How to Teach Mindfulness with Color

Last Updated on December 10, 2018

“Mommy, why is broccoli green?”

What a simple question from a three year old, yet one that can so easily be linked to mindfulness.

Last week was quite colorful for my family. My daughter was reviewing all the main colors in school and was asked to bring in a rainbow-type object for show and teach. We read a wonderful book about colors called the Color Dance by Ann Jonas. It was all about mixing colors and how the color wheel is formed. Most memorably, we spotted a spectacular rainbow when we arrived home from school. We stood in front of our house for a few minutes staring at the miracle in the sky.

Color is all around us, but how often do we simply stop to enjoy it? When my daughter asked why broccoli is green, I realized that she was being mindful of how the food on her plate looked. Color is a perfect opportunity to tap into our children’s wonder. We can use it to encourage them to be more mindful of their surroundings. Color is everywhere-we just need to open our eyes and soak it in.

Here are some simple ways to teach your children mindfulness through color:

• Go on a walk or bike ride and take time to look at and discuss the gorgeous colors you find all around in nature.
• Observe the many colorful foods at the grocery store or right inside your refrigerator.
• Visit a garden or flower shop and soak in the beauty of the colorful flowers and plants.
• Show your children how beautiful colors are in water by dropping food dye into a bowl. Mix the dyes in a number of ways to create multiple colors.
• Open a box of crayons or paint and mix and match them. Talk to your children about how each color makes them feel.
• Let your children focus on coloring without the pressure to stay in the lines or follow directions. Coloring has become a major trend in the mindfulness world, so much so that there are tons of mindfulness coloring books just for adults. Here is one created specifically for children: Mindfulness Coloring Book for Children.

What other ideas do you have for using color as a way to teach children about mindfulness? Please share you thoughts in the comment section.

In my next post, I will explore color meditation.