Wong-Baker FACES Pain Rating Scale

Instructions for FACES Pain Rating Scale

This rating scale is recommended for children ages 3 and older.

Brief word instruction: Point to each face using the words to describe the pain

intensity. Ask the child to choose the face that best describes his or her own

pain, and report the appropriate numbers to your nurse.

Explain to the child that each face is for a child who has no pain (hurt) or some,

or a lot. Face O doesn’t hurt at all. Face 2 hurts just a little bit. Face 4 hurts a

little more. Face 6 hurts even more. Face 8 hurts a whole lot. Face 10 hurts as

much as you can imagine, although you don’t have to be crying to have this

worst pain. Ask the child to choose the face that best describes how much pain

he or she has.