My Coping Cards (Kids)
A child-friendly worksheet for creating coping cards for four feelings (worried, angry, sad, wiggly), designed to be cut out and practised with a caregiver.
1-page fillable PDF · US Letter (prints on A4) · Coping skills
- Approach / concern
- For Kids
- Technique
- Coping skills
- Format
- Fillable PDF, 1 page (US Letter / A4)
- Access
- Pro and Advanced plans (3-day free trial)
- For
- Licensed clinicians to use with clients
- Updated
- October 2026
Key facts
What is the My Coping Cards (Kids)?
Coping cards for children are concrete, personalized reminders of strategies for different feelings. Creating them together builds emotional vocabulary, coping skills and caregiver support.
Why it works
Coping and emotion-regulation skills are associated with better child adjustment (Compas et al., 2017), and concrete, practised coping strategies are central to child CBT (Kendall & Hedtke, 2006).
When to use it
- Children aged about 4-11
- Anxiety, anger and big feelings
- School and home behaviour support
- Parent coaching
How to use it in session
- Talk about each feeling and what helps.
- Let the child draw or write ideas.
- Cut out and decorate the cards.
- Practise when calm.
- Use the cards during big feelings with support.
Clinician tips
- Use the child’s own ideas and words.
- Keep cards where they’re easy to reach.
- Praise using the cards, even partially.
Worked example
Sharing with clients
Members can download the PDF to print or email, or copy a private client link from the download box. Your client opens the link and downloads the worksheet on any device. No client account is needed, and nothing your client writes is stored on TherapyAid.
Frequently asked questions
What age are coping cards for?
Most children aged 4-11, with adult help. Older children can make their own.
What if my child won’t use the cards?
Model using coping skills yourself and practise in calm, playful moments.
References
Kendall, P. C., & Hedtke, K. A. (2006). Cognitive-behavioral therapy for anxious children: Therapist manual (3rd ed.). Workbook Publishing.
Compas, B. E., Jaser, S. S., Bettis, A. H., Watson, K. H., Gruhn, M. A., Dunbar, J. P., Williams, E., & Thigpen, J. C. (2017). Coping, emotion regulation, and psychopathology in childhood and adolescence: A meta-analysis and narrative review. Psychological Bulletin, 143(9), 939-991.
This worksheet is an educational tool for use by, or under the guidance of, a licensed or registered mental-health professional. It is not a diagnostic instrument or a substitute for clinical judgement. If a client is in crisis in Canada, call or text 9-8-8 or call 9-1-1.
