Lumi / For parents

Free printable feelings chart for kids

Eight feelings and a 1-to-5 scale for how big the feeling is. Print it, put it on the fridge, and point instead of asking “what’s wrong?”

Happy

Calm

Sad

Angry

Scared

Worried

Tired

Excited

How big is the feeling?

1
tiny

2
small

3
medium

4
big

5
huge

How to use a feelings chart

Start on a calm day. Go through the faces together and make each one. A chart introduced in the middle of a meltdown becomes one more thing to fight about.
Point first. Many kids ages 4 to 8 can point at a face long before they can say the word.
Add the size. “Angry, and how big? A 2 or a 5?” The number tells you whether to talk or to wait.
Use it for good feelings too. If the chart only comes out for bad moments, kids stop wanting to look at it.
Go first. “I’m a worried 3 about being late.” Kids learn the words by hearing you use them.

Three exercises that go with the chart

They come from Lumi and take about five minutes each.

Emotion Thermometer

5 minutes · You need: Imagination

This exercise teaches children to measure how strong a feeling is, turning it from something overwhelming into something they can understand. Naming the “temperature” of a feeling helps children notice when a feeling is getting too hot and use cooling skills before it takes over.

Your Inner Thermometer. Explain that each of us has an invisible thermometer inside that shows how “hot” our feelings are. Practice when your child is calm, so they can use it later when feelings are big. For younger kids, use 1 to 5, or show it with your hands: small, medium, big.Say: “Let’s check your feelings thermometer today. It goes from 1 to 10. One means cool and calm, and ten means as hot as a volcano!”
Set the Scale. Help your child understand the numbers. A 2 might mean feeling a little sad or annoyed. An 8 might mean wanting to stomp, shout, cry, or hide.Say: “Let’s say 1 is very calm, and 10 is the biggest feeling you’ve ever had. Where is your feeling right now? Let’s find the number together.”
Measure the Visitor. When a strong feeling shows up, ask your child to simply name a number. Looking for the number helps create a little space between your child and the feeling.Say: “I can see a really big feeling is here. Is it a 5, or a 9? You can show me with your fingers.”
Cooling Action. If the number is higher than 7, offer a cooling action: a few slow breaths, a sip of cold water, squeezing a pillow, or a walk around the room. The goal isn’t to push the feeling away, but to help your child get back the ability to choose what to do.Say: “A 9 is really hot. Let’s take a few slow breaths together so your body can cool down. You can squeeze a pillow too. Then we can figure out what this feeling is trying to tell us.”
Watch the Number Change. After a few minutes, let your child check the number again. Help them see that feelings change and no feeling stays at 10 forever. If it’s still high, that’s okay. Big feelings can take a while. Try another cooling action.Say: “Let’s check again. What number is it now? Is it the same, lower, or higher? Any number is okay. You’re getting really good at noticing your feelings.”

Where Does This Feeling Live?

5–7 minutes · You need: Imagination

This exercise helps children connect feelings with body sensations. When a child learns to find where a feeling “lives” in the body, the feeling often becomes less overwhelming. The child learns to notice body sensations without fighting them. If focusing on the body makes your child more upset, stop and switch to something outside: name three things you can see.

A Visitor Has Arrived. Explain that every feeling visitor, like Anger, Fear, Sadness, or Worry, likes to stay somewhere in the body. Together, you’ll look for where it’s staying right now.Say: “It looks like a feeling visitor has arrived. Let’s find where it’s staying in your body right now. Ready to look?”
Search the Body’s Rooms. Gently check the main “rooms” of the body together: the belly, chest, throat, shoulders, hands, and face.Say: “Let’s look in your tummy first. Is it calm, tight, jumpy, or twisty? Now put a hand on your chest. What do you notice there? Maybe the visitor is in your shoulders or hands.”
Describe the Visitor. Once the place is found, describe the feeling there. Use kid-friendly comparisons: heavy like a stone, prickly like a cactus, shaky like jelly, warm like cocoa.Say: “Oh, you found it! What is it like there? Is it hard or soft? Heavy or light? If we could color it, what color would it be?”
Let the Visitor Stay. This is the part where we let the feeling be. We’re not trying to kick it out. We simply say, “Yes, it’s here,” and let it stay for a while.Say: “Let’s say to this feeling, “Hi. I know you’re here. You can stay for a bit. I’m not pushing you away.” What do you notice now?”
Breathe Toward That Place. Invite your child to send a soft breath toward the place where the feeling lives. This isn’t to make the feeling disappear. It’s to care for the body while the feeling is there.Say: “Take a slow breath and imagine your breath out is a soft cloud around the feeling. We’re just breathing near it. How does your body feel now? If it still feels big, that’s okay.”

Smiley Journal

5–10 minutes · You need: Notebook and crayons

This simple ritual helps children notice their own inner weather. By drawing what they feel inside, children learn to name their feelings and let them be there. It builds awareness and shows that every mood passes. A mood doesn’t define who they are.

Inner Weather Forecast. Invite your child to pause and check in with themselves. What’s the weather like inside right now? Sunny, cloudy, windy, stormy, or calm?Say: “Let’s check your inner weather. What’s it like in there today? Sunny? Cloudy? Stormy?”
Draw Your Weather. Ask your child to draw a smiley face or a picture that matches this inner weather. It doesn’t have to be a face. It can be a cloud, a sun with sunglasses, a spiky hailstorm, or a lightning bolt.Say: “What color is your weather today? Let’s draw it in the journal. It can look exactly how it feels, even if it’s grumpy, cloudy, or spiky.”
Every Weather Is Welcome. This is the key moment: we don’t divide feelings into “good” and “bad.” We simply notice what’s here. Accept whatever your child draws. Don’t try to fix or cheer up the feeling here.Say: “Look at today’s weather. Today it’s a stormy one. That’s okay. Every kind of weather is allowed. We can just say, “Hi, storm. You can be here.””
Add a Caption. Help your child write a short caption under the picture, or write it for them: “Today, [feeling] is here.”Say: “Let’s write: “Today, Sadness is here.” Now we know what’s going on. What do you think you need? A cup of cocoa, a quiet corner, or a hug?”
Watch the Weather Change. Look through the journal together every few days. This helps your child see that feelings change all the time.Say: “Yesterday your page was windy, and today it’s sunny. See how feelings come and go? You’re like the big sky, and the weather keeps changing.”

Why naming feelings helps

Recognizing and labeling emotions are two of the five skills in RULER, the approach to emotional intelligence developed at the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence and used in schools. A chart is a simple way to practice both at home.

Lumi is a set of self-help exercises for families. It isn’t a treatment and doesn’t replace a pediatrician or a child psychologist. If you’re worried about your child’s safety, call 988 or your local emergency number.

Sources

RULER, Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence.

Questions parents ask

What age is a feelings chart for?

This one is made for kids ages 4 to 8. Younger children can point at the faces; older ones can add the 1 to 5 size.

How many feelings should a chart have?

For ages 4 to 8, six to eight is plenty. Start with happy, sad, angry and scared, then add the rest.

How often should we use it?

Once a day at a regular time works well, for example after school or at bedtime, plus whenever a feeling gets big.