Feelings Thermometer with Coping Skills:
A Practical Tool for Emotional Regulation
Emotional regulation is an essential life skill, especially for children, teens, and even adults navigating everyday stress. One of the most effective tools used by parents, educators, and therapists to support this growth is the feelings thermometer with coping skills. This simple yet powerful visual aid can help individuals identify their emotional states and match those feelings with effective coping strategies.
In this guide, we’ll explore what a feelings thermometer is, how to use it with coping skills, and why it’s such a valuable tool for emotional well-being at home, in the classroom, or in therapy. Then, you can download your free feelings thermometer coping skills worksheet below.
What Is a Feelings Thermometer?
A feelings thermometer is a visual representation of emotional intensity. It typically resembles a regular thermometer with color-coded levels that range from calm to extremely upset. Each level corresponds to a range of emotions, helping individuals visually recognize how they’re feeling.
Levels on the Feelings Thermometer:
- Green: Happy, Calm, content
- Yellow: Worried, Sad, Anxious
- Orange: Frustrated and Agitated
- Red: Angry, Furious, out of control
By using a feelings thermometer with coping skills, users can not only identify where they are on the emotional scale but also learn what actions to take to help bring their emotions back to a manageable level.
Why Use a Feelings Thermometer?
Whether you're working with a child on emotional awareness or trying to regulate your own stress levels, a feelings thermometer offers clear advantages:
- Visual clarity: Emotions are abstract; the thermometer makes them concrete.
- Early intervention: Recognizing emotional shifts early can prevent escalation.
- Empowerment: Individuals feel more in control when they can name and manage their emotions.
- Routine building: Regular use of the thermometer helps create healthy emotional habits.
The real magic happens when you pair a feelings thermometer with coping skills.
Pairing the Feelings Thermometer with Coping Skills
While recognizing an emotion is important, knowing what to do about it is crucial. That’s where coping skills come into play. When a feelings thermometer with coping skills is introduced, each level on the thermometer includes suggested strategies for calming down or re-centering.
Here are examples of coping strategies based on each level:
Green Zone: Preventive Maintenance
A child is feeling calm, happy, or content. Use this time to build emotional resilience.
- Deep breathing on a schedule
- Gratitude journaling
- Engaging in a hobby
- Practicing mindfulness
Yellow Zone: Early Signs of Distress
A child may feel worried, anxious, or sad. These are early warning signs that intervention is needed.
- Take a short walk
- Use fidget tools
- Drink water
- Name your emotion out loud
- Listen to calming music
Orange Zone: Elevated Emotions
Emotions are intensifying. Without action, a child may lose control.
- Practice grounding techniques (e.g., 5-4-3-2-1 senses exercise)
- Taking a break
- Taking a walk
- Talk to a trusted friend or adult
- Engage in physical activity (jumping jacks, dancing, etc.)
Red Zone: Crisis Level
A child overwhelmed, enraged, or panicked. Immediate intervention is necessary.
- Remove the child from the situation
- Use a calming box (filled with sensory items)
- Contact a support person
- Use slow, deep belly breathing
- Count backwards from 100 or 1-10
By incorporating these strategies, the feelings thermometer with coping skills becomes more than a teaching tool — it becomes a personal emotional toolkit.
I also recommend using social stories or animated stories that model coping skills when working with younger children. Video modeling in the form of animated videos is very powerful for young children, especially if incorporated into a routine of watching the video then going through the Feelings thermometer worksheet as a proactive strategy. Here are a couple of great videos that model coping skills for younger kids on the YouTube Channel Brave Kid Adventures..
Using the Feelings Thermometer at Home or in the Classroom
The feelings thermometer with coping skills can be seamlessly integrated into daily routines.
- Morning check-ins: Ask children to point to their current emotional level.
- Classroom management: Use it as a non-verbal way for students to signal how they’re feeling.
- Conflict resolution: Refer to the thermometer during moments of tension to choose coping strategies together.
- Therapy sessions: Help clients track their emotional changes and learn appropriate responses.
The Role of Adults in Supporting Emotional Regulation
For a feelings thermometer to be effective, adults need to model its use and normalize talking about emotions. Saying things like, “I’m in the yellow zone because I’m feeling overwhelmed. I’m going to take a few deep breaths,” helps children see emotional regulation as a normal, manageable process.
Consistency is key. The more regularly a feelings thermometer with coping skills is used, the more instinctive emotional regulation becomes.
Download the Free Feelings Thermometer with Coping Skills below:
How to Download and Print
- Click on the thumbnail.
- If the file opens in your browser, you can print it directly or download it.
- To download: Right-click the link and choose “Save Target As” or “Save File As.” Then select where you want to save it on your hard drive.
- Make sure you have the latest version of Adobe Reader installed for the best experience. You can get Adobe Reader here (a new window will appear so you can download it without leaving this page, but you will need to temporarily disable any pop up blockers).
- Once it is saved, locate where you saved it, and double click to view.
- In order to print, open and select the "Print" option.
Conclusion
The feelings thermometer with coping skills is a practical, evidence-informed tool that helps individuals of all ages better understand and manage their emotions. Whether used at home, in school, or during therapy, this tool builds self-awareness, emotional vocabulary, and problem-solving abilities.
Start with a simple chart, add meaningful coping strategies, and commit to using it regularly. With time, you’ll see improved emotional regulation, reduced outbursts, and more empowered individuals who know how to navigate their feelings — one degree at a time.
If you haven't already, be sure to check out my ebooks, now on Amazon!
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