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Feelings Worksheet for Kids

16 feelings to circle, name, locate in the body, and draw

TherapistAssist
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Naming a feeling makes it smaller and easier to handle. Circle every word that matches you today — you can pick more than one.

Today I feel…
Happy
Sad
Mad
Scared
Surprised
Disgusted
Excited
Tired
Lonely
Proud
Embarrassed
Calm
Worried
Jealous
Bored
Loved
The biggest feeling right now
Name it
How big is it?
none
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
most
Where do I feel it in my body?
What happened that gave me this feeling?
What does this feeling want me to do?
What's one kind thing I can do for myself?
Draw your feeling
Drawing space

All feelings are okay

There are no bad feelings — just feelings that need help. Big, small, prickly, soft: every one is a message worth listening to.

References & further reading

Conceptual background and further reading, not validation of this handout. Named instruments and methods belong to their original authors; custom prompts and trackers are not validated versions of those instruments.

© 2026 TherapistAssist · For clinical use · Not a substitute for assessment
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About this worksheet

Naming a feeling is the first regulation skill — and the research is unusually clean on this: affect labeling (Lieberman et al., 2007) dampens amygdala activity and recruits the prefrontal cortex. This worksheet is the kid-sized delivery mechanism. A 16-word feelings grid (happy, sad, mad, scared, surprised, disgusted, excited, tired, lonely, proud, embarrassed, calm, worried, jealous, bored, loved) gives children language wider than the four-word default of fine / bad / mad / sad. The child circles the words that match, picks the biggest, sizes it 0–10, locates it in the body, names what happened, asks what the feeling wants them to do, and identifies one kind thing they can do for themselves. The page closes with a drawing space — many kids will draw a feeling before they can describe it. Use as a daily check-in, a session warm-up, or a post-meltdown debrief. Pairs with our Feelings & Needs Wheel for older children.

When to use it

  • Ages 5–10, daily check-ins or weekly emotion-vocabulary practice.
  • Session warm-ups for play therapy and child-CBT.
  • After a hard moment, as part of a calm-down routine.
  • Classroom morning meetings and SEL block.
  • Pair with body-mapping for kinesthetic learners.

How to use it

  1. 1
    Read the words aloud the first time

    Reading is the bottleneck for many kids. Reading the words aloud removes it.

  2. 2
    Let them circle more than one

    Feelings come in bouquets. 'You can feel proud AND sad about the same thing' is a meaningful insight.

  3. 3
    Help with body location

    Ask 'show me where' and let them point. Words follow.

  4. 4
    Ask what the feeling needs

    This is the regulation pivot — the question shifts from being overwhelmed to making a small choice.

  5. 5
    Save the drawings

    A folder of feeling-drawings is a record of emotional growth most parents treasure later.

Frequently asked questions

What's the best feelings worksheet for kids?+

The best ones do three things: provide wider feelings vocabulary than the four-word default, ask the child to locate the feeling in the body, and connect the feeling to a small choice or action. This worksheet does all three on one page.

How do you teach feelings to kids?+

Through naming and noticing — in yourself, in them, and in stories. Books, movies, and the feelings vocabulary in this worksheet all build the same skill: more precise feeling words lead to better regulation.

What age is the feelings worksheet for?+

Ages 5–10. For 3–5 year olds, use feelings face cards instead and have the adult write down what the child says.

How is this different from a feelings wheel?+

A feelings wheel layers core emotions with nuanced sub-words (around 50+). This worksheet uses a 16-word grid scoped to the kid range — easier for young children, and adds body location, trigger, and a what-do-I-need step a wheel alone doesn't.

Can teachers use this in class?+

Yes — it's designed for SEL morning meetings, classroom check-ins, and counselor visits. The drawing space makes it accessible for kids who don't yet write fluently.

Worksheet — Feelings Worksheet for Kids — provided by TherapistAssist for clinical use. Not a substitute for assessment or treatment.