Add the words in home languages
The backs of the cards are blank, so write the feeling in each family’s language there. It signals belonging and helps multilingual children join in.
Free templateChild Development & Programming
Emotion Flashcards: Kids’ Feelings & Faces
Three A4 pages of printable photo flashcards — 24 cards, eight to a page. Each card has one photo of a child and one feeling word, from happy, sad and angry to disappointed, astonished and frustrated. Use them for circle time games, matching activities and helping children who don’t yet have the words for what they feel.
- Format
- Printable PDF · A4
- Pages
- 3
- Best for
- Educators · ages 2–6
- Updated
- Sept 2026
No sign-up required. Print it and share it with your team — it’s free for any child care program to use.
What’s inside
24 photo cards, eight to a page, with one feeling word each
- 24 cards on three A4 pagesEight cards per page, in two columns of four. The cards sit sideways on the sheet; once cut out and turned upright, the word reads underneath the photo.
- One photo and one word per cardEach white card has a colour photograph of a real child — babies to school-age — showing the feeling, with the word in large lower-case black type and a thick grey border to cut along.
- 22 different feeling wordsAnxious, tired, excited, worried, upset, lonely, scared, confused, nervous, silly, angry, happy, bored, grumpy, sad, disappointed, astonished, frustrated, shocked, amazed, surprised and disgusted.
- Two words appear twiceExcited and angry each have two cards with different children, which is useful for showing that the same feeling can look different on different faces.
How to use it
Four steps to put it to work this week
- 1Print and cut outPrint the three pages single-sided on A4 card stock and cut along the grey borders. Laminate the cards if you want them to last.
- 2Start with a few cardsIntroduce the feelings children already know, such as happy, sad, angry and tired; add subtler ones like disappointed, frustrated and astonished once they are matching confidently.
- 3Play, don’t drillFeelings charades, ‘find the face’, sorting into the four emotion zones and pairing the two excited and two angry cards all work.
- 4Keep a set in the calm cornerChildren who can’t say what is wrong can often point to it. A quick card pick at arrival or after nap is also a low-pressure check-in.
Tips from operators
What centers that use this well do differently
Learned the hard way across 3,000 child care spaces — and from the directors and educators who join our Lunch & Learns and Learning Labs.
Pair cards with picture books
Hold up the matching card when a character feels something — it builds the bridge between stories and self.
Keep a mirror nearby
Children love making the face they see on the card. It is also how they learn to read faces.
Do it digitally in ChildFriendly Pro
Plan the week in the app — tagged to your framework automatically
Build the same plan in ChildFriendly Pro and every observation you log is tagged to FLIGHT, ELECT, ELF or your own outcomes, added to each child’s portfolio and shared with families in their daily journal.
- Pre-loaded provincial frameworks and outcome tags
- AI learning stories from a photo and two lines of notes
- Portfolios and progress reports that build themselves
FAQ
Questions about the Emotion Flashcards: Kids’ Feelings & Faces
Can’t find your answer? Chat with a real person who has run a child care center.
Read more FAQsWhat age are the flashcards for?
Roughly 2 to 6 years. Toddlers use the photos; preschoolers add the words; kindergarteners can talk about when they have felt that way and what helps.
How are they different from the Emotion Zones Chart?
The chart is a wall display for daily check-ins, with drawn faces sorted into four colour zones; the cards are a hands-on tool with photos of real children for learning and playing with feeling words. They work well together.
Can I use them for children with speech or language delays?
Yes — pointing to a card is a valid way to communicate. Speech-language pathologists often recommend visual feeling supports; check with the child’s support team for any specific adaptations.
Do you have a blank set?
No — the file contains only the 24 printed photo cards, and it is not editable. For feelings that are missing, such as proud or calm, cut blank cards to the same size and let children draw their own.
Can I play matching pairs with one printout?
Only partly. Excited and angry are the only words with two cards, and each pair uses different photos. For a full memory game, print the file twice so every card has an identical match.
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