🎭 Emotion Scale Builder

What is an emotion scale?

An emotion scale is a visual tool that helps children identify and communicate how they are feeling by pointing to a level on a numbered or colour-coded scale — rather than having to find words for something that may feel wordless. For autistic children and those with ADHD, who often experience emotions intensely but struggle to identify or name them, an emotion scale gives the feeling somewhere to go. It creates a shared language between the child and the adults supporting them, making it possible to respond appropriately before the child reaches crisis point.

Zones of regulation and emotion scales

The Zones of Regulation is a widely used framework that sorts emotional and sensory states into four colour-coded zones — blue (low energy), green (calm and ready), yellow (heightened), and red (extreme). Many schools use it as part of their SEND provision. Emotion scales work alongside this framework — giving a child a more granular way of expressing where they are within a zone. If your child's school uses zones, using the same language and colours at home makes the system consistent and more effective.

How to use this tool

Choose a scale type — anxiety, anger, sensory overload, zones of regulation, or a general feelings scale. Customise each level with a label, colour and — most importantly — what helps at that level. That last part is crucial: knowing a child is at a 4 out of 5 is useful, knowing that at a 4 they need a quiet space and five minutes alone is far more useful. Print the finished scale and put it somewhere the child can reach it easily — fridge, bedroom door, or communication folder.

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