a difference to others.

As the children explored different emotions, they also grew as caring communicators, learning that listening, understanding, and responding with kindness are just as important as finding the right words.

Through games, movement, role-play, and meaningful conversations, our Year 2 students have been growing in confidence as young German speakers while developing valuable social and emotional skills.

After all, learning to ask Wie geht’s dir? is important, but learning to truly care about the answer is even more meaningful.

Enjoy this short glimpse into our German classroom and see our Year 2 learners in action!