Feelings and Needs cards

Discover the Feeling and Needs Cards – Strengthen Emotional Intelligence!

What are the Feeling and Needs Cards? Young people and young adults often face challenges with self-confidence and communication. The ability to accurately identify emotions and recognize underlying needs helps them regulate stress and improve relationships. The Feeling and Needs Cards are designed to support them in this process.

This tool helps young people develop emotional intelligence, contributing to a more balanced life and better social interactions. Not everyone naturally has the right words to describe their feelings precisely. We often use broad terms like “angry,” while the difference between “irritated” and “furious” can be crucial in addressing a situation appropriately.

How do the Feeling and Needs cards work?

The “Feelings and Needs Cards”cards are specially designed for coaches, trainers, and mentors who support young people in:

• Self-awareness and emotion recognition: For those who want to better understand and express their feelings.
• Communication and relationships: For those who want to learn to express themselves more clearly and identify their needs.
• Stress regulation and self-confidence: For young people seeking balance and more effective interactions.

Coaches can use the cards to guide clients in recognizing emotions and needs—for example, by having them select a relevant card and exploring together how it impacts their behaviour and interactions.

This game Feelings and Needs Cards consists of 14 vocabulary cards:

• 9 cards to describe emotions (joy, calm, sadness, fear, confusion, anger, fatigue, love/friendship, confidence/energy)
• 5 cards to clarify one’s need (1 card for each level of Maslow’s pyramid: physiological needs, safety, belonging, self-esteem, and self-actualization)

Additionally, there are 8 activity sheets focused on feelings or needs, to be used in individual coaching sessions or group workshops:

• 4 activity suggestions related to Feelings
• 4 activity suggestions related to Needs
  

Each sheet details the objective and practical implementation of the activity.

How to use the Feeling and Needs cards?

• Individual coaching: The cards (10×15 cm) are perfect for personal sessions that allow for deeper reflection.
• Group sessions and workshops: The cards are also available in A4 format, ideal for collective activities.
• Digital application: The cards can easily be used on a screen for online coaching or hybrid sessions.

Why the Feeling and Needs Cards?

The cards offer a versatile method to help young people gain a better understanding of their emotions and needs:

• For action-oriented and goal-focused thinkers: Helps translate emotions into concrete steps.
• For expressive and social types: Supports identifying and sharing feelings with others.
• For empathetic and caring personalities: Strengthens connection and mutual understanding.
• For analytical and structured thinkers: Provides a clear framework to map out emotions and needs.

The “Feelings and Needs Cards” game

14 “Feelings and Needs” cards, printable and easily laminable, in two formats (PDF files)

• An approximately 10×15 cm format (for individual coaching)
• An A4 format (for group workshops)

8 printable and easily laminable “Feelings and Needs” activity sheets in 10×15 cm format (PDF files)