C҉O҉L҉O҉R҉ M҉O҉N҉S҉T҉E҉R҉ J҉A҉R҉S҉

Calling all COLOR MONSTERS!

🔴🟢🟡🔵 🔘

We love this book here! It's a perfect introduction to emotions and a way for your little person to visualize and describe how he or she is feeling.

After reading the book to my kiddos, I decided to make them some Color Monster Jars. I kept the jars out for a bit in our sensory table with multi-colored pompoms to sort (mainly my 4 and 2 year old). With my 4 and 6 year old, I sat with them and I would give them Color Monster Clues where they then needed to guess which monster I was referring to and place a pompom in that specific jar. For instance, "When you feel this way, you may want to jump and smile and laugh! How am I feeling?" They loved making a game out of it! This also helped them to realize that it is okay and common to feel more than one emotion at a time!

Now that we've had our sensory sorting and clue fun, the jars sit with our "calm down" bin in the playroom (a specific spot for items to help regulate emotions and calm the body). Sometimes I will simply have one of my kiddos sort the pompoms as a diversion, and sometimes if they are feeling a certain way and do not want to speak, they will place a pompom in the jar to explain a big feeling(s) they are having.

Overall, this has been an amazing resource for my little people! Click on the links below to access Color Monster Jar templates and jars!

SIMPLE COLOR MONSTER SENSORY ❤️💛💚💙🖤💗

Over the past few years, The Color Monster book has been one of the most easiest books for my children to read, listen to, engage with and comprehend. It’s sensory play at its finest, but also so much more! We talk about having GREEN-feel days, feeling PINK love, and anger that is RED, RED, RED! All colors are important and they help us to be who we are!

Our play and discussions have changed over the years regarding emotions! Here are some things we gave done! Some are for younger kiddos and some are more advanced!

🫟 Sort pompoms into basic Color Monster jars with tongs or fingers!

🫟 Sort more complex colored loose parts into jars!

🫟Using attached template to make Color Monster characters and talk through feelings and scenarios!

🫟 Using attached blank template to color in Color Monsters based on appropriate colors!

🫟 Using Color Monster stuffies to role play SEL!

🫟 Sorting emotion words into Color Monster jars NOT based on color or exact emotional label, but using higher level thinking skills to categorize feelings!

🫟 Sorting emotion faces into Color Monster jars NOT based on color, but using higher level thinking skills to infer the emotional category!

Lastly, these aren’t a one-time use sensory play for us! They stay in our “calm down corner” for daily use! Each kiddo has a set of popsicle sticks that stay in their “comfort boxes” in their bedrooms. They use it as a tool — for play and processing!

More about Comfort Boxes: https://www.kissesunderthepillow.com/post/__%E2%84%82-%E2%84%82

🎨 Color Monster Book: https://amzn.to/3ZXlCS0

🎨 Color Monster Jars: https://amzn.to/46sMjSd

🎨 Color Monster Jar Graphic Template: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/store/kisses-under-the-pillow

🎨 Color Monster Stuffies: https://amzn.to/4a5XqD5

Jars: https://amzn.to/3tFPI03