The Color Wheel: Identifying and discussing emotions with young children
First close your eyes and think to yourself, "How am I feeling today?" Then use the color wheel to choose a color that represents the emotion you are experiencing. Allow your child time to guess the emotion that corresponds with the color you chose.
Once you tell your child the emotion you chose, try not to use the words "good" or "bad," instead try using emotion words like happy, sad, angry, or excited. Using these emotion words will expand your child's vocabulary. Make sure to also share what caused you to feel this emotion and why you chose the color you did.
Then allow your child to pick a color and you try to guess the emotion they are considering. After they have shared the emotion they are feeling, ask them, "Why are you feeling that way?" and, "Why did you pick that color?"
Once you tell your child the emotion you chose, try not to use the words "good" or "bad," instead try using emotion words like happy, sad, angry, or excited. Using these emotion words will expand your child's vocabulary. Make sure to also share what caused you to feel this emotion and why you chose the color you did.
Then allow your child to pick a color and you try to guess the emotion they are considering. After they have shared the emotion they are feeling, ask them, "Why are you feeling that way?" and, "Why did you pick that color?"
Use the image below to complete the activity.
