The Colour Wheel of Emotions
Use zones (red, blue, green, yellow) to help children name feelings, practise regulation, and make choices. Includes role-play cards and calm-down strategies.
EYFS-ready colour learning
Playful colour experiences for early years, primary, and curious classrooms.
Colour Activities is a vibrant teaching hub designed for UK schools, nurseries, and families. Discover messy play recipes, colour by maths printables, and science experiments that build confidence with colour, feelings, and vocabulary.
EYFS & KS1
Messy Play
Colour of the Week
STEM
Tuff Tray Plans
Today in the Colour Studio
Focus: Green Week. Introduce calm emotions, hunt for mossy textures, mix yellow and blue water to discover green, and finish with a leafy collage.
- Morning circle: colour emotions wheel.
- Tuff tray: green builders with sand and diggers.
- Science: walking water in yellow + blue cups.
- Home link: family wears something green.
Featured colour learning pathways
Primary + Secondary Mixing Labs
Children mix red, yellow, and blue water in beakers to discover orange, green, and purple. Encourage prediction, observation, and new vocabulary.
Messy Play Colour Kitchen
Make dyed rice, rainbow chickpeas, and colourful spaghetti with food colouring and vinegar. These sensory bases last for weeks when stored dry.
Colour by Maths Printables
Turn times tables, number bonds, and phonics into colouring tasks. Perfect for early finishers and calm morning work.
Activity library
Colour of the Week: Yellow
A five-day plan with yellow snacks, sun stories, banana stamping, and a golden sensory tray. Includes home-learning ideas and display tips.
Rainbow Chickpeas
Dye chickpeas with food colouring and vinegar. After drying, they become a bright fine-motor base for scooping and sorting.
Times Tables Hidden Picture
Colour each tile based on multiplication answers to reveal a surprise geometric pattern. Ideal for Year 3 and Year 4 fluency.
Walking Water Rainbow
Paper towels move coloured water between cups to create secondary colours. Great for prediction and observation vocabulary.
Emotion Zones Storytime
Use puppets and colour mats to help children match feelings to colours and practise calming choices.
Tuff Tray: Blue Ocean Small World
Blue gel, shells, and play figures create a sensory ocean scene. Add ice cubes to introduce temperature language.
Colour wheel play lab
Random colour picker
Click for a surprise colour prompt. Use it for art, writing, or a quick colour hunt around the room.
Press the button for a colour challenge.
Why colour activities work
Colour learning is more than art. When children talk about colour they practise new vocabulary, learn to classify, and build confidence in describing the world. Many UK settings pair colour with emotional regulation, making it easier for children to share how they feel.
5
EYFS areas covered
40+
Activity ideas across themes
100%
Printable and low-cost plans
Weekly rhythm for busy teachers
Each theme includes a morning welcome, sensory invitation, focused activity, and home learning idea. Use the Colour of the Week planner to keep classrooms consistent and families informed.
- Monday: introduce the colour with story and song.
- Tuesday: messy play base in the focus colour.
- Wednesday: outdoor colour hunt with clipboards.
- Thursday: art or STEM challenge.
- Friday: celebrate with a class gallery walk.
Free printables
Colour of the Week Planner
Plan a full EYFS week with songs, sensory play, and home links.
Download PDFColour by Maths Times Tables
Reinforce multiplication fluency with a hidden-picture worksheet.
Download PDFPhonics Colouring: Vowel Sounds
Sort “ee” and “ah” sounds with colour for Year 1 phonics practice.
Download PDFColour by Fractions Mosaic
Shade fractions to reveal a mosaic pattern for KS2 numeracy.
Download PDFSeasonal Colour Quest Pack
Outdoor missions for spring, summer, autumn, and winter colour spotting.
Download PDFMessy Play Recipe Cards
Quick recipes for dyed rice, chickpeas, and colourful spaghetti.
Download PDFSkittles Rainbow Lab Sheet
Record predictions, observations, and conclusions for sweet science.
Download PDFFrequently asked questions
Colour activities support Communication and Language, Expressive Arts, Understanding the World, and Physical Development. Add vocabulary prompts, sorting challenges, and open-ended questions to extend learning.
Dyed rice is fast, low cost, and stores easily. Use a splash of vinegar with food colouring, dry on trays, then pour into a tuff tray with scoops and funnels.
Yes. Most activities use everyday items like food colouring, paper towels, or pasta. The printables are free for personal or classroom use.