Feelings charts are powerful tools to help children learn about their feelings and express them healthily.
In this guide, we explore the benefits of using a feelings chart for kids, expert tips on how to introduce it to children, and provide free printable resources to help you get started.
With our guide, you can help kids develop emotional intelligence and build important life skills for their future.
What Is A Feelings Chart?
A feelings chart is a tool used to help children identify, understand, and manage their emotions.
It is typically a chart or poster that includes pictures or illustrations of different emotions, such as happiness, sadness, and anger.
Children can use the chart to identify their feelings and track their emotions over time.
Why Should Children Use A Feelings Chart?
Children should use a feelings chart because it can help them become more aware of their emotions, identify them with greater accuracy, and learn to regulate them better.
This can prevent negative feelings from escalating and help children communicate their emotions with others more effectively.
Using a feelings chart can also promote empathy and understanding of the emotions of others while improving problem-solving skills and decision-making abilities.
Feelings Charts Benefits
There are numerous benefits to using feelings charts for kids, including:
Emotional Awareness: Feelings charts can help children become more aware of their emotions and identify them with greater accuracy.
Emotional Regulation: By recognizing their emotions, children can learn to regulate them better, preventing negative feelings from escalating.
Communication: Feelings charts provide a common language to communicate emotions between children and their parents, teachers, or caregivers.
Empathy: Understanding their own emotions can also help children develop empathy and understanding for the emotions of others.
Problem-Solving: With the ability to identify and regulate their emotions, children can better solve problems and make decisions.
Overall, feelings charts are a helpful tool to improve children’s emotional intelligence and support their overall social and emotional development.
Tips For Using Feelings Charts
Here are some tips to help you make the most of using feelings charts for kids:
Introduce it in a positive way: Start by explaining what a feelings chart is and how it can help the child. Emphasize that it is a tool to help them identify and manage their emotions and that everyone experiences different feelings.
Make it a routine: Incorporate using the feelings chart into their daily routine. This can be during breakfast, dinner, or before bedtime. Consistency will help the child form a habit of identifying their emotions.
Encourage honesty: Encourage children to be honest when using the feelings chart. Remind them that it is normal to experience different emotions and that there are no wrong feelings.
Discuss the emotions: Use the feelings chart as an opportunity to discuss the child’s emotions. Ask them questions about why they are feeling a certain way and how they can manage those feelings.
Use it as a teaching tool: Use the feelings chart to teach children about empathy and understanding others’ emotions. You can also use it to talk about appropriate ways to express emotions, such as taking deep breaths or talking to a trusted adult.
Let the child take ownership: Encourage them to choose the emotions they want to track and decorate their feelings chart with stickers or drawings. This will help them take ownership and make it a fun and engaging activity.
By following these tips, you can help a child get the most out of using a feelings chart and develop important emotional intelligence skills.
Free Printables
The free printables offered in this guide include a range of resources to help children learn about emotions and use feelings charts effectively.
These resources include printable feelings charts encouraging children to identify and express their emotions.
Using these free printables, parents and caregivers can provide children a fun and engaging way to learn about their emotions, improve their emotional intelligence, and develop important life skills.
Final Thoughts
Feelings charts are a valuable tool for helping children understand and manage their emotions effectively.
By using a feelings chart, children can become more aware of their emotions, regulate them better, and communicate with others more effectively.
Incorporating a feelings chart into their daily routine and using it as a teaching tool can help children develop important emotional intelligence skills that will benefit them throughout their lives.
With the free printables provided in this guide, you can get started on helping children develop a greater understanding of their emotions and the tools to manage them.
Hi, my name is Helena Waters and I was a teacher for 40 years before retiring last year.
During my time as a teacher I dedicated the majority of it to making classrooms as fun as possible, with educational parties, fun activities, and low cost entertainment that made the children excited about learning.
I taught children of all ages, from preschoolers to high school students. Now, with the pandemic having uprooted everything that children once knew about school and learning, I think that the need for my ideas is bigger than ever.
That is why I created School Sparks, a place in which I can write down and share all of my ideas on how to get students excited about going to school again. I hope that you’ll find some useful within a school setting, even at home too!
