Emotional intelligence is the ability to understand, name, and recognize feelings in ourselves and others. It is an essential skill for children (and adults!) to cultivate because it forms the foundation for social and emotional development. Alphabet Feelings help kids practice and maintain social and emotional (SEL) growth.

Ask kids to draw their home (or homes) and the people and animals that live there. Build a holistic family systems perspective by using the drawing to explore environment and family dynamics.

Who is the best listener? Where do you go when you're sad? Is your home safe?

This visual aid allows kids to identify, express, and understand their feelings in a tangible way. By regularly using feeling charts, kids develop emotional intelligence and gain insight into their moods and actions. Feeling charts create a visual language around emotions which allows therapists, parents, and educators to provide targeted support to kids in need.

Color-coded feeling charts are an effective way to help kids understand, talk about, and manage their emotions. By building a strong emotionally literate foundation, kids gain the ability to articulate their thoughts, improve social skills, develop empathy, and form healthy connections.

This chart is an excellent companion to board games as it facilitates the incorporation of accessible emotional development practice. For example, use this chart while playing Candy Land and talk about the corresponding feeling when you draw a color card!

Use color-coded prompts to talk about feelings, people, and favorites while bringing the flowers to life with a preferred medium. In this practice, art has the power to disarm apprehension and cultivate healthy rapport.

We suggest letting kids “unlock” the colors by answering the prompts.

This therapeutic activity is a great way to roll the dice and find constructive inspiration!

After each turn, try these talking points: What did you build? Why did you choose to build this? Would you change anything about your creation? If you could take a magic wand and make this creation real, would you do it? Why or why not?

Not getting enough sleep can change the way we feel our emotions. What other factors effect the way we feel and behave? This worksheet helps kids understand how different environmental, physiological, social, emotional, or physical factors may effect their emotional expression. When kids understand their feelings, they are better able to self-regulate and have empathy for themselves and others.

Instead of “Truth or Dare,” we have “Talk or Do” challenges to help kids step outside of their comfort zone in a safe and playful way.

Identify, draw, and discuss places, objects, or people that match the word in each box. This scavenger hunt can be used to help therapists (or parents) understand a child’s viewpoint and emotional process.

Oobleck is a non-Newtonian fluid that is kind of like us—its behavior is variable depending on stress! This hands-on sensorial experiment can help kids understand that stress (anxiety, frustration, disappointment, failure, anger) can change our behavior.

Read on to learn how to make Oobleck and how to talk to kids about transformative nature.

Use color-coded prompts to talk about feelings, people, and bests/worsts while bringing the animals to life with a preferred medium. In this practice, art has the power to disarm apprehension and cultivate healthy rapport.

We suggest letting kids “unlock” the colors by answering the prompts.

Read a scenario prompt and ask the child to illustrate how the people in the scenario might be feeling. In this exercise, drawing faces allows kids to practice empathy and gain insight through perspective taking.

Some example prompts: How do you feel when you lose a game? How does your friend feel when they win a game? How do you want your friend to act when they win? How does your friend want you to act when you lose?

This worksheet helps kids identify, relate to, and troubleshoot emotional and behavioral patterns. The visual worksheet is accompanied by talking points to help kids take new perspectives and build empathy and resilience.

Encourage kids to identify, draw, and discuss people in their lives (either real or fantasy) that match the descriptor. This helps therapists (or parents) gain insight into how the child sees the world through an interpersonal lens.