Templates
Consequence wheel templates
Short answer
A consequence wheel template is an empty circle with room for your own words. A printable consequence wheel template on this site has eight slices and light prompts: redo, pause, repair, practice, a fun thing that waits, a check-in, a written plan, and one idea of yours. Copy the prompts only if they fit your house.
Templates fail when they arrive already filled with someone else’s penalties. Yours should arrive blank, or with categories faint enough to ignore. The point of a template is the geometry: equal slices, a center, a place for a pointer.
Print the blank wheel, trace it onto cardboard, or laminate it for the dry-erase build. The chart is the companion if you need a record more than a spin.
Spin only what you already agreed to.
Use the free wheelWhat to look for on a template
Equal slices, or a note if they are not equal. A center that can hold a name. A margin for the review date. Lines large enough for a short phrase, not a paragraph. A pointer drawn on the page is optional. You still need a real one that moves, unless this sheet is only a planning copy.
Ignore templates that arrive full of punishments you did not write. You would be enforcing a stranger’s list. Start blank and use the ideas page if you want categories.
| Template | Use it for | Leave it blank when |
|---|---|---|
| Fully blank circle | Any agreed list | You want a prompt to get unstuck |
| Category prompts | A first family wheel | A prompt does not fit your house |
| Chore layout | Jobs, on a separate wheel | You are about to mix jobs with penalties |
| Classroom jobs | Line leader, boards, plants, books | You are about to spin a public penalty |
| Planning sheet | The meeting, before any build | You need the object itself tonight |
How to fill the printable
Print it. Pencil one short line in each slice you intend to use. Cross out a prompt instead of forcing it. Both adults read it. Then ink, or type the same words into the free wheel.
Put the review date on the page. If you laminate for dry-erase, keep this pencil copy in a drawer. It is the backup when the glossy one gets wiped.
A template is not a program
Lott and Nelsen’s Wheel of Choice leaves slices open so a class or a family can add solutions. That is the right instinct for a printable too. The circle does not know your child. The template should admit that in all that white space.
For a class jobs wheel or a home chore wheel, use a second print. Label it out loud so nobody confuses jobs with follow-through. The chore wheel ideas and the classroom page are those second prints in prose.
Questions people ask
Where is the printable consequence wheel template?
On the printables page of this site: a blank eight-slice wheel, plus a chart and a one-page agreement. Fill the wheel in on a calm day.
Can we trace the template onto cardboard?
Yes. Print, cut out the circle, trace it twice onto a box, and follow the cardboard steps. Write the words after the wheel is glued and dry.
Should a template include suggested punishments?
No. Prompts can name kinds of follow-through, such as a redo or a repair. A template that lists penalties for specific misbehavior is someone else’s family. Use your words.