Emotion cards: how to use them
Each emotion card shows one feeling, as a picture and as a word. They help you find a name for what you feel – and to talk about it without interrogating anyone. It is best to start with a few familiar feelings and add the subtler ones once the first are second nature. This article shows how, which games work well and what emotion cards cannot do.
What are emotion cards?
Emotion cards, also called feelings cards, are cards that each show one feeling as a picture and as a word. They give feelings a name so you can say what is going on inside you instead of only showing it.
Someone who is disappointed and tired at the same time simply looks bad-tempered from the outside. A word for what you feel makes the difference: if you can say “I’m disappointed”, you often no longer need to show it with your whole body. Emotion cards provide these words – and a picture to go with them that you understand at a glance.
Our set has 32 cards. On the front of each is a monster with the name of the feeling, such as joy, fear, courage or disappointment. On the back is a short text addressed directly to you, usually with an everyday example. The cards are printed in German.
Which cards do you start with?
With five or six feelings everyone knows, such as joy, sadness, fear, anger, disgust and surprise. Subtler feelings such as disappointment, frustration or insecurity come in once the first ones are familiar.
32 cards at once are usually too many. At first, lay out only the cards whose feelings come up all the time in everyday life, and add more gradually – ideally after a fitting moment: disappointment after a lost game, excitement before something new.
Pairs that feel similar but are not the same are worthwhile: annoyance and anger, fear and nervousness, contentment and pride. If you can name the difference, it is easier to say what you need.
How do you use emotion cards in everyday life?
Most simply with a fixed question at a fixed time, for example at dinner: which card fits your day? Everyone chooses, talks about it if they want to – and the answer is not judged.
A fixed occasion takes the interrogation out of the conversation. At breakfast, at the end of the day or once a week in a family or team round: everyone draws the card that fits right now. That way it becomes visible that everyone knows fear or disappointment.
What matters is what comes next. Questions like “When did you feel that?” open the conversation; a “You don’t need to feel like that” closes it. There are no wrong cards – not even when someone draws sadness on a lovely day.
Which games work with emotion cards?
Guessing feelings through mime, telling stories, sorting cards into pleasant and unpleasant, or ranking similar feelings by strength. All four work with two or more players and need no other materials.
- Guess the feeling: One person draws a card face down and acts out the feeling without words; the others guess. Whoever guesses correctly goes next.
- Continue the story: Turn over three cards and make a story out of them – “First the monster was excited, then …”. This shows that feelings change.
- Sorting: Which feelings feel pleasant, which unpleasant, which both? The third group, such as excitement or surprise, often leads to the best conversations.
- Feelings ladder: Rank similar feelings by strength, for example contentment, joy, enthusiasm or annoyance, frustration, anger. This helps you say not only what you feel but also how strongly.
In groups, for example at school, guessing and sorting work well; the texts on the back provide the explanation that someone would otherwise have to put into words themselves.
What can’t emotion cards do?
They do not replace professionals. Emotion cards make it easier to talk about feelings; if someone is low, anxious or noticeably changed for a long time, that is a matter for a doctor, a counselling service or therapy.
Cards provide words, not a diagnosis. They help you talk about a bad day, an argument or nerves before something new. If worries persist – someone sleeps badly for weeks, withdraws or is constantly afraid – the right next step is a conversation with a doctor, a counselling service or professionals, not the next card.
Emotion cards are also used in therapy, but there by professionals and as one tool among many.
Frequently asked questions
How many emotion cards do you need?
Five or six to begin with. More cards are worthwhile once the first ones are familiar – then subtler feelings such as disappointment or insecurity help to say more precisely what is going on. Our set has 32 cards to add one by one.
Which feelings are in our set?
All 32 (on the cards in German): silliness, fear, excitement, enthusiasm, gratitude, loneliness, disgust, relaxation, disappointment, relief, joy, frustration, calmness, annoyance, boredom, love, courage, envy, nervousness, curiosity, shame, guilt, feeling safe, pride, sadness, feeling overwhelmed, surprise, insecurity, confusion, anticipation, anger and contentment.
Are there good and bad feelings?
There are pleasant and unpleasant feelings, but no wrong ones. Fear warns, disappointment shows that something mattered. Knowing that makes it easier to name unpleasant feelings too.
What if no card fits?
Ask what it feels like and look for the closest card together – or put two cards side by side. Often it is not one feeling but a mix, such as joy and excitement.
Why monsters instead of faces?
Monsters have no recognisable age or gender, so anyone can see themselves in them. Their exaggerated expressions and postures are easy to read, and it is often easier to talk about a monster than about yourself.
Are emotion cards suitable for groups?
Yes, especially for discussion rounds and games such as guessing or sorting feelings, for example at school or in a team. The explanations on the back give everyone the same description to refer to.
