Why I Even Made This Thing
My kid kept throwing tantrums last week over tiny stuff like broken crackers or mismatched socks. Couldn’t figure out why he blew up until I saw him slam his toy truck after dropping ice cream. Ding! Lightbulb moment – he didn’t know how to name that messy feeling inside. So I grabbed stuff lying around our house to whip up a feelings chart.
Stuff I Scavenged From Around the House
- Half-used poster board from last year’s failed gardening project
- Dried-out markers from the junk drawer (red, blue, green still worked)
- Duct tape because everything needs duct tape
- Old family photos we never framed
- Random stickers from birthday goodie bags
How I Slapped It Together
First I hacked the poster board into a rectangle with kitchen scissors – edges looked like a beaver chewed it but whatever. Divided it into six squares with that shaky green marker. Drew mad/sad/happy/scared/tired/silly faces real quick – my happy face looked drunk but kids won’t care.
Snipped photos showing us actually feeling those emotions: Bobby crying over spilled juice = sad, me laughing till soda came out my nose = silly. Taped them under each face. Covered the whole mess with leftover laminating sheets from Bobby’s school project. Pro tip: squeegee it with an old gift card to avoid wrinkles.
Making It Actually Stick to the Wall
Punched holes through the top corners using a screwdriver (don’t tell my wife) and looped yarn through. Hung it with thumbtacks next to the snack cupboard where tantrums usually happen. Added scratch-and-sniff stickers – the stinky feet one goes on “angry”, obviously.
How We Use the Damn Thing
When Bobby hulks out, I drag him to the chart yelling “POINT! POINT NOW!”. First time he smacked the “angry” face so hard the yarn snapped. We fixed it together while discussing why stepping on Legos feels like the apocalypse. Now he slaps the “silly” sticker on my forehead when I trip over toys.
Why It Sorta Works
Kid still throws fits, but now he grunts “I… RED FACE!” while scowling at the chart. Takes 30% less time to calm him since he “shows” instead of screaming. Surprise bonus: I catch myself pointing at “tired” when my coffee runs out. Whole project cost $0 and the duct tape still holds surprisingly well.
