Create an emotions color wheel and transform it into a very special breathing wand!
MATERIALS
- White cardstock paper (8.5×11”)
- Markers: red, yellow, blue, orange, green, purple, black
- Tape
- String or ribbon
- Scissors
- Ruler
TRY IT!
- Place your paper on the table horizontally.
- Draw a horizontal line across the top of your paper, 1 inch from the top of the paper.
- Below this line, draw a large circle in the middle of the paper. Divide that circle into six even sections.
- Starting at the top of the circle (and continue clockwise), color in each section with a separate color: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple.
- Looking at each color, how does it make you feel? Some examples of emotions could be: happy, calm, surprised, sad, fear, anger. Starting with red, draw lines that express that emotion in the red part of the color wheel. Continue with each color on the color wheel.
- Next, draw at least 6 shapes on the top 1 inch section of your paper, above the horizontal line you drew. Each shape should represent an emotion and color from your color wheel. Draw these in the space above the horizontal line.
- Take your scissors and cut along the horizontal line that you first drew. Cut only 4 inches towards the center of the line on both sides, so that you have a middle section that is still attached measuring about 2.5 inches.
- Roll the bottom section of your paper into a cylinder and tape it together.
- Fold the attached strip of paper at the top of the cylinder into a circle and tape it together. Fold it along the line so that it hangs off the top edge of the cylinder.
- Inside this top circle of paper, attach ribbon or string so that it falls in the opposite direction of the cylinder you created.
- Blow an emotion through the center of the circle, like you would blow a bubble through a wand.
GUIDING QUESTIONS
- How are you feeling today? Is there a color that expresses how you are feeling right now?
- Try blowing air through the wand you made. Did you do it quickly or slowly? Why?
- If happiness were a shape, what would it be?
LEARNING BEHIND THE PLAY
- Supports socio-emotional learning through identifying emotions
- Reinforces fine motor skills such as drawing and using scissors
- Connects emotions to breathing
TAKE IT FURTHER
- Practice taking turns blowing through your emotions wand. Prompt your child to blow out a breath when they feel angry, sad, happy, calm, fearful. Have them think about how each breath is connected to the emotions. At the end, practice with them on blowing long steady calming breaths through the wand.
- Using their emotions color wheel work, have them draw a large shape (i.e. heart, circle, etc) and then color it in with different colors based on how they feel. If they are feeling one particular emotion more strongly than others, have them emphasize this color as they fill in their shape.