Emotions influence nearly every decision we make, every relationship we build, and every challenge we face. Yet many of us move through our day without stopping to identify what we’re actually feeling. Learning to recognize and name your emotions is a powerful skill that can improve self-awareness, strengthen communication, and help you respond to life’s ups and downs with greater clarity and confidence.
When you understand your emotions, you’re better able to recognize what triggered them and decide how to respond in a healthy way. Instead of feeling overwhelmed or reacting impulsively, you can pause, reflect, and choose coping strategies that support your well-being. Simple practices such as mindfulness, grounding exercises, or journaling often begin with one important step: identifying what you’re feeling in the moment.
A feelings wheel is one of the easiest tools for developing this skill. By organizing emotions into clear categories, it helps both children and adults expand their emotional vocabulary and distinguish between similar feelings. This deeper understanding can make it easier to express emotions, navigate difficult situations, and build stronger, more empathetic relationships.
Like any habit, emotional awareness grows through regular practice. Spending just a few minutes each day checking in with yourself can help you notice emotional patterns, better understand your triggers, and develop greater emotional resilience over time.
In this article, we’ll share a collection of printable feelings wheels in PDF format, explain how to use them effectively, and show how they can help both you and your children become more aware of your emotions.
And if you’d like a simple way to track your emotions and recognize patterns as you build emotional awareness, there is a free download waiting for you at the end.
1. Wheel of Emotions
Our first entry is from Defend Innocence. You can download and print it once you visit their site. It aims to help kids identify their emotions based on the words and faces on the wheel.
What’s interesting about this printable is that you can continue to use it as your children get older. Start with the very core of the wheel for simpler emotions while they are still young, then move further out on the wheel as they grow older.
2. Emotion Wheel for Kids
This printable is sort of a simpler version of the previous entry, so it may be appropriate for even younger kids. It only has the basic emotions and fundamental colors. We recommend it to parents with very young children.
3. Emotion Wheel for Children
Are you looking for another entry that appropriate for really early learners? If so, you might want to try this printable feelings wheel from Liska Adventure.
As you can see, it only has 10 emotions and they are all quite simple.
4. The Feel Wheel
Self-awareness is one of the most important values you can teach your children. It is something that should be taught as early as possible. You can do so through this feelings wheel from iMom (or any of the other entries on this list). This one includes words that may help your children describe more accurately what they are feeling.
5. Plutchik’s Wheel of Emotions
Robert Plutchick is a major proponent of the emotions wheel. If you are looking for a printable that is close to what he originally invented, you might want to try this one. Kids can use it, too, but it may be more appropriate for adults.
Six Seconds provides a brief yet comprehensive explanation of how to use Plutchik’s Wheel of Emotions on their site.Â
6. I Feel…
Here’s a more detailed wheel that is definitely for adults. You will find a variety of words that can help you describe your feelings more accurately. If you are looking to really get in tune with your emotions, this is a great tool for doing so.
7. Emotion Behavior Wheel
Did someone say more words? Here you go! This emotion wheel even has phrases to provide you with a more comprehensive description of what you are feeling at the moment.
How to Use a Feelings Wheel
Feelings wheels are beneficial both for kids and adults because they help us understand ourselves better.
They also help us come up with solutions for dealing with our negative emotions more effectively. But how, exactly, do you use a feelings wheel?
It’s actually quite simple.
- Start at the center and identify the emotion that best describes what you are feeling at the moment.
- Move outward and check for other words that may be more appropriate in describing what you currently feel.
- As you proceed, take time to internalize which of the resonates with you best.
Once you have figured out the exact word or emotion that you are looking for, check for words with similar meanings and think about whether the word you chose is distinct from the others. Look back at what happened and why you felt that way, and list down your thoughts.
Of course, there are many different ways to use a feelings wheel. There is no right or wrong way. Just remember that the goal is to identify your feelings.
Free Download: Mood Trackers
The Mood Trackers are printable worksheets designed to help you record your emotions, identify recurring patterns, recognize potential triggers, and reflect on your emotional well-being over time. By tracking your moods consistently, you can gain valuable insights that support healthier coping strategies and personal growth.
Download your copy and begin understanding your emotions—one day at a time.
(The link opens up a Google Drive folder where you can get the PDF download in a variety of sizes: A4, A5, and/or US Letter.)
Final Words on Printable Feelings Wheel PDFs for Kids and Adults
As we indicated earlier, being familiar with your feelings can help you in so many ways. It also indicates that you have a strong sense of self-awareness.
We hope that, through the list of printable feelings wheels, you’ll be able to start practicing this habit. Choose one (or more) for you and your kids and get started!
