Teaching Children Emotional Awareness with the Feelings Thermometer

When I started mentoring using art at The Write Compass, one of the sessions that I really love is the Feelings Thermometer. It may sound childish, but with this very simple technique and exercise, we can achieve some grounding during challenging moments.

Why Naming Feelings Is So Hard

Most of the time we’re unable to name, let alone identify our feelings. Since we have myriad emotions, thoughts, and feelings, it can be difficult at times to pinpoint exactly what is causing a worry or where we feel stuck.

When I started working on the Feelings Thermometer in the W.I.N.G.S Program, I helped children (Grades 2 to 6+) name the feelings they usually experience, and we gave each feeling a face and colour.

During one of our sessions, my second grader student asked me, “Ma’am, can we have two feelings at once? I mean, can I blend the colours?” I was pleasantly taken aback at the thought the child shared with me. “Of course!” I replied. Children often understand emotional complexity far earlier than we assume.

I asked the children to draw a new Feelings Thermometer and stick it on their refrigerator door, where everyone would be privy to the emotions. This is not just for children but for adults too, which could give them a perspective on how they’re feeling something and why.

Why naming feelings matters

Feelings can get confusing. It can cause us more stress and worry with the mere thought passing by. It happens to all of us. It is with time that we understand that feelings are temporary visitors. But how do we guide children to deal with emotions? Naming a feeling reduces its intensity which is a core principle of NLP and art therapy.

Step‑by‑Step: How We Built Emotional Awareness

1. On the first day, we just drew the thermometer. We coloured it and named the feelings using reference colours.
2. The children tried to name similar feelings associated with the same colour. For instance, for red, we chose angry and jealousy. Yellow was happy, optimistic, and proud, while purple stood for fear and worry, and they added guilt as well.
3. On the second day, we each drew a mandala, and the children had to ‘sit with their feelings’ and colour their mandalas based on how their day went.
4. The children sat in silence, working through their memories from when they woke up to see which emotion they felt and what colour it stood for.
5. The third day, we worked on our Feelings Monster. The children drew their respective feelings monster, and we wrote “I felt sad because…” and gave three answers.

What the Colours Revealed

The results were fascinating. Children who were feeling unsure or hesitant showed a tendency to colour yellow (that stood for happy, proud or a sense of accomplishment) the smallest bit with doubt, boredom and sadness – colours of purple, red, and yellow occupying most of the mandala.

These are the kinds of breakthroughs we work with for children, and we support parents who may be struggling to connect with their children, and the other way round. This becomes a good place to start for parents to talk to their children if there’s something bothering them at school or maybe rethink their approach while communicating with them.

Creating a Shared Emotional Language at Home/ Real‑Life Application: Code Red, Code Orange

A sixth-grader pursuing the W.I.N.G.S. Program has been discussing the Feelings Thermometer with me ever since she completed the session with us. She told me, “Ma’am, I showed my parents the Feelings Thermometer, and they loved it. Now whenever I’m late for school, my mother doesn’t yell or get angry; she just calls out, ‘Code Red,’ and I know she’s getting angry.” She let out a naughty giggle while adding, “And do you know, ma’am, my father mentioned that whenever we have unwanted guests at home, I’ll say the words ‘Code Orange’; that means he’s irritated or frustrated.” This is emotional regulation made playful and accessible.

The beauty of this exercise is that it helps, in whatever small way, to take the load off parents and children when they are trying to communicate. If a colour can help them start a productive conversation, then the work is done. Adults too benefit from pausing and naming their emotional temperature.

Building Emotional Resilience, One Colour at a Time

As a parent, a mentor, and, above all, a human being, I go through emotions as well. This activity has been an extremely grounding one that helps break the unhelpful chain/pattern of unhelpful thoughts.

I’m eager to make a positive impact with more children and young adults. If you’re a school/college principal, student/teacher coordinator, or a parent, I look forward to conducting such simple yet meaningful and grounding workshops with your students.

Because success and failures will come and go, it is the child who has to learn to live with those ups and downs.

Such activities help not only the child but also their families to connect in a fun, non-threatening way. It doesn’t intrude on their personal space and boundaries, yet, gently but firmly, we help the child and their parents connect in a meaningful way.

Invitation to Schools and Educators

If you’re a school principal or coordinator and would like to bring simple, grounding, and creative wellbeing sessions to your students, connect with The Write Compass. Let’s take a gentle step forward in supporting our children today.

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