Emotion Trading Cards - First 12 of 36 to Collect - Sharing Emotions Through Play

Collect. Chat. Trade. Learn.

Our Emotion Trading Cards are a unique printable resource that helps children recognise, understand and manage their emotions through play.

Unlike traditional emotion flashcards, each card is packed with engaging information and designed to be collected, discussed and traded, encouraging children to explore emotions in a more relaxed environment. By combining emotional literacy with the excitement of trading cards, children are naturally motivated to talk about feelings, build emotional vocabulary and develop healthy regulation strategies.

Suitable for use at home, in classrooms or therapeutic settings, Emotion Trading Cards provide endless opportunities to start conversations, encourage self-reflection and make emotional learning engaging for children of all ages. With 36 collectible emotions released across three weekly drops, children can build their collection while gradually expanding their understanding of feelings.

A New Way to Explore Emotions

Let's face it... asking a child "How are you feeling?" doesn't always open up immediate conversation, and can usually be met with a one word answer. Our Emotion Trading Cards have been designed to change that!

Each card introduces a different emotion using simple, child-friendly language, engaging visuals and easy-to-understand ratings. Children can identify how they're feeling, learn what their emotion might be telling them, recognise how it feels in their body and discover a simple regulation strategy they can try.

Because the cards look and feel like collectible trading cards, children are naturally motivated to interact with them. Instead of another worksheet or flashcard, they become something exciting to collect, swap and talk about.

A Collection That Grows Every Week

The excitement doesn't stop after the first download!

Emotion Trading Cards are being released over three exciting weekly drops, giving children something new to look forward to each week.

Each collection introduces 12 brand-new emotions, gradually expanding children's emotional vocabulary while building anticipation for the next release.

By the end of the collection, children will have built an impressive library of emotions they can return to time and time again.

What's Included?

Every Emotion Trading Card includes:

• A clearly illustrated emotion
• Feel Factor score out of 100
• Energy Rating
• Intensity Rating
• What the emotion might be telling you
• Common body clues
• A simple regulation trick

The information is presented in a quick, child-friendly format that's easy to understand at a glance, making the cards perfect for independent use or guided discussions.

Why Children Love Them

Children love collecting things. Whether it's football stickers, trading cards or collectible toys, there's something incredibly motivating about building a collection and sharing it with others.

Emotion Trading Cards take that same excitement and use it to develop emotional awareness.

Children aren't collecting "good" emotions or "bad" emotions, they're collecting every emotion, learning that every feeling has a purpose and every emotion deserves to be understood.

The trading card format also removes much of the pressure around talking about feelings. Instead of being asked direct questions, children can simply choose, collect or trade a card, allowing conversations to happen naturally.

More Than Just Emotion Cards

Our Emotion Trading Cards can be used in countless ways.

Children can work together to find the emotion they're feeling, trade cards with classmates to spark conversations, build collections over time or earn new cards by participating in emotional literacy activities.

Use them for:

• Emotional check-ins
• Circle time
• PSHE lessons
• Wellbeing sessions
• Calm corners
• Therapy sessions
• Counselling
• Family discussions
• Small group work
• One-to-one support
• Emotional regulation activities
• Ice-breakers
• Transition activities
• Social and emotional learning (SEL)

Here are just a few ideas:

Game 1: Find the Feeling

Perfect for groups!

Give each child an Emotion Trading Card (print extra copies so multiple children can have the same emotion). Children then move around the room, chatting to one another about their cards until they find the emotion that best matches how they're feeling. It's a fantastic icebreaker that encourages emotional awareness and conversation.

Game 2: Chat & Trade

Who can collect the most cards?

Each child starts with a small number of Emotion Trading Cards. To collect more cards, they must chat with others, share their own experiences and talk about different emotions. The more they communicate, the more opportunities they have to trade and grow their collection. This game encourages confidence, listening skills and emotional vocabulary.

Game 3: Collect Them All

Build the ultimate Emotion Trading Card collection!

Children begin with just a few cards and earn new ones over time by sharing their feelings, identifying emotions, discussing body clues or trying regulation strategies with a parent, teacher, therapist or other trusted adult. With new cards released each week, children stay motivated to keep learning and complete the full collection.

These simple games help develop communication, empathy, emotional vocabulary and self-awareness, all while having fun!

Perfect For...

Emotion Trading Cards are suitable for:

• Parents
• Teachers
• Teaching Assistants
• SENCOs
• School Counsellors
• ELSAs
• Pastoral Teams
• Therapists
• Social Workers
• Family Support Workers
• Childminders
• Foster Carers
• Homeschooling Families

They are ideal for use at home, in schools, nurseries, therapy settings, intervention groups and wellbeing spaces.

The Benefits

Emotion Trading Cards help children to:

• Recognise and name emotions
• Build emotional vocabulary
• Understand body signals
• Develop emotional awareness
• Learn healthy regulation strategies
• Increase confidence talking about feelings
• Build empathy for others
• Develop communication skills
• Encourage peer discussion
• Make emotional literacy fun and engaging

Most importantly, they help children understand one powerful message:

Every emotion is okay.

Instant Download

Simply download, print and play straight away!

Print on card, laminate for extra durability if you wish, and start building your Emotion Trading Card collection.

With a brand-new collection released each week, the excitement keeps growing long after the first download.

Start Collecting Today!