Non-verbal Engagement

Red flag, blue flag, green flag is one of my favourite tools to use in sessions it’s simple, low-pressure, and often leads to deep emotional insight with very little talking required.

The game uses colour-coded flags:

🔴 Red = negative

🔵 Blue = neutral or mixed

🟢 Green = positive

I’ll read up to 15 short, everyday scenarios and ask the young person to respond using a flag to represent how they think the person in the situation might feel. We talk about the emotion and what that feeling might look or feel like to them.

There’s rarely one “right” answer which is exactly the point. It opens up space for conversation and emotional reflection, while also helping me understand how the young person interprets and carries emotions themselves.

Here’s a typical example:

“Sharon got on the bus with all of her friends, and her shoe fell off as she walked up the stairs. Sharon felt ______

What comes out of that one moment can be funny, surprising, or deeply revealing but above all, it builds connection and trust in a natural way.