I Feel, I Need Board - A Communication Tool for Emotional Awareness

Our Feelings and Needs Board is a specially designed communication tool tailored for children with SEN, autism, ADHD, and young children. This resource is crafted to help children recognise and articulate their emotions and needs, helping to develop self-regulation and autonomy over their emotional well-being.

About This Resource

The I Feel, I Need Board is an interactive tool that supports children in identifying their emotions and communicating their needs effectively. By using this board, children can cut and paste emotion and need icons to express how they feel and what they require to feel better. This hands-on approach empowers children to manage their emotions and communicate their needs in a clear and constructive manner.

How to Use

1. Cut and Paste Emotions: Provide children with the Emotion Tiles and ask them to cut out and paste the ones that best describe how they are feeling at the moment. This visual representation helps children articulate their emotional state.
2. Identify Needs: Alongside the emotions, there are Needs Tiles that children can select to indicate what they need to address their feelings. This could include actions like taking a break, receiving a hug or engaging in a calming activity.
3. Assemble the Board: Have children place the selected emotion and need tiles on their Feelings and Needs Board. This creates a visual aid that they can refer to when expressing their needs. We have included a sheet of blank tiles that you can use to make this more personal to the child you are supporting.
4. Communicate: Encourage children to use their completed board to communicate their emotions and needs. This helps them gain confidence in expressing themselves and promotes better understanding and support from others.
5. Review and Reflect: Regularly use the board with the child to discuss their feelings and needs. Reflect on how their emotions and needs may change over time and adjust the tiles as needed. You could also laminate and use velcro to enable daily use or incorporate this into one to one support.

Benefits

• Promotes Emotional Awareness: Helps children recognise and label their emotions, which is a crucial step in managing their feelings.
• Enhances Communication Skills: Provides a structured way for children to communicate their needs, improving their ability to express themselves effectively.
• Supports Self-Regulation: Encourages children to identify what they need to manage their emotions, promoting self-regulation and autonomy.
• Fosters Independence: Empowers children to take control of their emotional well-being by giving them the tools to express and address their needs independently.
• Aids in Understanding: Assists caregivers, teachers and professionals in understanding the child's emotional state and needs, facilitating better support and interaction.

The Feelings and Needs Board is an essential resource for helping children with SEN, autism, ADHD, and young children to manage and communicate their emotions effectively. By using this board, children can gain autonomy over their emotional needs and improve their self-regulation skills through a visual and interactive approach.

Download this resource today and support your child's emotional development and communication skills.