Looking for creative ways to explore emotions with children? This mandala emotions activity supports emotional literacy in a fun and meaningful way. In this step-by-step guide, you’ll learn exactly how to do it, and get tips for thoughtful conversation prompts that help children reflect on their feelings and feel truly seen.
Have you ever noticed how moods are a bit like the shifting view through a kaleidoscope?
One moment, you might feel a pattern of joy, edged with a few darker tones of anxiety or jealousy. Then, with just a few of life’s twists—an unexpected event, a tricky conversation, or a shift in your own inner voice—the pattern falls apart and reforms into something entirely new.
Our emotions are always shifting, rearranging, merging into new shapes. They’re fluid, layered, and often hard to pin down.
But imagine if we could make those patterns visible? What if we could give color to the feelings swirling inside and see the patterns they form?
Well, that’s exactly what the Mandala Emotions Activity invites children to do!
What Is A Mandala Emotions Activity?
The mandala emotions activity is a creative coloring exercise where children use colors to represent different feelings. By filling in a mandala-style design based on how often they feel certain emotions, kids get a visual, hands-on way to explore, express, and talk about what’s going on inside.
Activities like this are a great way to support emotional intelligence in kids. They help children build emotional awareness, express their feelings in a safe and creative way, and strengthen connection with trusted adults.
In play therapy, activities like this are fabulous for children who struggle to put their feelings into words. They are a gentle, creative way to make emotions visible — and invite conversation.
They are also a lovely activity for parents to use at home, for they offer a creative way to help children explore emotions and feel heard without pressure.
(Want more tools like this? Grab the free quick-start cheat-sheet printable pack here!)
So, how do you do it?
How To Do The Mandala Emotions Activity For Kids
If you’re wondering how to help kids understand and express their feelings through art, the mandala emotions activity is a simple but powerful tool. Here’s a simple way to guide them through it:
1 Offer a choice of coloring pages
Gather a selection of mandalas, or other designs like flowers or simple patterns. For younger children keep the pattern simple. But if you’re doing the mandala emotions activity for teens, you can use more intricate designs. Let the child choose the one that speaks to them—kids love having a say and this helps them feel ownership of the activity.
(Want the exact same Mandala activity featured in this post, plus a whole collection of others to try? Grab them here on Etsy!)
Also, offer a variety of coloring pencils, crayons, markers, felt tips, glitter pens.
2 Make a list of feelings
Invite the child to name some of the emotions they’ve been feeling lately. You could say something like, “Let’s think of some feelings you’ve had recently—happy, sad, excited, bored, calm, anything at all.” Write the list down together. It can be as short or as long as they want.
3 Create a color key
Then, help them to decide on a color for each emotion on the list. You might say, “What color feels like ‘happy’ to you?” or “If ‘irritated’ had a color, what would it be?” Then, let them draw a little key on the side of the page so they can remember which color matches which feeling.
4 Color the picture using the feelings key
Now, invite the child to color their picture using the key. Explain it like this: “Let’s use more of the colors for feelings you have a lot, and just a little of the ones you don’t feel very often. It doesn’t have to be perfect—just how it feels to you.”
Let them take their time, and reassure them that it’s perfectly okay to change their mind as they go. If they want to talk—which this activity often encourages naturally—that’s wonderful! But equally, if they prefer to stay quiet, that’s completely fine too. This activity still allows them to process their feelings silently.
Here are a few conversation prompts you might want to try, just in case they’re open to sharing…
Meaningful Conversation Prompts To Use During The Mandala Coloring Activity
The key here is gentle, curious noticing. Use soft invitations – even though it’s tempting to start full-on questioning! This tactic helps the child gain emotional awareness while keeping the space safe and open.
Try paying attention to more than just the colors. Watch out for things like – how hard they press, how fast they’re coloring, or how neat or messy it looks. All of that can tell you something about their emotions too.
These gentle comments invite children to reflect on their emotions without feeling judged or “put on the spot”:
Color-Based Prompts
- “I notice you used a lot of [color] here—does that feeling show up a lot for you lately?”
- “You chose [color] for that feeling—what made you think of that color?”
- “That’s such a strong color choice—want to tell me more about it?”
Pressure/Intensity Prompts
- “You pressed really hard with the crayon here—was that a big feeling?”
- “This part looks softer and lighter—was that feeling more gentle for you?”
- “You’re coloring fast in this bit—do you think that matches the feeling?”
Style & Flow Prompts
- “This section looks really neat, and this part’s more scribbly—what was happening here?”
- “This area feels a bit wild—did something bother you when you were coloring that?”
- “These areas look really different—do they each feel like different moods?”
Tone Tips:
- Phrases like “I notice…” or “I wonder…” are a lovely way to keep things open-ended
- It’s so tempting to jump in and label emotions for kids. But avoid any assumptions—just stay open-minded and curious
- Silence is okay! You’re planting seeds, not digging for answers
(If you’re looking for more simple, therapeutic activities to try, check out my post on 21 Powerful Play Therapy Techniques Parents Can Use.)
Using This Activity To Track Emotions Over Time
This is a lovely activity to use to track emotions over a stretch of time – perhaps weekly, or even daily. When children color in the same picture (or at least use the same emotions color key) repeatedly—you’ll both start to notice patterns:
- Are certain feelings showing up more often?
- Is something shifting over time?
Parents might find this especially helpful during transitions like a new school year or family changes, while therapists might use it to track changes across weekly sessions.
Using Therapeutic Coloring For Children To Support Emotional Regulation
Are there times when you know your child is upset, anxious or hyper? Coloring itself can be calming. That’s because this activity naturally encourages:
- Mindfulness (staying present and focused)
- Emotional safety (it’s low-pressure and creative)
- Stress reduction (it quiets an over-active amygdala – the part of the brain associated with stress and fear – bringing a sense of calm)
- Brightened mood (these benefits help lift the spirit)
Mindfulness coloring for kids is a beautiful way to support youngsters in self-regulation—without forcing anything.
Loving The Mandala Emotions Activity?
Are you enjoying learning about this activity? Want to learn more powerful ways to help kids who are bottling things up, acting out or struggling?
Then grab your FREE Therapeutic Play Quick Start Pack!
What’s inside:
- A one-page cheat sheet with insider tips on the basics of therapeutic play
- Printable emotions cards (great for therapeutic play such as the emotions ball play game)
- Printable emotion Check-in worksheet using weather symbols
- A quick summary of the 21 techniques in this post
Perfect for parents, teachers, therapists or anyone supporting children through big feelings.
Final Thoughts: Helping Kids Feel Seen and Understood
Helping children make sense of their emotions doesn’t have to be complicated. Simple, creative activities like this mandala emotions activity offer a gentle way in—through color, conversation, and connection. Whether you use it once or return to it again and again, it can become a small, meaningful part of a child’s emotional toolkit.
If you try this activity, I’d love to hear how it goes—leave a comment below or tag me on social media!
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