Everyday conversations about emotions can be easier when children have something visual to look at, point to and talk around. Feelings wheel for children space is a colourful printable emotion wheel for kids, using friendly space characters to show eight common feelings: calm, happy, excited, loved, scared, sad, angry and worried.
Each section gives a child-friendly description of the feeling, such as feeling peaceful and relaxed, feeling nervous about something, feeling afraid but safe, or feeling mad and needing to let it out. The centre message, “It’s okay to feel!”, helps normalise emotions rather than labelling them as good or bad, which can be helpful in emotional literacy work, PSHE, nurture sessions and social emotional learning.
The poster includes gentle prompts that make it practical for use beyond naming feelings. “How are you feeling today?” encourages check-ins at home, school or in direct work, while the blank “I can help myself by:” box can be used for coping ideas such as breathing, asking for help, taking space, drawing, movement or talking to a trusted adult.
Most suited to younger children, primary school pupils and children who benefit from visual supports, the feelings wheel may be useful for parents, carers, teachers, teaching assistants, social workers, counsellors and play therapists. It could be printed for a regulation area, used during a child’s daily emotional check-in, added to a wellbeing folder, or brought into sessions where a child finds it hard to explain feelings in words.
The space design, simple language and clear emotion categories make it accessible for children who are beginning to build a feelings vocabulary, including kids who may struggle with anxiety, anger, sadness or worry. The printable is credited to Edita Stiborova.
