When Questions Flashcards – Emotions and Sensory Responses for Kids (Printable PDF)

Introduction

Understanding and expressing emotions is a foundational skill in both communication and emotional development. This printable flashcard set helps children answer “When” questions specifically related to feelings, emotional triggers, and sensory experiences.

With relatable prompts such as “When do you feel happy?” and “When do you feel sad?”, these cards help young learners connect daily experiences with their emotional responses. Each flashcard features a real-life scenario, a clear full-sentence answer, and a visual representation that supports comprehension—making it perfect for early learners, children with special needs, and those working on speech or social-emotional goals.

✅ Product Details

• Format: Printable PDF
• Total Pages: 5
• Flashcards Included: 30 (6 per page)
• Visuals: Illustrated or real-life images representing common feelings and sensory responses
• Structure: Each card includes:
  • A “When” question
  • A child-friendly answer in full sentence format
  • A supporting image or photo
• Sample Topics:
  • When do you feel happy?
  • When do you feel tired?
  • When do you feel scared?
  • When do you feel proud?

✅ Educational Benefits

• WH-Question Comprehension: Strengthens the ability to understand and respond to “When” questions in emotional and sensory contexts
• Emotional Vocabulary Development: Helps children label and talk about their emotions accurately
• Self-Awareness & Regulation: Encourages identification of emotional triggers and promotes discussion around self-regulation strategies
• Sentence Structure Support: Teaches full-sentence responses such as “I feel nervous before a big test.”
• Social-Emotional Learning (SEL): Provides a structured and visual tool to build SEL foundations in preschool and early elementary
• Inclusive for Special Needs: Especially beneficial for children with autism, ADHD, speech delays, and sensory processing challenges
• Cross-Context Use: Can be used during therapy sessions, SEL instruction, morning meetings, or home conversations

✅ Instructions for Use

• Print and Prepare the Flashcards
  • Download and print the PDF on thick paper or cardstock.
  • Laminate the cards for durability, especially if using in classrooms or therapy settings.
• Start with Familiar Emotions
  • Begin with common feelings like happy, sad, tired, or excited.
  • Ask the question: “When do you feel happy?”
  • Read the answer together: “I feel happy when I play with my friends.”
• Use in Daily Conversations
  • Integrate the cards into real moments:
    • After play: “How did you feel?” → Use a matching card.
    • Before bedtime: “When do you feel tired?”

• Model Emotional Expression
  • Use the cards to model your own feelings:
    • “I feel frustrated when I can’t find my keys—how about you?”
      ✅ Builds empathy and connection.

• Group by Emotional Type
  • Sort cards into positive, negative, or neutral feelings.
  • Encourage discussion about what helps when they feel that way.
• Pair with SEL Activities
  • Use flashcards as prompts before role-play, drawing, journaling, or calm-down exercises.
    ✅ Reinforces emotional regulation strategies.
• Encourage Personalization
  • Ask children to create their own versions:
    • “When do YOU feel scared?” → Draw or say an example.
      ✅ Builds self-reflection and expressive language

✅ Activities Using the Resource

This set of WH flashcards can be used in a wide variety of settings to foster emotional awareness, self-expression, and communication. Below are some practical and engaging activity ideas:

1. Emotion Match-Up

Lay out multiple cards and ask the child to pick the card that matches how they’re feeling right now.

• Example: If they’re excited, they might choose: “When do you feel excited?” → “I feel excited when I get a new toy.”
  ✅ Builds emotional identification and self-awareness.

2. Scenario Sorting

Sort cards into emotional categories such as happy, sad, scared, angry, proud, etc.

• Have the child explain why a card belongs in each group.
  ✅ Promotes emotion recognition and vocabulary building.

3. Storytelling Prompts

Use a flashcard to begin a story.

• Example: “When do you feel nervous?” → “I feel nervous before a test.” → Ask the child to tell a short story about that situation.
  ✅ Encourages expressive language and sequencing.

4. Role-Play with Puppets or Toys

Show a card and ask the child to act out the feeling with a puppet or toy.

• Follow up with questions like, “What can we do when we feel this way?”
  ✅ Supports empathy, imagination, and coping strategies.

5. Draw the Emotion

After reading a flashcard, have the child draw what that emotion looks like or what makes them feel that way.
 ✅ Reinforces understanding through creative expression.

6. Feelings Check-In Chart

Use the flashcards as part of a daily check-in routine.

• Ask the child: “When did you feel happy today?”
  ✅ Encourages daily reflection and emotional sharing.

✅ Conclusion

The When Questions Flashcards – Emotions and Sensory Responses set is a powerful tool for building emotional literacy, WH-question comprehension, and self-awareness in children. Through simple language and real-life prompts, it helps children understand not just what they feel, but also when and why they feel it—an essential step in developing emotional regulation and communication skills.

Whether you’re a parent, teacher, or therapist, this resource supports meaningful conversations and emotional growth in a way that’s visual, structured, and child-friendly.