So yesterday I got super curious about this emotions UNO thing. Saw folks online talking how it helps kids understand feelings better. Figured why not try making my own printable version? Grabbed some card templates floating around. Looked simple enough – just words like “happy” or “angry” slapped onto UNO cards.
Download Disaster Strikes
Opened the PDF and immediately groaned. Four whole pages stuffed with tiny cards! Started printing but my damn ink ran out halfway through page two. Had to dig through old printer cartridges praying one wasn’t dried up. Found a half-dead magenta one. Cards ended up looking like a psychedelic puked on them. Whatever – free is free.
Scissor Nightmares
Cutting these out took forever. My hands were shaking like I’d had ten coffines. Messed up three cards already trying to cut straight lines. Pro tips I wish I knew:
- Trace cutting lines with a ruler FIRST
- Use craft scissors – kitchen ones butcher paper
- Cut whole rows not individual cards (learned too late)
Sweating like crazy when cutting around the “embarrassed” card. Irony wasn’t lost on me.
Playing With Humans (The Real Challenge)
Gathered my family – husband clearly not thrilled. Shuffled my weirdly colored cards. Basic rules: match colors or feelings. Drew “frustrated” – kid immediately threw “bored”. Too real. Then came my turn to pick “disappointed”… and my husband played “surprised”. We all died laughing because my face actually looked disappointed! Later rounds got deep – my teen shared why “anxious” is his frequent card. Whole thing lasted two hours. Kids argued less, talked more about why they felt things. Total win.
Final Takeaways
Would do this again but smarter:
- Double check ink levels like my sanity depends on it
- Laminate cards if possible – paper ones got bent quick
- Actually explain rules BEFORE someone gets “confused”
Family still groans when I pull out the cards. But last night my teen actually said “I’m feeling overwhelmed” instead of slamming doors. Worth every damn papercut.
