Real-life examples of setting up a feelings chart for daily check-ins at home

Let’s start with one of the most common examples of setting up a feelings chart for daily check-ins: the fridge chart. It’s low effort, high impact, and works well for preschoolers through early elementary school.

Here’s how it usually looks in real homes:

You print or draw a row of basic feeling faces: happy, sad, mad, scared, tired, and calm. Under each face, you write the word. Then you add a magnet with your child’s name (and yours, if you’re brave enough to join in). Every morning at breakfast and again after school, your child moves their magnet to the feeling that fits best.

Parents who use this example of a feelings chart say the magic is in the quick follow-up question: “Tell me about that.” Not an interrogation, just curiosity. Over time, kids start to connect body sensations and events with feelings: “My tummy hurts when I’m worried about the spelling test,” or “I’m tired because I stayed up reading.”

This is exactly the kind of emotional awareness that organizations like the CDC and National Institute of Mental Health emphasize as part of children’s mental health and coping skills (CDC child development, NIMH child and adolescent mental health).

Visual schedule chart: examples of feelings check-ins woven into routines

Another one of the best examples of setting up a feelings chart for daily check-ins is to blend it with your child’s visual schedule. This works especially well for kids who thrive on structure, including many neurodivergent children.

Instead of a separate feelings poster, you add a small feelings box next to key parts of the day: wake-up, school, homework, bedtime. Your child picks a feeling icon for each part. For younger kids, these examples include simple faces; for older kids, you might use words like “stressed,” “bored,” or “excited.”

A morning might look like this:

• Wake up – tired
• Before school – nervous
• After school – proud
• Bedtime – calm

The chart becomes a timeline of their emotional day. Parents using this example of a feelings chart say it helps them spot patterns: always “worried” before math, always “angry” after a certain activity, always “sad” on Sunday nights.

Once you see the pattern, you can problem-solve together: adjust routines, talk to teachers, or build in calming strategies. This lines up with what many school-based social-emotional learning (SEL) programs recommend: regular, brief emotional check-ins tied to daily routines.

For more on SEL and emotional naming, Harvard’s Center on the Developing Child offers helpful background on how kids build these skills over time (Harvard Center on the Developing Child).

Bedroom door chart: a private example of setting up a feelings chart

Not every child wants their feelings on display in the kitchen. For more private kids, one of the best examples of setting up a feelings chart for daily check-ins is the bedroom door chart.

Here’s how families often use it:

You hang a small chart on the inside of your child’s door with feeling words and maybe colors or icons. Your child uses a clip, sticky note, or mini clothespin to mark how they’re feeling before bed and when they wake up.

The rule is simple: parents can quietly check the chart, but they don’t barge in with questions unless the child has agreed that certain feelings (like “overwhelmed” or “really angry”) mean, “Please check on me.”

This example of a feelings chart respects privacy while still keeping you in the loop. It can be especially helpful for tweens who are starting to pull away a bit but still need emotional support. Over time, some kids will even add their own categories like “meh,” “drained,” or “hopeful,” which shows growing emotional vocabulary.

Family feelings board: examples include parents modeling their own emotions

One of my favorite real examples of setting up a feelings chart for daily check-ins is the full family board. Instead of just tracking the child’s mood, everyone participates.

Picture a whiteboard or poster in a common area with each family member’s name and a column of feelings for the day. Some families do “morning feeling” and “evening feeling.” Others pick one moment—like dinnertime—to check in.

Examples include parents writing things like:

• “Today I felt frustrated at work, and now I feel relieved to be home.”
• “I felt worried during my doctor’s appointment, but now I’m feeling hopeful.”

Kids watch how you talk about emotions without shame, and how you move from one feeling to another. That modeling is powerful. Research on emotional development consistently finds that kids learn emotional regulation not just from what we tell them, but from how we handle our own feelings in front of them.

If you’ve ever wondered how to teach emotional intelligence without a lecture, this example of a feelings chart is a quiet, steady way to do it.

Digital feelings chart: app-based examples for tech-loving kids

In 2024–2025, many families are moving some of their daily check-ins onto devices. If your child loves screens, there are great examples of setting up a feelings chart for daily check-ins using simple apps or shared notes.

Some families use a shared digital note or document where the child taps or types a feeling word each morning and evening. Others use basic mood-tracking apps (with parental oversight) and keep things very simple—just a few core emotions and a space to add a short note.

Real examples include:

• A middle schooler who taps a color-coded mood each day and adds a one-line reason.
• A teen who uses a shared note with a parent to log “morning: anxious / night: okay” during exam weeks.

The advantage of these digital examples is that older kids often feel more comfortable typing than talking. You still get a daily check-in, and the record of past entries can help you notice trends over weeks or months.

If you go digital, keep it light and nonjudgmental. The goal isn’t to monitor every mood swing; it’s to give your child another tool to recognize and share what’s going on inside.

Car-ride check-in: portable example of a feelings chart

Not all feelings charts have to live on a wall. One of the most realistic examples of setting up a feelings chart for daily check-ins for busy families is the “car-ride chart.”

Think of a small card or laminated strip that lives in the car visor. It shows a handful of feeling faces or words. On the way to school, you flip it down and ask, “Point to how you’re feeling about today.” On the way home, you ask again: “Show me how you’re feeling now.”

This example of a feelings chart works well for kids who open up more when they’re not making eye contact. The car is neutral territory, and the chart gives them a low-pressure way to communicate.

Parents often report that these tiny, consistent check-ins lead to bigger conversations later: “You pointed to ‘worried’ this morning. Want to tell me more about that now that we’re home?”

Sensory-based chart: examples include colors, weather, and animals

Some kids don’t connect with words like “sad” or “angry,” especially younger children or kids with language delays. For them, some of the best examples of setting up a feelings chart for daily check-ins use sensory or symbolic themes instead of plain words.

Real-world examples include:

• Color charts: red for angry, blue for sad, yellow for happy, green for calm.
• Weather charts: stormy, cloudy, sunny, windy.
• Animal charts: turtle for wanting to hide, lion for fierce, puppy for playful.

You still teach the feeling words, but you let your child choose the symbol that fits. Over time, they might say, “I’m feeling stormy,” and you can gently connect that to “angry” or “overwhelmed.”

This example of a feelings chart is especially helpful for kids who think in pictures or struggle to sit still and talk. They can walk over, tap the “storm cloud,” and you know it’s time for a hug, a snack, or a quiet moment.

School–home bridge: examples of charts that connect with teachers

Another powerful example of setting up a feelings chart for daily check-ins is one that connects home and school. Many classrooms now use morning feelings check-ins as part of social-emotional learning, and you can mirror that at home.

Here’s how parents often do it:

In the morning, your child picks a feeling on your home chart and, if they’re comfortable, you snap a quick photo or jot it in a small notebook. If there’s a pattern of “worried” or “sad” before school, you can share that with the teacher or school counselor.

Some families create a tiny feelings chart inside the child’s folder, where the child can quietly mark how they felt at different times of the school day. At home, you look at it together and talk through any tough spots.

This example of a feelings chart turns your child’s emotions into useful information, not drama. It also aligns with what many school systems in the U.S. and U.K. are doing with SEL and mental health supports.

For more background on how schools approach emotional learning, you can explore resources from organizations like CASEL (Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning) at https://casel.org.

How to keep your daily feelings chart from becoming a chore

With all these examples of setting up a feelings chart for daily check-ins, there’s one big risk: it starts as a fun idea and slowly turns into one more thing to nag about.

A few tips to keep it working:

• Treat it like an invitation, not a requirement. If your child says “pass” some days, that’s okay.
• Keep the check-in short. Think 30–60 seconds, not a 20-minute therapy session.
• Join in. When you use the chart too, it feels less like “we’re monitoring you” and more like “this is how our family talks about feelings.”
• Update as your child grows. The best examples of feelings charts are living tools. Swap out babyish faces for more nuanced words as your child matures.

When used consistently but gently, these examples of daily feelings check-ins can help kids notice patterns, ask for help sooner, and feel more understood at home.

FAQ: Real-world questions about feelings charts and daily check-ins

Q: Can you give an example of a feelings chart for a very young child (ages 2–4)?
Yes. One simple example of a chart for toddlers uses just three faces: happy, sad, and mad. You put it at their eye level, maybe on the fridge. In the morning and at bedtime, you say, “Point to how you feel.” If they point randomly, you can gently guide: “You’re crying and your body looks tight. I wonder if you feel sad or mad.” The goal is exposure, not accuracy.

Q: What are some examples of daily check-in questions to use with the chart?
Examples include: “What happened today that made you feel this way?”, “Is your body feeling tight, heavy, or light?”, or “Is there something that might change this feeling a little bit?” Keep it open-ended and curious, not pushy.

Q: How often should we use a feelings chart for it to help?
Most families find that once or twice a day works well—often morning and evening. The consistency matters more than the number of check-ins. Many of the best examples of setting up a feelings chart for daily check-ins use a short, predictable moment in the routine: breakfast, car ride, or bedtime.

Q: My child always picks “happy.” Is the chart still useful?
Yes. Sometimes kids need time to feel safe sharing more vulnerable feelings. You can normalize other emotions by sharing your own: “I picked ‘tired’ today because I didn’t sleep well.” Over time, as you model variety, your child may feel safer choosing something besides “happy.”

Q: Are there examples of using feelings charts with older kids or teens without it feeling babyish?
Absolutely. For older kids, skip the cartoon faces and use words or even short phrases like “stressed but okay,” “numb,” or “over it.” Many parents use digital examples of feelings charts—shared notes, simple mood-tracking apps, or even a quick text check-in with a list of feeling words. The key is respecting their privacy and independence while still offering a way to check in.

Q: Does research support using tools like feelings charts with kids?
Research on emotional literacy and regulation suggests that helping kids name and notice their feelings supports better coping and behavior over time. While a feelings chart itself is just a tool, it fits into what child development experts recommend: teaching kids to recognize emotions, talk about them, and practice healthy ways to respond. For more on emotional development and parenting strategies, you can explore resources from CDC parenting pages (CDC Positive Parenting Tips) and Mayo Clinic’s child health guidance (Mayo Clinic – Children’s health).

The bottom line: there’s no single “right” way to do this. The best examples of setting up a feelings chart for daily check-ins are the ones your family actually uses. Start simple, stay curious, and let the chart grow with your child.