Emotions and Feelings SEL Activities for School Counseling
A daily feelings check-in is one of the most useful things you can do as a school counselor. It builds emotional vocabulary, gives you real-time information on who's struggling that day, and signals to students that their inner life matters.
This collection has the tools I use to run check-ins across individual sessions, small groups, and classroom guidance:
-
feelings check-in tools and visual charts
-
feelings scale worksheets and posters
-
emotion recognition activities and games
-
feelings prompt cards for sessions
-
interactive feelings activities for groups and individuals
Most resources come in printable and digital formats.
Why these work?
Each one is built around a single question: "Will I actually use this on a Monday morning before first period?" The ones that survived that test are the ones in the shop. They're calibrated for elementary and middle school students, low-prep, and flex across counseling settings.
Whether you need a daily check-in for a small group, a feelings scale for a struggling student, or an emotions tool for a one-on-one session, this collection has it.
Want unlimited access?
IMPACT membership ($39/month or $390/year) gets you unlimited access to every check-in tool, lesson, and worksheet in the shop. About 1,000 counselors are using it.
CTA
Browse the collection below. Looking for self-regulation tools to pair with these check-ins? See the coping skills and self-regulation collection.
FAQs
What is a feelings check-in for kids?
A feelings check-in is a brief activity that invites students to identify and name how they're feeling at a specific moment. It builds emotional vocabulary, helps you understand where kids are emotionally, and tells students that what they're feeling matters.
What is a feelings scale?
A feelings scale is a visual tool that helps students rate the intensity of their emotions on a numbered scale, usually 1-5 or 1-10. It develops self-awareness and gives you concrete information about a student before you dive in.
What is an emotional check-in?
A structured prompt (visual, verbal, or written) that helps students pause and identify their current emotional state. Regular check-ins are one of the most effective tools for building emotional literacy in school-age kids.
Showing 34 products
Looking for a ready to use coping skills lesson for your primary students? This coping skills classroom guidance lesson is designed to be used with Pre-K to 1st-grade students in a tier 1 class lesson setting. By using an engaging icebreaker,...
In this classroom counseling lesson, students will identify and discuss when they need to use coping skills. Through engaging and hands on activities, they’ll practice the coping strategies in real time ! Includes: Detailed Counselor's Guide with instructions Engaging and...
Looking for a ready to use emotion recognition lesson for your primary students? This emotion identification and feelings recognition classroom guidance lesson is designed to be used with Pre-K to 1st-grade students in a tier 1 class lesson setting. By using...
More fromBright Futures Counseling Description Looking for something fun to use with drop-in students? This fun, fall-themed, counseling activity pack covers 20 different elementary school counseling topics! The interactive calendar works like an advent calendar but rather than anticipating Christmas,...
Do your middle school students struggle with self-regulation and responding to conflicts in a healthy way? Self-regulation and conflict response are essential topics to teach at the middle school level. This middle school counseling self-regulation and conflict response lesson is thoughtfully designed...
Suicide prevention is a tough topic to teach but unfortunately, it's a reality. This middle school counseling suicide prevention lesson is thoughtfully designed to teach students how to be resilient and to identify risk factors and warning signs of poor mental health....
A Feelings Check is essential for every counseling program. I use feelings checks every day in individual and group sessions. They are great for helping students identify their feelings and for facilitating conversations. Feelings checks are also great for discussing...
Help students learn new coping strategies with this paperless digital activity! It can be used with students in a class setting, small groups, or individually. Students will learn easy, applicable strategies to use when they are feeling strong emotions. Students...
This spring themed, digital, SEL activity is a great way for your students to practice important social skills. Students will get in the spring spirit as they click through the self-guided game and practice 8 different social skills. This activity...
This feelings check is great to use with EL students! This resource can be used for dual language students to identify how they are feeling or for a lesson on perceiving others' feelings. It is a quick no prep activity...
This SEL Boom Cards bundle requires no prep and is ready to use in person or to send directly to students. This bundle includes six different activities and covers a wide variety of Social Emotional Learning topics including anger management,...
Looking for a ready to use, holiday themed, self-control activity? Help students practice self-control and learn self-control coping skills with these fun, Christmas/Holiday themed games. Students will identify times when they feel strong emotions and how to use self-control coping...