Draw & Guess Feelings: An Emotion Game About Feelings and Coping Skills

One person secretly draws a feeling or coping skill on a timer, the others guess, then everyone shares when they've felt it.

FamiliesGroupsName feelingsPlay therapyGames
10–20 minutesIn person and on video
Free interactive tool
Designed by Michael Thompson, MSc

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Use with care

Some feelings (lonely, scared) can bring up hard memories: keep talk questions optional and follow the child's lead.

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How to play

  1. The drawer gets a secret card: a feeling or a coping skill.
  2. Draw it with the watercolor brush before the timer runs out. No letters or numbers.
  3. Everyone else guesses (tap a guess, or say it aloud).
  4. When it's guessed or time's up, talk: when did you last feel this?
  5. Swap drawers and play again. Finish to keep the gallery.

About the technique

In this game one player draws a feeling, through a face, a body posture or a small scene, and the others guess it. It sits in the play therapy tradition of using drawing and games to help children talk about emotions indirectly. The skill it practices, identifying and naming feelings, is a core part of trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy, developed by Judith Cohen, Anthony Mannarino and Esther Deblinger, where the affective expression and modulation component helps children build a feelings vocabulary before they approach harder material (Cohen et al., 2017).

Naming a feeling is more than vocabulary. In a laboratory study with adults, labeling the emotion in a picture reduced amygdala responses compared with other ways of processing the same image (Lieberman et al., 2007), which fits the clinical observation that putting feelings into words can make them more manageable. Drawing adds a low-pressure way in for children who freeze when asked directly how they feel, and guessing invites them to notice how others show emotion. The drawing game itself has not been studied, so its evidence is practice-based.

It suits children, teens, families and groups, especially early in treatment, when building rapport and emotional vocabulary. Make clear that drawing skill does not matter. Some feelings, such as lonely or scared, can bring up painful memories, so keep follow-up questions optional, follow the child’s lead and be prepared to respond, including under your reporting duties, if a drawing points to abuse or harm.

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For therapists: how to run it

Goal

Name and show feelings and coping skills, and link each one to a real moment in your life.

In session

  1. On video, press Play together and send the link: the child draws on their own screen and you guess, then swap.
  2. In person on one tablet, tap Show Player 1 the secret card (the button names whoever is drawing) while the guesser looks away, then pass the tablet to the drawer.
  3. After each round, ask the talk question on the card and share a short example of your own.
  4. Finish to see the gallery: save the picture or print it for the session file.

As homework

Not given as self-guided homework. Use it together in session.

With a group

  1. Press Play together and share the link; everyone sees each drawing appear live and taps a guess on their own device.
  2. Rotate drawers so everyone gets a turn; scores are optional.
  3. Use the coping-skills deck to end a group on a positive note.
Mandated reporting

Exercises like this can lead to disclosures of abuse, neglect or risk. Know your reporting duties before you start, and pause if one comes up.

Good to know

Drawing a feeling asks children to think about what it looks like on a face and in a body, which builds emotional vocabulary. The talk question after each round is the therapeutic part: keep it light and let the drawer go first. Works on one screen (the card is shown only to the drawer, then hidden) or with Play together where the drawer draws on their own device and everyone else sees the picture appear.

Worksheets that pair with this tool

Emotion Faces Worksheet

Emotion Faces Worksheet

Over forty labeled faces to circle, and a How I Feel check-in that ranks the feeling and plans what helps.Adults and teensChildrenAnxietyDepressionEmotionsCBTPsychoeducational+42 worksheets 4 pages in totalBasic Emotions Reference Worksheet

Basic Emotions Reference Worksheet

Two pages defining six core emotions with examples and the physical sensations that go with each.Adults and teensAnxietyDepressionEmotionsCBTPsychoeducational+3Free PDF 2 pages

Sources & credibility

Method
Feelings drawing and guessing game (feelings identification)
Developed by
Play-therapy practice; feelings identification as taught in TF-CBT (Judith Cohen, Anthony Mannarino, Esther Deblinger)
Approach
Play therapy / child CBT
Evidence
Practice-based (limited trials)Feelings identification is a core, well-supported part of child trauma-focused CBT, but drawing games themselves are practice-based and untested.

References

  1. Cohen J. A., Mannarino A. P. & Deblinger E. (2017). Treating Trauma and Traumatic Grief in Children and Adolescents (2nd ed.). Guilford Press. (PRACTICE component: affective expression and modulation.)
  2. Lieberman, M. D., Eisenberger, N. I., Crockett, M. J., Tom, S. M., Pfeifer, J. H., & Way, B. M. (2007). Putting feelings into words: Affect labeling disrupts amygdala activity in response to affective stimuli. Psychological Science, 18(5), 421-428. Source

How it was made

Built by the Mentalyc team from the original method and the published sources listed here. Nothing you enter is stored.

Questions people ask

What is a good game to identify feelings?

Drawing and guessing feelings helps players notice how emotions look and builds feelings vocabulary. Sharing a time you felt it makes it personal.

What are some fun games based on emotions?

Popular emotion games include emotion charades, feelings bingo, feelings memory and draw-and-guess games. They work for kids, teens and families, in person or on video.

What is the best emotional game for therapy?

There is no single best one; pick a game that fits the client's age and comfort. Drawing games work well for children who find it hard to talk directly about feelings.

How do you teach kids to identify emotions?

Start with a few core feelings and connect each to faces, body clues and situations, then practice through games such as drawing and guessing. Ask the child when they felt that way, so the word links to their own experience.

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Your game designer
Michael Thompson

Michael Thompson, MSc

Michael's background combines doctoral training in clinical psychology with research on motivation, learning, and emotional regulation.

More about Michael Thompson, MSc →

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Table Of Contents
  1. About the technique
  2. For therapists: how to run it
  3. Worksheets that pair with this tool
  4. Sources & credibility
  5. Questions people ask
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Made for use in therapy: a licensed mental health professional decides whether a tool suits their client and guides its use.

Children should use this with a parent, therapist or teacher, not on their own.

Educational practice aid, not a medical device. Not a substitute for therapy, diagnosis or emergency care.