In our continuing efforts to support the mental health of our Wisconsin students, we wanted to share some information regarding an early childhood feelings thermometer, a tool that has been developed by the Wisconsin Office of Children’s Mental Health (OCMH).
As per the OCMH website, the thermometer “is a visual aid for child care providers, early childhood educators, and families, to use with young children, ages 0 to 5, to help them begin naming emotions. Research shows the act of identifying and naming feelings can reduce the intensity of those emotions.”
We really like this tool, as it is a positive way for teachers and caregivers to interact with young children, help them acknowledge their feelings, and also help them be aware and mindful of feelings — a skill that will prove useful beyond the toddler years …
OCMH goes on to say that the thermometer features five zones:
- Green — the happy, calm, content zone
- Blue — the sad, bored zone
- Yellow — the scared, anxious, unsettled, tense zone
- Orange — the upset, frustrated, oppositional zone
- Red — the mad, angry, explosive zone
Interestingly enough, the idea behind this thermometer has a similar structure to the polyvagal theory, as detailed by Stephen W. Porges, PhD, in his book Our Polyvagal World, which is a fantastic resource for anyone looking to understand the sympathetic, as well as the parasympathetic nervous system (both ventral and dorsal).
That said, the Early Childhood Feelings Thermometer is a great resource to share with school teachers and staff, as well as with parents and caregivers.
Here are some links to additional info:
- The OCMH Early Childhood Feelings Thermometer page, which contains:
- A downloadable, printable thermometer in English, Spanish, and Hmong
- A thermometer gauge that can be used to help children easily identify feelings
- Tips on how to use the thermometer for child care providers, families and caregivers
If you found this article helpful, you may also like: