Welcome to the wonderful world of The Emps. Where emotions come to life…
For Families
Children can't manage an emotion they can't name.
Lot’s of children arrive at the hard moments with three words: sad, angry and fine. This means that everything from disappointment to shame to overwhelm has to come out as one of those, or as behaviour.
The Emps give every emotion a name, a face and a voice. The emotion becomes something your child can see, learn about, grow to understand and name instead of something that happens to them.
Browse below for our range of free and premium products and services to help you support your child’s emotional literacy development.
Shop The Emp Premium Collection: Practical Resources.
The resources that that bring The Emps to life.
Plushie and crochet Emps, card decks, sticker sets and printed resources, the physical versions of what's on the site.
We know a child can't hold an abstract emotion, but they can hold an Emp, and that is more powerful than it sounds.
These make an excellent addition to any calm corner, SEND room or ELSA/LM toolkit.
Parent Courses
Short, practical workshops, about an hour, run by an Educational Psychologist. A bit of the psychology first, so you understand what's actually going on. Then the useful part: what to say and practical usable strategies that actually work.
Price: £10 per session.
Time and Date: Fridays 9:30-10:30 with a recording available for the following week.
The Science Behind Emotions
Most of us were raised on four feelings. Happy, sad, angry, scared and "fine", which isn't an emotion.
This is the foundation session: where emotions actually come from, what's happening in the brain and the body when one arrives, and why naming an emotion is what starts to calm it. We'll go through the families of emotions with the Emps, and the difference between a behaviour and the emotion sitting underneath it (which is the distinction that changes the most at home).
You'll leave with the K.N.A.C.K. method, a family feelings map, and a way of talking about emotions your child will actually pick up and use.
Start here if you're not sure which one to come to.
Anger
Anger is the loudest emotion and almost never the first one.
Underneath it there's usually something else; unfairness, embarrassment, fear, or plain exhaustion. This session is about finding that, and about what to do in the moment when there's no time to work anything out.
We'll cover what happens in the brain when a child flips their lid, why reasoning doesn't work in the moment it's happening, and the difference between calming a body and correcting a behaviour. You'll get scripts for the moment itself, a regulation toolbox that's more than "take a deep breath", and the part most parents say they needed most: what to say afterwards. To them, and to yourself.
Flaregrump is the Emp for this one.
Register your interest below
Dates go up shortly and places are limited. Register your interest →
No obligation, and I won't chase you.
Anxiety
The tummy aches. The same question at bedtime, asked four times. The Sunday nights.
Anxiety isn't your child being difficult, it's their alarm system doing its job far too well. And you cannot reason with an alarm. This session is about why reassurance stops working, what to do instead, and how confidence actually grows: in small supported steps, after safety, not before it.
We'll look at what's happening when the thinking brain goes offline, the worry tree, and the ladder approach for the things they've started avoiding. You'll leave with scripts, a plan, and a much clearer idea of why "you'll be fine" so often makes it worse.
Fraggle is the Emp for this one.
Explore the Emp Gallery to discover the Emp — and the emotion — you want to understand more deeply.
All Emps are ready and waiting to be explored.
Created by an Educational Psychologist and psychologically informed, the Emp Gallery is designed to help children (and the adults around them) build emotional awareness before emotions show up — and to know what to do when they do.
Each Emp comes with a rich fact file, including where they live, their Super Powers, Treasure Tips, and their Secret Soft Sides. Alongside this, you’ll find practical, in-the-moment tools and strategies that can be used during real emotional moments — at home, in school, or on the go.
The Emp Gallery helps children recognise emotions early, understand what’s happening in their bodies and minds, and access simple, supportive strategies to regulate and feel safe. This approach supports emotional literacy, confidence, and resilience — not just in calm moments, but when feelings are big and support is needed most.
Explore the Emp Translator Cards
From behaviour to need, at a glance for busy parents.
Support for real moments.
Big emotions don’t come with instructions.
The Emp Translator Cards help you quickly understand what is really going on beneath the behavior, and what to do next.
Created by Dr Nat, Educational Psychologist, these psychology-informed, practical cards give you simple, in-the-moment guidance when emotions run high.
Clear. Calm. Ready to use.
Free Resources For Families
Crafting with The Emps
Crafting with The Emps is a simple and creative way to help children explore and talk about emotions.
When children create their own Emp, they are not just making a craft. They are bringing an emotion to life.
Through colour, shape, and personality, children can begin to recognise what emotions feel like and when they appear. A fluffy yellow Emp might represent worry. A spiky orange Emp might represent anger. A rainbow Emp might represent joy.
Creating an Emp gives children a playful and safe way to talk about emotions that can sometimes be hard to explain.
Do big emotions sometimes feel hard to handle?
Have you got the KNACK?
The Knack Method offers a simple, psychologically informed way to support children through big feelings, helping you respond with calm, clarity, and confidence when emotions show up.
Discover a wide range of psychologically informed resources, including emotion wheels, posters, and cards, designed to support children’s emotional literacy and understanding.
Created for parents, teachers, and professionals, these tools are grounded in psychology and made to be used in real, everyday moments. They help children recognise, name, and understand their emotions, while offering practical ways to support emotional wellbeing at home, in school, and beyond.
Thoughtfully designed to build confidence and emotional awareness, these resources support adults to guide children through feelings with clarity, connection, and care.
The Emps Starter Pack
〰️
The Emps Starter Pack 〰️
Get the Emps starter pack
One email, with the five things most parents find useful first, and the occasional note from me about what's really going on underneath children's behaviour. No spam, and you can leave whenever you like.
Coming Soon Courses for Parents
Short, practical and built by an Educational Psychologist — on anger, on worry, and on what to do in the ten minutes after you've shouted.
If you'd want one, tell me which and I'll let you know first.
Follow the adventures of The Emps across our socials
