Free Feelings Communication Book (PDF)
A small picture book for big emotions, with a feelings page and a core requests page, so your child can tell you how they feel and ask for help or a break.
- Free printable PDF
- Editable in browser
My Feelings Book
I feel ___ ___ ___
Print both. Cut out the picture cards and velcro them onto the book base's labeled slots.
- Print both PDFs: the book base and the picture cards.
- Laminate the base pages, then cut out the picture cards.
- Add a small piece of velcro to each card and each labeled slot, and match them up.
- Your child pulls a card and places it on the cover strip to make a request.
The big feelings communication book pairs naming an emotion with asking for what helps. The first page is feelings, with happy, sad, angry, scared, and calm. The second is core requests, with words like help, break, and stop that a child often needs the moment a feeling gets big. Turning to the feelings page to say angry, then the core page to ask for a break, gives your child a real path from a hard feeling to a next step.
This template prints in two versions. The blank version gives you a cover and both pages as empty labeled boxes, so you can write in your family's words or add photos of your child's own faces before you laminate. The with symbols version fills every slot with picture cards, ready to cut, laminate, and use. Both keep the boxless cover strip for building a longer request.
Print the pages on cardstock if you have it, then laminate them or slip them into a small binder with hook-and-loop dots so the book survives daily handling. Model both pages during calm moments and real ones, naming a feeling and then choosing what helps, and the book becomes a steady way for your child to move through big emotions.
When to use this template
Best when big feelings lead to meltdowns and you want your child to name an emotion and ask for what helps, all from one small book they can reach for in the moment.
How to customize this template
- Swap a drawing for a photo of your child making each face, so the feeling matches what they see in the mirror.
- Keep the words your family already uses, whether that is mad or angry, scared or worried.
- Add a calm-down choice to the core page, like a quiet space or a favorite toy, so the next step is right there.
Frequently asked questions
- What is a feelings communication book?
- It is a small PECS book for emotions, with a feelings page and a core requests page. Your child turns to the feelings page to name how they feel, then to the core page to ask for help, a break, or a calming choice.
- What pages come in this book?
- Two pages: feelings, with happy, sad, angry, scared, and calm; and core requests, with high-use words like help, break, and stop. You can add more feelings, rename pages, or remove any you are not using in the free editor.
- What is the difference between the blank and with symbols versions?
- The blank version prints the cover and both pages as empty labeled boxes, so you can write your family's words or add your own photos before laminating. The with symbols version fills every slot with ready-to-cut picture cards.
- How does this book help with meltdowns?
- When a child can name a feeling and then ask for what helps, they can tell you something is wrong before it boils over. Pairing the feelings page with a core requests page turns a hard emotion into a request you can act on.
- Is this feelings communication book free to print?
- Yes. Download both the blank and the with symbols versions with no email required, or open the book in the free editor to add feelings, rename pages, swap in your own photos, and set the card size before you print.
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