Leo's Big Feelings Check-In
Six friendly lion faces help your little one point to how they feel today — then talk about why.
One page · A4 & US Letter friendly · Free for home and classroom use.
About this activity
Little children feel enormous things long before they have the words for them. This check-in sheet gives your child six friendly faces to point at, so a feeling can be named before it becomes a meltdown.
It is built around Leo, the lion cub who learns that every feeling is allowed — even the loud, prickly ones. Use it in the morning, after nursery, or in that wobbly half-hour before dinner.
What's on the page
- Six large emotion faces: happy, sad, angry, scared, excited and calm
- A tick box beside each feeling so your child can choose without speaking
- A 'Today I feel because…' space for the story behind the feeling
- A reminder that all feelings are okay
How to use it
- Step 1
Print one page
A4 or US Letter, colour or black and white. Pop it on the fridge or beside the reading chair.
- Step 2
Ask, don't tell
Point at the faces and let your child choose. Resist correcting them — the point is that they name it themselves.
- Step 3
Follow the feeling
Use the 'because' line to write down their words exactly as they say them. Toddlers love hearing their own sentence read back.
- Step 4
Read the story after
Leo's Big Feelings gives the same vocabulary a bedtime home, so the words are already familiar next time.
Enjoyed this? Discover Leo's Big Feelings
A gentle story about understanding and calming big feelings for toddlers.