When kids are very young, we tend to use easy, age-appropriate words to describe emotions (like happy, bad, etc.), but in many families, kids’ emotional vocabularies stay limited to these simplified emotions. Generally, adults aren’t great at making room for kids to have complex emotions. In my own work, I’ve worked with people who found that filing in this blank wheel with colors, using markers or crayons to color in sections, was more helpful than words. TIP: Everyone thinks a little differently! Effective teaching invites individuals to participate in a learning project in a way that makes sense for them. This type of printing is generally the best value for large black and white prints on average weight paper). (For the best value, look for a printer that can print architectural prints. The giant poster-sized printable can be printed locally through any company that prints posters. The XXL poster of the Emotion Sensation Feelings Wheel, in fill-in-the-blank style, is ideal for a classroom activity, a therapy group to collaboratively or individually discuss and fill out, or an intensive outpatient recovery (IOP) treatment program homework. Printing tip: For smooth, crisp lines on a standard 8.5 x 11 page, set the following in your printer settings: 1. Why has it been adopted so widely? Emerging brain research is clear: integrating emotion ( feelings) with cognition ( thinking) and body-based experiences ( sensations) promotes resiliency, window of tolerance expansion, and recovery for people struggling with mental illness. Initially developed as a professional resource for therapists practicing sensorimotor psychotherapy and somatic therapy, this resource has found a home in offices and practices across the realm of mental health, from school guidance counselors to yoga teachers and from occupational therapists to psychotherapy practices for all ages. Unlike a traditional feelings wheel (first published in 1982 by Gloria Wilcox and widely adapted by teachers, therapists, and other professionals since), my take on the feelings wheel, created in February 2020, includes a sensory element that can help people begin to understand emotions better by understanding how emotions are expressed through physical sensations in bodies. The Emotion- Sensation Feeling Wheel is one of the most popular resources from my download catalog.

Color wheel of emotions