1. Pick a fixed moment in the day
After school or just before bed works best. A feelings chart only tells you something once it is used at the same time every day, because the comparison between days is the useful part, not any single day.
Your TadpoleFeelings chart for 6-12 kids: how to use one every day
A feelings chart gives a child a way to say how they are without needing the right words. Here is what a good one looks like, how to build the daily habit, and what to do with what you see.
The five-face scale
Most feelings charts for children aged 6–12 use five steps, from a heavy day to a really happy one. Five is enough detail to show change across a week without making the choice feel like a test.
- Very lowSomething felt heavy today
- LowA bit off, or tired
- OkayAn ordinary, steady day
- GoodLight, easy, something went well
- Very goodA really happy day
How to use a feelings chart at home or in class
2. Let the child choose without help
Do not suggest an answer or react to it. If a child learns that one face gets a worried adult reaction, they stop choosing it. The chart has to be a safe, boring routine before it can be honest.
3. Ask one open question afterwards
"What made it that kind of day?" is enough. Some days there is no answer, and that is fine. The chart's job is to open a door, not to produce an explanation.
4. Look at the week, not the day
One low day is normal life. Three or four in a row, or a clear change from a child's usual pattern, is the signal a chart is designed to surface.
Why a daily chart beats a one-off questionnaire
A questionnaire tells you how a child was on the morning they filled it in. A chart used every day tells you what normal looks like for that child — and that baseline is what makes a dip visible. Written screens such as the SMFQ, PSC-17 and Me and My Feelings are strong tools for a structured snapshot; a feelings chart covers the days in between.
The practical problem with paper charts is that they stop. A sticker sheet lasts a fortnight and then disappears into a drawer, and nobody can look back at last month. Keeping the record in one place is what turns a chart into a diary.
Your Tadpole: a feelings chart that remembers
Your Tadpole starts with a short picture test — the child taps the image they prefer, with nothing to read — and gives them a friendly profile: Explorer, Thinker or Performer. From then on, a daily check-in of five picture pairs takes under a minute and builds the same five-face chart automatically, day after day.
Because the answers are pictures, the chart also records how steady the child’s choices are and how quickly they answer, so the diary shows both mind and mood over time. Children sign in with their own name and password to see their own calendar.
Frequently asked questions
What is a feelings chart for kids?
A feelings chart is a small visual scale — usually a row of faces from sad to happy — that a child points to in order to say how they feel. Because it replaces words with pictures, it works for children who cannot yet name emotions or who find talking about feelings hard.
What age is a feelings chart for?
Simple three-face charts suit children from around three. Five-face scales, like the one above, work well from about six to twelve, when children can tell the difference between 'a bit low' and 'really low' but still find written questionnaires tiring.
How many faces should a feelings chart have?
Five is the usual sweet spot. Three is too blunt to show change over a week; ten choices make children hesitate and answer less consistently.
Do printable feelings charts work as well as a digital one?
A printed chart is a great start and costs nothing. The difficulty is memory: paper charts get lost and no one can see last month. A digital diary keeps every day in one place, so you can see the trend rather than today's face.
Is a feelings chart the same as a mental-health screening?
No. Charts are a daily conversation habit, not a diagnosis. Validated screens such as the SMFQ or PSC-17 are used by clinicians and schools. If you are worried about a child's mood, speak to a GP, school lead or mental-health professional.
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A picture test and daily mood diary for kids aged 6–12. No reading needed.
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