Spin the wheel Classroom wheel spinner Emotions wheel
Naming feelings, one spin at a time
Many children, and plenty of adults, know three or four words for what they feel. A wider vocabulary makes it easier to say what is going on, and a random prompt takes the pressure off: nobody has to admit how they feel right now, they only talk about the word the wheel chose.
The 24 words mix pleasant and hard feelings on purpose. Next to happy, proud and excited there are lonely, jealous and embarrassed, because those are the ones kids most need words for. Elementary teachers use it for morning meeting and social emotional learning lessons, school counselors in small groups, and parents at the dinner table.
The printed feelings wheel charts you may know put several layers of words in rings. This page is a spinner, not a chart, so it works best as a conversation starter. For older students or adults, swap in more precise words such as overwhelmed, content or resentful.
What's on this wheel
- Happy
- Sad
- Angry
- Scared
- Surprised
- Excited
- Calm
- Proud
- Nervous
- Frustrated
- Lonely
- Grateful
- Jealous
- Embarrassed
- Bored
- Confused
- Hopeful
- Disappointed
- Worried
- Silly
- Loved
- Tired
- Curious
- Relieved
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Running a feelings check-in
- Project the wheel with Present and say the prompt above it out loud: tell about a time you felt this way.
- Let each student spin once. Allow a pass for anyone who doesn't want to share that day.
- For a younger group, open Entries and keep only eight or ten basic feelings, such as happy, sad, angry, scared and calm.
- Change the title to try other prompts, for example what helps when you feel this way, or act this feeling out without words.
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Emotions wheel FAQ
What age is this for?
The basic words work from kindergarten up. From about third grade, kids can handle the full list, and middle schoolers can add their own words. For adults, use it in a workshop or team retro with a longer list.
Is this the same as the feelings wheel therapists use?
No. Those are printed charts with core emotions in the middle and finer words around them. This is a simple spinner for practice and discussion. It is not a test and says nothing about anyone's mental health.
What if a student lands on a feeling that is hard for them?
Make passing normal before you start, and model an answer yourself first. If something serious comes up, follow your school's usual steps and talk to the student privately afterwards.
Can I use pictures or emojis instead of words?
The wheel shows text, but emojis are text too, so you can type an emoji next to each word, like Happy 😀. For pre-readers that helps a lot.
Can I make sure every feeling comes up once?
Turn on Remove each winner from the wheel right away in Settings. Each feeling then leaves the wheel after it is picked, and over a week the class works through the whole list.
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