Color Me Happy

Activity Instructions

Discuss some common idioms that link mood and color, such as,

  • Green with envy
  • Feeling blue
  • Tickled pink

Ask about other colors: What feeling do you think red might represent? Gray? Yellow?

Display a portrait or other artwork that prominently features an easy-to-read emotion. Ask, What do you think this person is feeling? What colors do you see that make you say that?

As an introduction or extension to this topic, you may want to read When Sophie Gets Angry—Really, Really Angry…, by Molly Bang and discuss how the colored outlines change throughout the story.

A similar activity can be constructed by using symbols rather than colors.

Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University
  • Black Widow with Brothers Fighting

    Black Widow with Brothers Fighting
    Noah Davis

  • Farm Workers on the Back of a Truck

    Farm Workers on the Back of a Truck
    Marianne Manasse

  • The Next Step

    The Next Step
    Joseph Raffael