🌈 Taste the Rainbow, Understand the Feeling: A Fun Way to Teach Kids About Emotions

As mental health professionals, we know that children experience emotions in big, bold, and sometimes overwhelming ways. Their feelings can be intense, unpredictable, and spill over—just like a jar of colorful Skittles tumbling onto the floor.

Each spill represents the wide spectrum of emotions children navigate daily, many of which stem from two core emotional states: fear and love.

🟡 Fear-based emotions—like anxiety, frustration, sadness, and anger—activate the body's stress response, triggering cortisol (the stress hormone). This can lead to increased heart rate, muscle tension, or trouble focusing.

🟢 Love-based emotions—such as joy, excitement, and connection—release dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin (the "feel-good" chemicals), helping to regulate mood, build resilience, and strengthen social bonds.

Young children, however, struggle to regulate these emotions. They may not yet have the words to describe what they’re feeling, making emotional expression and regulation a challenge. That’s where we, as caregivers and mental health professionals, can introduce fun, engaging ways to help them understand their emotions.

🎨 A Simple & Fun Activity: Sharing the Rainbow of Emotions

🟣 Step 1: Grab a bag of Skittles (or any colorful snack).
🔴 Step 2: Ask your child to assign an emotion to each color.
🟡 Step 3: Discuss their choices! What color feels like love? What color represents sadness? What does anger look like?

You might be surprised by their answers! Maybe yellow means “tears,” or green feels like love because it reminds them of playing outside. This exercise helps children name and validate their emotions, giving them the language to express what they feel in a safe and fun way.

💡 Why Does This Matter?

When children frequently name and talk about their emotions, they become less afraid of them. Emotional regulation begins with awareness. By making emotions part of everyday conversations, we teach children that their feelings are:

✅ Normal
✅ Manageable
✅ Supported by the people who love them

The next time their "jar of emotions" spills over, they won’t feel lost. Instead, they’ll have the words and tools to communicate their needs.

So, are you ready to share the rainbow of emotions with your child? Let’s start the conversation! Drop a comment below.

(P.S. – Maybe don’t eat all the Skittles in one sitting—one emotion at a time! 😉)