How are you feeling?
Have you ever been so busy that you haven't stopped to notice how you're feeling?
Children experience this, too!
One of my favorite Powerful You Life Tools is Feeling Clouds, a simple, creative way to help children recognize and express their emotions.
I often use this activity at the beginning of a Powerful You lesson. It gives children a chance to check in with themselves before we begin.
And it gives me a little window into how they're feeling that day.
Feelings Come and Go Like Clouds
Just like clouds in the sky, our feelings are always changing.
Some feelings are BIG and powerful. Others are small and quiet. Sometimes we experience several feelings at once.
In my Powerful You lesson Adjusting Anna, children explore the emotions that come with change and discover that they aren't alone in their experiences.
Feeling Clouds is one of the ways we can help children express what's happening on the inside.
Let's Make Feeling Clouds!
All you need is a piece of paper and five crayons.
Each color represents a core feeling:
Red — Angry
Blue — Sad
Yellow — Happy
Orange — Worried
Grey — Mixed feelings
Invite children to pause and ask themselves:
How am I feeling right now?
Choose the crayon color that matches your feeling.
Now draw a cloud!
If your feeling is really BIG, draw a BIG cloud. It might even fill the whole page!
If it's a little feeling, draw a small cloud.
You can draw more than one cloud if you're experiencing different feelings. You can color them in, too!
There is no right or wrong way to create Feeling Clouds.
Notice It. Name It. Size It.
These three simple steps help children develop emotional awareness.
Notice it. Pause and recognize what's happening inside.
Name it. Find a word or color that matches the feeling.
Size it. Is this a big feeling or a little feeling?
As children draw, I can quickly get a sense of how the group is feeling.
Some children love sharing their clouds. Others prefer to keep them private, and that's perfectly okay.
The goal isn't to change or fix their feelings. It's to help them recognize and understand them.
Take a Breath and Watch the Clouds
Once we've noticed our feelings, we can practice a little Cloud Breathing.
Imagine your feelings are clouds moving across the sky.
Take a slow breath in.
Breathe gently out.
Picture the clouds drifting by.
We don't have to push our feelings away. We can notice them, breathe, and remember that feelings can change.
This Life Tool Is for Adults, Too!
Before we can help children understand their feelings, it helps to recognize our own.
Take a moment to check in with yourself.
What are you feeling right now?
For older children and adults, a Feelings Wheel can help us move beyond basic emotion words and discover more specific feelings underneath.
Sometimes what we first call anger might actually be frustration or disappointment. Sometimes worry might be uncertainty or nervousness.
The more words we have for our feelings, the better we can understand what we're experiencing.
It Starts With YOU and Ripples Out
When we take time to notice and understand our own emotions, we become better equipped to support the children in our lives.
Feeling Clouds is just one of the Powerful You Life Tools I share to help children build emotional awareness, self-regulation, kindness, and confidence.
Want to experience more of these tools yourself?
Explore my Building Calm, Kind, and Confident Kids workshop for parents, caregivers, and educators.
It starts with YOU and ripples out.
Powerful You!
Breathe • Stretch • Life Skills
“Feelings come and go like clouds in a windy sky. Conscious breathing is my anchor.”
Now, more than ever, kids need connection and time to express their feelings. Start the year off with Lesson A , Adjusting Anna, from Powerful You. Kids connect with her immediately and say, “I have that same story!” Many children will return to school from their summer experiencing strong emotions due to family changes. Adjusting Anna teaches kids to express their feelings using colorful clouds. Feelings change and move over us just like clouds. Some big, bold, and strong. Others are small and insignificant. Feel free to use this short video before Anna’s lesson. You will receive valuable information for your year!