Help Kids Express Emotions with this Free Spring Feelings Flower Wheel
- Whole Child Counseling
- 19 hours ago
- 5 min read
I'm excited to share this guest blog post by Lisa Fyfe, author of the awesome book How Are You Feeling?
I often use this book in lunch bunch groups with my lower elementary students. We read the book, which I love because it's a quick/cute read that normalizes and validates feelings, references CBT techniques in a kid-accessible way (“it helps to remember something good when big feelings arise"), it’s fun and interactive (they love using the spinner on the cover and are always amazed about the magic trick at the end), and it’s a board book which is helpful for durability in my very busy counseling office. Now, next week I'm excited to make this adorable free feelings wheel/flower craft with my students in lunch groups to celebrate Spring!
Spring is a season of growth, change, and new beginnings, and our feelings are no different. Just like flowers, emotions can shift throughout the day, sometimes opening up easily and other times needing a little extra care. This simple Spring Emotional Flower Wheel invites children to pause, notice what they’re feeling, and gently explore what they might need in that moment.
When my son was little, I noticed that the hardest conversations often became easier when we were doing something with our hands. A simple activity created a bridge, a safe place for him to focus his energy while opening up or calming down.
As he grew, scissor crafts became his absolute favorite. Not only did they lead to more meaningful conversations, but the focus required for those fine motor skills offered an added grounding benefit.
For children, whose verbal skills are still developing, big feelings can be hard to name and understand. Moving a feeling from an internal, abstract experience to something visual and tangible, like a flower on a wheel, can bring both clarity and calm. By making this process interactive and playful, we lower the emotional stakes. Instead of a heavy conversation, it becomes a creative exploration and even a little bit of fun.
To Create this Free Feelings Wheel You Will Need:
The Spring Emotional Flower Wheel PDF Printable (sign up for the email list to download and access the entire free SEL library!)
Paper or cardstock
Crayons or markers
Scissors
One paper brad (fastener)
Optional: An X-Acto knife (for adult use)
How to Make the Spring Feelings Flower Wheel Craft:
Download and Print: Download and print the Spring Emotion Wheel printable. You can find it in the free SEL resource library. You can use plain paper, but cardstock will make a sturdier wheel.
Color Your Garden: Start by coloring the flowers and the “Feelings in Bloom!” cover. It’s much easier to color the details while the paper is still flat!Cut out the window (Adult Help Suggested): Carefully cut out the “peek-a-boo” window on the cover circle. While scissors work perfectly well, an adult can use an X-Acto knife for a crisp, clean edge on the interior window.
Cut Out the Circles: Carefully cut along the dotted lines for both the top cover and the bottom base circle.
Assemble the Wheel: Align the center dots of both circles. Poke your paper brad through the center of both and secure it in the back.
Time to draw: Spin your wheel so the blank space appears in the window. Use your markers to draw a “Feeling Flower” face that represents an emotion (like happy, sad, or curious).
Fill Your Garden: Keep spinning and drawing until every “slot” in your wheel is filled with a different feeling face.
Leave this feeling wheel out on the breakfast table or in a play area as a gentle “invitation to feel.” It can become a natural part of quiet moments, when children may be more open to sharing the feelings from their day.
Activities like this create an easy opening for connection between kids and parents. It’s these small, everyday check-ins that help build strong emotional foundations over time
Learn More About Lisa's Awesome Book, How Are You Feeling?
Happy, Sad, Nervous, Mad? Maybe a little bit of everything all at once? In How Are You Feeling?, author Lisa Fyfe guides children through a range of emotions and helps them explore and identify their feelings. Colorful illustrations and simple text create a space where young readers can get comfortable expressing how they feel, no matter how big or small their emotions might seem. Discover the range of emotions, big, small and everything in between, with young readers in this interactive book featuring a feelings spinner wheel, fold-out deep breathing activity, and magic trick!
About Lisa Fyfe
Lisa Fyfe is a graphic designer, former publishing art director, and mom who creates playful tools to help children explore their emotions. Through her work, she combines creativity and emotional awareness to support kids and families in building simple, meaningful connections. She is the author of How Are You Feeling? and shares crafts, ideas, and resources on her website, www.lisafyfe.com. Be sure to also follow her on her instagram, because she always posts adorable feelings types crafts there. An art therapist's dream!!
More Social Emotional Learning Feelings Activities for Kids
As we move through Spring, this simple feelings flower wheel is a gentle reminder that emotions, like the weather in Spring, are always changing and worthy of attention. By creating small, intentional moments like this, we give children the space to slow down, notice what they’re feeling, and feel safe expressing it. Whether at home, in the classroom, or in a counseling setting, these feelings art activities can have a lasting impact, helping children build emotional awareness and connection one conversation at a time.
If you’re looking for more simple, meaningful ways to support children’s emotional growth, I've got more creative options to explore! Each of these blogs offers another gentle, engaging way to help children understand their emotions and build strong social-emotional skills through everyday moments and engaging activities!
Spring and Easter Social Emotional Learning Activities
This collection of Spring and Easter-themed social emotional learning activities offers engaging, seasonal ways to help children build emotional awareness, practice coping skills, and strengthen social connections. Through hands-on crafts, interactive lessons, and playful exercises, kids are invited to explore feelings, develop empathy, and learn important SEL skills in a way that feels fun and accessible. These activities are perfect for classrooms, counseling sessions, or at-home learning.
Everything You Need to Know About SEL Directed Drawing as an Educator in Any Classroom Right Now
This post introduces SEL directed drawing, a creative approach that combines step-by-step drawing with meaningful counseling and social-emotional learning prompts. As children follow guided drawing instructions, they also engage in conversations about feelings, communication, problem-solving, and social skills, making the activity both structured and expressive.
This method not only supports emotional learning but also builds confidence, focus, and fine motor skills, making it a powerful and versatile tool for educators looking to integrate SEL into any classroom setting.
Using Coloring for Self-Regulation and Teaching Children About Feelings
This blog highlights how coloring can be used as a calming, mindful activity to support children’s emotional regulation and self-awareness. Through techniques like color-by-code and open-ended art-based therapeutic coloring activities, children learn to identify, name, and process their feelings in a low-pressure, engaging way.
Coloring also promotes focus, reduces anxiety, and creates opportunities for meaningful conversations about emotions, making it an effective tool for teachers, counselors, and parents who want to nurture emotional growth through simple, accessible activities.
