Parents play a crucial role in helping their children navigate the complex world through the exploration and development of their emotions. A creative and fun way to engage with your child is by using colours to learn about emotions.
There are currently a plethora of innovative toys on the market targeted at exploring colours, which can also be used to help their emotional development.
Here are some practical ways to make your children aware of their emotions as well as give them the means to express these feelings which at times may become overwhelming:
• Teach your child the primary colours and attach an emotion to each.
Explain how each colour could represent a different emotion. Red may signify anger, blue represents sadness and yellow can symbolise happiness.
• Create a mood-tracking chart.
Create the chart together, with sections representing each day of the week. At the end of each day, ask your child to choose the colour that best matches their overall mood and ask them to explain why they feel that way. This activity will help them become more aware of their emotions and how they may change over time.
• Art therapy
Engage in art activities where your child can freely express their emotions using colours. Provide them with age-appropriate art supplies and encourage them to create works that represent how they feel. Discuss the choice of colours and help them understand the connection between their emotions and the colours they use.
• Colourful playtime
Incorporate colour-coded play activities daily. You could ask your child to find toys or objects of a specific colour that also represents a particular emotion. This scavenger hunt will reinforce the connection between colours and emotions.
• Colourful imagery
Print out or draw pictures depicting different emotions, using vibrant and expressive colours. Display these images around your child’s room or play area. Further use these pictures to encourage your child to point to the picture that best represents how they are feeling at any given moment, especially during those times of unconsolable melt-downs.
Introducing your child to emotions by means of colours is a fun way to help them understand and express their feelings thus equipping them with valuable tools to navigate their emotional landscape.
Information supplied by Brand Alley
