Emotions are complex even for grown-ups, so it’s no surprise that children often struggle to express how they feel. Helping kids understand their emotions is one of the most important parts of raising emotionally healthy humans. Thankfully, one animated movie made this process easier, colorful, and incredibly memorable — Inside Out.

With the release of Inside Out 2, children everywhere are once again excited to explore the world of Joy, Sadness, Fear, Anger, Disgust, and the newer emotions introduced in the sequel. What better way to celebrate this beloved movie than through creative, hands-on crafts that help kids learn, express, and manage feelings?

These 15 Inside Out crafts for kids are perfect for classrooms, therapy sessions, movie nights, or simply for fun. Each activity strengthens emotional vocabulary, improves fine motor skills, and opens up conversations that help children understand how their minds work.

Understanding Inside Out: A Quick Intro for Kids

Inside Out follows a girl named Riley and the emotions inside her mind. Each emotion is represented by a bright, lovable character who helps Riley navigate life changes, friendships, memories, challenges, and growing up.

The first movie introduced the five core emotions:

• Joy – bright, bubbly, happy
  
• Sadness – calm, thoughtful, emotional
  
• Fear – cautious, jumpy, alert
  
• Disgust – protective, expressive, opinionated
  
• Anger – fiery, bold, outspoken
  

The second movie brings even more complexity with emotions such as:

• Anxiety
  
• Envy
  
• Embarrassment
  
• Ennui (or boredom)
  

Through vibrant characters and imaginative brain worlds, the movies help children recognize feelings, validate them, talk about them, and understand that every emotion has a purpose — even the ones that feel uncomfortable.

Now, let’s dive into the creative fun!

15 Interesting Inside Out Crafts for Kids

These crafts use simple materials like paper, markers, plates, cardboard tubes, felt, crafts sticks, and recycled items. Each idea represents an emotion or concept from the movie, making learning interactive and memorable.

1. Inside Out Paper Plate Characters

Paper plates are perfect craft bases for creating the five original emotions. Kids can paint, color, or glue paper shapes to recreate Joy’s glowing smile, Sadness’s glasses, Anger’s iconic square shape, Fear’s thin silhouette, and Disgust’s expressive face. Great for preschoolers and elementary-aged kids.

2. Memory Orb Craft

In the movie, memories are stored as glowing crystal-like spheres. Kids can make their own memory orbs using clear plastic balls, tissue paper, paint, or glitter. Each child chooses a color to represent an emotion and writes a favorite memory inside. This craft doubles as emotional reflection.

Create character puppets using craft sticks or paper tubes. These puppets are perfect for role-play and storytelling. Kids can act out scenes, express feelings, or create new adventures for the characters while learning emotional vocabulary.

4. Feelings Spinner Wheel

A circular paper wheel with all the emotions painted on it helps children identify how they’re feeling throughout the day. A small arrow in the center allows kids to “spin to express” — a gentle tool for emotional check-ins.

5. Inside Out Tissue Box Emotions Cube

Transform a tissue box into a rotating emotion cube. Each side features one emotion’s face. Kids can turn the box to show how they feel or use it in classroom daily routines.

6. Emotions Popcorn Box Craft

Inside Out is a fun movie-night pick, so popcorn-themed crafts are always a hit. Kids decorate popcorn holders with emotion faces and colors, turning snacks into interactive learning moments.

7. Sensory Emotion Bottles

Sensory bottles help kids calm down and self-regulate. Create five bottles — each inspired by an emotion — using glitter, beads, oil, water, and food coloring. For example, blue glitter swirls for Sadness and bright yellow for Joy. These bottles double as emotional tools.

8. Joy-Inspired Sunburst Craft

Kids create a glowing yellow sunburst with construction paper strips radiating from a circle. They add positive words such as “happy,” “excited,” or “proud.” This teaches children to identify joyful moments.

9. Sadness Cloud Craft

Sadness-themed crafts help children explore deeper emotions safely. A soft blue cloud made from cotton or tissue paper can include words like “tired,” “overwhelmed,” “lonely,” or “calm.” This encourages emotional literacy.

10. Firey Anger Craft

Using red and orange paper flames, children craft Anger’s fiery head. This craft can be paired with conversations about frustration, fairness, and healthy ways to cool down when angry.

11. Disgust Green Leaf Craft

Kids create Disgust using green paper, emphasizing hair, eyebrows, and expressive eyes. This craft opens discussions about boundaries, preferences, and saying no politely.

12. Fear Tall-Wiggly Craft

Since Fear is long and skinny, pipe cleaners and tall paper tubes work beautifully. Kids can create wobbly legs and shaky hands, reinforcing the idea that fear helps keep us safe.

13. Anxiety Spiral Art (Inside Out 2 Inspired)

The new character Anxiety pairs well with spiral doodles or swirling mixed-media art. Kids can create spirals in bright oranges or deep tones, helping visually express nervous feelings and learning grounding techniques afterward.

14. Embarrassment Heart Mask Craft

Embarrassment from the sequel can be represented with a shy, soft-colored heart mask. Children can decorate it with blush tones, gentle eyes, and comforting words like “everyone feels this way sometimes.”

15. Emotion Sorting Activity

Create small cards featuring different emotions from both movies. Kids sort them into groups: positive, calming, protective, overwhelming, etc. This strengthens emotional recognition and empathy.

Why These Crafts Are Important

Inside Out crafts teach children:

✔ Emotional vocabulary
✔ Empathy for themselves and others
✔ That all feelings have a role
✔ How to express feelings safely
✔ That memories hold emotional value
✔ Sensory awareness and self-regulation

These hands-on projects make emotional learning warm, engaging, and fun.

Final Thoughts

Feelings can be confusing, but with creative tools, kids can learn to understand and manage them better. These 15 interesting Inside Out movie crafts turn emotional education into joyful storytelling, colorful art, and memorable hands-on experiences.