A child who uses augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) should not have to abandon their usual system to take part in a feelings check-in. The most useful feelings cards extend communication the child already knows: the same symbols, access method, language and partner habits.
This activity is not an AAC assessment and it does not replace advice from the child’s speech-language pathologist or communication team. Its purpose is practical: make room for emotion, context and support without narrowing every conversation to “happy” or “sad.”
Start by watching how the child already communicates
AAC can include gestures, signs, objects, line drawings, picture boards, spelling, written words or a speech-generating device. Ask the child and, where relevant, their communication professional which form should be available at home. Do not introduce a second, disconnected deck merely because it looks attractive.
Notice the child’s access method. They might point, use eye gaze, scan choices with a partner, select on a device or hand over an object. Make cards large enough, spaced well enough and positioned so the child can use that method comfortably.
Build three small groups of cards
- Feeling: begin with the child’s familiar words or symbols, including comfortable, uncomfortable, calm, worried, angry, sad, excited, tired and “not sure.”
- Reason or context: people, noise, pain, waiting, change, school, home, friendship, hunger, “something else” and “I do not want to say.”
- What I want now: listen, help, break, company, space, explain, stop, later and contact a trusted person.
Keep the first version small. More vocabulary is not automatically more access. Add a card only when it helps the child say something they want to say.
Model without testing
Adults can point to the cards while speaking: “I feel tired. I want a short break.” This is modelling, not a demand that the child copy. Avoid holding up a symbol and asking, “What is this?” The goal is communication, not flash-card accuracy.
When the child selects a message, pause. Communication partners often fill silence, repeat the question or reduce everything to yes/no. Count quietly, keep the system within reach and let the child finish. Respond to the message rather than praising the button press.
Make “no,” “wrong” and “finished” easy
A feelings system needs repair words. Include “not that,” “you misunderstood,” “start again” and “finished.” If the child rejects an adult’s interpretation, accept the correction: “Thank you. I got that wrong.” Do not keep searching for the answer the adult expected.
Some children communicate more easily with a familiar partner, but emotion vocabulary should not be locked to one caregiver. With the child’s agreement, practise with other trusted adults and keep symbols consistent across home, school and care settings.
Use the cards in ordinary moments
Check the system during calm, everyday situations: a changed plan, noisy meal, enjoyable game or tiring journey. If it appears only during distress, the child may experience it as another demand. Keep the board or device charged and physically available; a communication aid stored on a high shelf is not accessible.
Protect privacy and autonomy
The child decides what to share unless safety requires adult action. Do not make them display a feelings board to relatives, photograph their selection or use device history as a secret diary. Explain any necessary information-sharing in an age-appropriate way.
New pain, breathing difficulty, illness or sudden changes in communication need appropriate medical or professional attention. Emotion cards do not prove why a child is distressed. Immediate danger, self-harm or risk to others requires urgent qualified help.
Review with the child
Ask which symbols are useful, missing, confusing or childish. Remove cards that are not working. A communication professional can help with vocabulary, motor access, vision, positioning and programming.
For a quick family routine, see the one-minute feelings check-in. The body-clue cards offer another optional route, and What Does This Feeling Need? can help connect communication with support.
