Before a child can manage a feeling, they need a word for it. This feelings chart gives eight common feelings a face and a name, and adds an "I feel… because…" sentence frame so a child can start to connect feelings to what caused them.
What is on it
Eight faces in a grid: happy, calm, excited, tired, sad, worried, scared and angry, each in its own color, plus a sentence frame at the bottom: "I feel ___ because ___."
Who it is for
Children from about three to ten, and especially children who are still building feelings vocabulary, are not yet speaking much, or shut down when asked how they feel. Teachers use it for morning check-ins; families often use it at dinner or in the car, where conversation comes more easily.
How to use it
- Use it at a regular time: morning meeting, the drive home, or dinner.
- Let your child point to a face, then fill in the sentence together, out loud.
- Share your own feeling too. Children learn feelings words by hearing adults use them.
- Keep a laminated copy in the calm corner for in-the-moment check-ins.
Tips
- Accept every answer. "Angry" is a perfectly good morning feeling.
- For non-speaking or very young children, pointing alone is the whole exercise.
Keep going
Once your child can name the feeling, the How Big Is My Feeling? chart helps them choose what to do about it. For worried feelings in particular, see our guide to breathing exercises for anxious kids.
US Letter, one page, full color (it also prints fine in black and white, and on A4 with "fit to page"). Free for home, classroom and therapy use; please share the link rather than re-uploading the file. More on our free tools and printables page.
