Feelings and Thoughts Sentence Starters for Kids
Expressive prompts to help children communicate worries, strengths, and emotions
AnxietyInfo SheetFree Resource
Feelings and Thoughts Sentence Starters for Kids
Expressive prompts to help children communicate worries, strengths, and emotions
Feelings and Thoughts Sentence Starters for Kids
Expressive prompts to help children communicate worries, strengths, and emotions
Sentence completion activities give children a low-pressure way to share thoughts and feelings they may not express spontaneously. Research on child-centered assessment (Stallard, 2020; Creswell et al., 2021) supports using open-ended prompts to identify anxiety themes, relational concerns, and self-concept in young clients. These prompts are organized by domain to help clinicians gently explore a child's inner world while building therapeutic rapport.
About Me
- Something I am really good at is... Encourages identification of personal strengths, supporting self-efficacy (Bandura's theory, reinforced by Schunk & DiBenedetto, 2020).Example: A child might say, '...drawing animals. I can draw a really good horse and my teacher put it on the wall.'
- If I could have any superpower, it would be... Reveals underlying wishes or perceived deficits in a playful, non-threatening format.Example: A child might say, '...invisibility, so I could hide when things get too loud.' This could hint at feeling overwhelmed in social situations.
- The thing I like most about myself is... Assesses self-concept and can highlight areas where the child may struggle with self-worth.Example: A child might say, '...that I'm a good friend. I always share my snacks and check on people when they look sad.'
- When I grow up, I want to... Explores aspirations and future orientation, which are linked to hope and resilience in children (Snyder et al., 2021).Example: A child might say, '...be a veterinarian so I can help sick animals get better.'
My Feelings
- Right now, I feel... Provides an immediate emotional check-in and builds the child's emotion vocabulary.Example: A child might say, '...a little nervous because I don't know what we're going to talk about today.'
- I feel happy when... Identifies positive triggers and resources the clinician can draw on during interventions.Example: A child might say, '...my whole family eats dinner together and we tell funny stories about our day.'
- I worry about... Central to anxiety screening. Common themes include school performance, social rejection, and family safety (Muris et al., 2021).Example: A child might say, '...what will happen if I get a bad grade on my test, because my parents might be disappointed in me.'
- I feel scared when... Distinguishes between normative fears and clinically significant anxiety responses. Helps map specific fear triggers.Example: A child might say, '...it's dark and I hear noises at night, because I think something bad might happen.'
- When I feel sad, I usually... Reveals the child's current coping repertoire and whether they seek support or withdraw.Example: A child might say, '...go to my room and lie on my bed. Sometimes I cry, and sometimes I just don't want to talk to anyone.'
My Family and Friends
- My family is... An open prompt that allows the child to describe family dynamics in their own words, providing insight into attachment and relational patterns.Example: A child might say, '...really busy. Everyone is always doing something, but we try to have movie night on Fridays.'
- My best friend is someone who... Assesses the quality of peer relationships and what the child values in friendships (Rubin et al., 2022).Example: A child might say, '...always picks me for their team and never makes fun of me when I make a mistake.'
- I wish my family knew that... Can reveal unspoken needs, misunderstandings, or relational distress the child has not expressed directly.Example: A child might say, '...I don't like it when they argue at dinner. It makes my stomach hurt and I can't eat.'
- Something fun I do with others is... Identifies social activities and behavioral activation opportunities. Low engagement may signal withdrawal or exclusion.Example: A child might say, '...play basketball at the park with my cousins every Saturday morning.'
School and Daily Life
- School makes me feel... Screens for academic anxiety, social difficulties, or motivational concerns in the school environment.Example: A child might say, '...okay in art class but really nervous during math because I don't understand fractions.'
- The hardest part of my day is... Pinpoints specific stressors and times of day when the child may need additional support.Example: A child might say, '...mornings, because I have to get ready really fast and I always feel rushed and stressed.'
- I have the most fun when... Identifies pleasurable activities that can be incorporated into behavioral activation or reward-based strategies.Example: A child might say, '...I'm building things with LEGOs or playing outside with my dog after school.'
- If I could change one thing, it would be... A global prompt that often elicits the child's primary concern, whether related to self, relationships, or circumstances.Example: A child might say, '...that my parents didn't have to work so much, so we could spend more time together.'
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