Feelings traffic light
A simple aid for children: green, amber, red — and what we do at each colour.
What it’s for
Children often can’t say what they feel, but they can point to a colour. The traffic light gives a family a shared language for states that would otherwise end in an argument.
How to make it
- Green: what it looks like when I’m all right. What I can manage then.
- Amber: the first signs that something is brewing. What helps me then.
- Red: what an outburst looks like. What others should do, and what they shouldn’t.
- Draw it together and hang it somewhere visible.
Why it works
Because the agreement is made in the green phase and used in the amber one — when there is no longer room for negotiating.
See also
A boundary letter
A written, considered way of setting a boundary when a conversation in person isn't possible or safe.
List of your resources
A written list of what has helped you before — for moments when you can't remember anything.
Diary of bodily signs
A record of physical symptoms and the circumstances around them — for when examinations find nothing.
