Emotion cards and feelings worksheets can cover similar vocabulary while asking a child to do very different things. Choose the format by the learning task and access needs, not by which pack has more pages.
When cards fit better
Emotion cards suit selecting, sorting, comparing and moving between possibilities. An emotions sorting activity can be completed by pointing or placing a card, which may reduce writing demands. Cards can also support communication, but only if the available options include what the child needs to say.
Check whether the picture and vocabulary are understandable without assuming that one facial expression always means one feeling. Cards do not automatically remove reading, visual or motor barriers.
When a worksheet adds something useful
Feelings worksheets can provide a record of a situation, several feelings and an action to revisit later. An identifying emotions worksheet may fit a brief reflection; perspective taking worksheets need enough context to explore more than one plausible viewpoint.
Inspect the space for responses, text size and alternative ways to answer. Use a card to begin and a short worksheet to record a chosen idea if that combination helps. Do not require a written page merely to prove that a meaningful discussion happened.
Five classroom uses for emotion cards
Checking worksheet accessibility before buying
Sources and further reading
- What Is SEL? — Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning
- Explicit SEL Instruction — Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning
- The UDL Guidelines — CAST
- Expression and Communication — CAST
- Emotion Dysregulation Resource Center — American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
- Child Development — Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
