Nervous system check-in tool
Your kid isn't melting down out of nowhere.
A visual check-in that shows you the cup filling — so you can respond before it overflows.
Try the tool
This is the actual tool — try it
All Good
Body feels soft and open. There's room here. Connection is possible, and so is learning.
You have capacity. This is the moment for the harder thing.
9 printable pages · Print unlimited copies for your family · A4 and ink-saver included
You just can't always name them fast enough.
By the time a kid can say I'm angry, they're already past the point where saying it helps. Most feelings charts ask for language that isn't available under load — which is exactly when you need the information most.
So you end up reading the aftermath instead of the buildup. And everyone tells you it came out of nowhere.
It didn't. You just didn't have a way to see it.
This tracks nervous system load. Not emotions. Not behavior.
Five circles. Your child points, colors it in, or just shows you. No words required. No right answer. No performance.
That's the whole tool.
What it gives you is the thing no feelings chart does: a read on capacity before you add to it. Before the transition. Before the appointment. Before you ask for one more thing.
A prevention tool. Not a reaction tool.
- My Feeling Circles The main check-in sheet, with a "what might be filling the cup" checklist.
- Weekly Tracker Morning and evening, seven days. Patterns show up by day three.
- What My Body Needs Calming, alerting, and organizing input — sorted by what the nervous system is actually doing.
- Caregiver Pattern Log What filled the cup, what helped, how long recovery took.
- Blank Version Your child's own words for each level. Laminate and update as their awareness grows.
- Language That Works Exact low-demand phrasing to use — and the phrases that shut the whole thing down.
- Therapist Handoff Sheet Thirty seconds before a session, so the provider knows where you're starting.
Print unlimited copies. Laminate for dry-erase, or print fresh to track over time.
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The check-in sheetFive levels, a legend, and a checklist of what might be filling the cup today. -
Weekly trackerMorning and evening, seven days, with room for notes. Patterns show up by day three. -
Caregiver pattern logWhat filled the cup, what helped, how long recovery took, and whether it carried into the evening.
| Most feelings charts | My Feeling Circles |
|---|---|
| Ask the child to name an emotion | Asks where the body is right now |
| Require language | Works by pointing |
| Read behavior after the fact | Reads capacity before demands |
| Reward the "right" answer | No level is bad |
| Refusal means the tool failed | Refusal is data |
That last one matters. If your child won't engage with the check-in at all, the cup is already too full for even a low-demand ask. That's information. Respect it — don't push.
- Not a diagnostic tool or clinical assessment
- Not a behavior chart — no rewards, no consequences, no compliance goals
- Not a replacement for OT, speech, or any clinical service
- Not affiliated with any trademarked curriculum or framework
Use it alongside your child's team. Not instead of them.
You don't need another chart asking your kid to name a feeling.
You need to know how full the cup is — before you ask them to carry one more thing.
$17
One payment. Instant download. Yours to print forever.
Includes US Letter and A4 · Ink-saver versions included · Personal use license
Are you an OT, SLP, RBT, or educator?
The handoff sheet was built for you. A professional license lets you print and distribute to every family on your caseload — no digital redistribution, no resale.