Feelings Tree

I like this resource that I originally saw here years ago: https://drickerich.blogspot.com/2012/08/emotions-tree.html

On the surface this is a simple cartoon image of a tree with generic people surrounding it and interacting with it, but it can be used as a tool to help kids communicate how they feel. Many kids don’t have the emotional vocabulary to express complex emotions, or they have a difficult time identifying how they feel. Even if they have the vocabulary and can identify their feelings, they may not be comfortable verbalizing them to us.

Insert this tree picture. I ask kids if there is any one (or more) person on, near, or around this tree that might be feeling similar to how they are feeling. Kids might point to a certain figure. Then I ask them what that character is doing. This is the most important part. If they point to the character on the far right bottom, one kid might say the character is swinging and relaxing, while another kid might say it’s hanging on for dear life. The interpretation of the action is what’s important.

Once the kid has shared with me which character they might identify with, I can ask about language that might fit. I might say “oh, do you think that person is feeling lonely?” Or “is he needing some time to himself?” In another example, some kids have interpreted the character on the top left as pushing someone out of the tree, while others say he’s trying to help the falling friend. In that situation I might suggest that the friend feels angry or helpless.

This takes the pressure off of coming up with the emotional vocabulary and allows a child to express how they feel without any expectations of how they express it. Of course, once a kid is in meltdown territory and potentially seeing red, they may not be able to even point to a character they identify with. In that case, I suggest waiting and using this to process their emotion once they’ve calmed down some.