Free Anxiety Thermometer: Help Your Child Understand and Manage Big Feelings
- Prue Longstaff, Psychotherapist
- 4 days ago
- 4 min read
Anxiety in children is more common than many people realise. From separation anxiety to school-related stress, it often shows up in physical symptoms, behavioural changes, and emotional outbursts. As a parent or caregiver, it can be heartbreaking and frustrating to see your child struggle but not know how to help. One simple yet powerful tool that can support emotional awareness and self-regulation is the free anxiety thermometer.
In this blog, we’ll explore:
What children’s anxiety looks like
Why understanding and recognising anxiety levels is important
How an anxiety thermometer works
Practical ways to use the anxiety thermometer at home
A free downloadable anxiety thermometer you can start using today
What Is Children's Anxiety and How Does It Present?
Children’s anxiety often manifests differently than in adults. While adults might articulate their worries, kids may become irritable, withdrawn, clingy, or experience frequent stomachaches or headaches.
Common types of anxiety in children include:
Generalised anxiety
Social anxiety
Separation anxiety
Specific phobias
Performance anxiety (e.g., school tests, sport)
Signs of anxiety in children can include:
Trouble sleeping
Avoidance of certain situations
Excessive worrying or negative self-talk
Meltdowns over seemingly minor issues
Difficulty concentrating
Physical symptoms such as nausea, trembling, or fast breathing
Recognising these signs early is crucial, as unmanaged anxiety in children can affect their mental health, social skills, learning, and overall wellbeing.
Why Recognising Anxiety Levels Matters
Helping a child understand what anxiety feels like and how intense it is allows them to begin taking steps toward managing it. Children are still learning emotional language and awareness, and without tools, anxiety can feel overwhelming and confusing. This is where a visual tool like the anxiety thermometer comes in.
What Is an Anxiety Thermometer?
An anxiety thermometer is a child-friendly tool that uses a visual scale (usually from 1 to 5) to help children identify how anxious or calm they are feeling. It works similarly to a mood scale but focuses specifically on stress, worry, and fear.
The anxiety thermometer we offer includes five levels:
Calm – relaxed, focused, enjoying themselves
Tense – uncomfortable, uneasy
Nervous – stressed, worried
Anxious – overwhelmed, overthinking
Frantic – panic, meltdown, out of control
Each level also includes examples of physical sensations, behaviours, and helpful coping strategies. This makes it easy for children to see where they’re at and what they can do to bring themselves back down.
How an Anxiety Thermometer Helps Children Manage Their Emotions
Using an anxiety thermometer regularly builds emotional literacy—the ability to notice, label, and talk about feelings. This is a key step in managing anxiety in kids and preventing escalations.
Here are a few key benefits:
Improved self-awareness: Children learn to tune into body signals and thoughts.
Better communication: Kids have a concrete way to tell you how they’re feeling without needing perfect words.
Empowerment: It shows children that emotions can change, and they can learn strategies to help themselves.
Crisis prevention: When used consistently, the anxiety thermometer can help adults intervene early before children hit level 5 – meltdown or shutdown.
Practical Ways to Use the Anxiety Thermometer at Home
Using the anxiety thermometer doesn’t need to be complicated. Here are some simple ways parents can use it daily:
1. Morning and Afternoon Check-ins: Ask your child where they are on the anxiety thermometer before school and again when they come home. This opens up regular conversations about feelings.
2. Bedtime Reflection: Talk through the day and ask when they felt their anxiety increase. Help them think about what they did to manage it or what might help next time.
3. During Challenging Moments: If your child is starting to escalate, pause and ask, “Where are you on your thermometer right now?” Offer a calming strategy from the thermometer suggestions.
4. Make it Visual: Print and display the thermometer somewhere your child can see it – on the fridge, in their bedroom, or near the front door.
5. Model It Yourself: Parents modelling their own “thermometer check-ins” helps normalise talking about emotions and shows kids how to self-regulate.
Download Your Free Children’s Anxiety Thermometer
To support you and your child on the journey to better emotional regulation, we’re offering a free printable Anxiety Thermometer. This tool includes
A visual scale with descriptions and feelings
Examples of how anxiety shows up in behaviour and the body
Practical coping strategies to try at each level
Helping Your Child Learn to Cope with Anxiety
Remember, the goal isn’t to eliminate anxiety completely – it’s a normal part of life.
The aim is to help children understand and manage it in healthy ways. Tools like the anxiety thermometer empower kids to track their feelings and use calming strategies before anxiety becomes overwhelming.
If your child is regularly sitting at level 4 or 5 on the thermometer, or if anxiety is affecting their daily life, it might be time to seek support. At Better You HQ, we specialise in children’s counselling and offer both one-on-one therapy and skills-based programs to help children develop emotional resilience.
Final Thoughts
Children’s anxiety can be challenging, but you’re not alone – and your child doesn’t have to manage it on their own either. By using simple tools like the anxiety thermometer, you can help your child gain confidence, communicate their needs, and regulate their emotions.
Start small. Start today. Download the free anxiety thermometer and help your child build emotional awareness and resilience.
About Prue and Better You HQ Therapy and Counselling Clinic
Prue is an ACA registered and qualified child and family counsellor and psychotherapist with a passion for helping children and parents navigate emotional challenges. As the founder of Better You HQ Therapy and Counselling Clinic, she specialises in supporting neurodivergent children, anxiety, emotional regulation, and social-emotional development. With experience in education and a deep understanding of childhood mental health, Prue offers evidence-based, compassionate support to families.
Better You HQ provides in-person counselling in Mansfield, Victoria, and online services Australia-wide, including assessments, emotion coaching, and parent support. Prue believes that emotional skills can be taught and that every child deserves a roadmap to thrive.
