Make a Feelings Book for Each Colour Monster (for 4-year-olds)

This is a fun, simple project to help a 4-year-old tell short stories about each colour monster from the book 'The Colour Monster'. Each little book will explain why that monster feels the way they do and what helps them feel better.

Materials

• 4–8 sheets of paper per mini-book (plain or coloured)
• Crayons, markers or coloured pencils (include the six colours: yellow, blue, red, green, pink, black)
• Stickers, glue, safety scissors
• A stapler or hole punch + ribbon to bind, or just fold the sheets in half
• Copies of a simple picture of the Colour Monster (optional)

How to make a tiny book

1. Fold 4–8 sheets of paper together in half (hamburger style) to make a little booklet.
2. Put a staple in the middle (grown-up helps) or poke two holes and tie ribbon.
3. Give the book a coloured cover that matches the monster (yellow for happy, blue for sad, red for angry, black for scared, green for calm, pink for love).

Book page plan (very simple — 4 pages inside plus cover)

• Cover: Name the monster. Example: 'Yellow Monster — Happiness'
• Page 1: Draw the monster big. Add one short sentence: 'I am Yellow. I feel happy.'
• Page 2: Why? One sentence: 'I feel happy because ______.' (child draws or child + adult write)
• Page 3: How it feels in the body or what it looks like: 'My tummy feels warm. I smile.' (child draws)
• Page 4: What helps or what happened next: 'I shared my toy. We laughed.' End with a happy solution or safe idea for the feeling.
• Back cover: A little heart, a sticker, or 'The End'.

Simple sentence starters you can use

• 'My name is ___ Monster.'
• 'I feel ___ because ___.'
• 'My body feels ___ (hot, small, shaking, smile).'
• 'What helps me is ___.' (hug, deep breaths, a friend, a quiet corner)

Short example stories (one line each) — you can copy these into the little books

• Yellow (Happiness): 'Yellow felt sunny because she played with her friend. She laughed and danced.'
• Blue (Sadness): 'Blue felt heavy because his toy broke. He sat quietly. A hug helped a little.'
• Red (Anger): 'Red felt hot because someone took his block. He stomped. He took three deep breaths and then built again.'
• Black (Fear): 'Black felt small because of a loud noise. He held a teddy and listened slowly. The noise stopped and he felt safe.'
• Green (Calm): 'Green felt soft and slow after thinking of the beach. He breathed like blowing bubbles and smiled.'
• Pink (Love): 'Pink felt warm when she hugged her mum. She shared a kiss and felt cozy.'

How to guide a 4-year-old while making the book

• Use lots of simple words and short sentences.
• Ask easy questions: 'Why is Yellow happy? Did something nice happen?'
• Let the child draw first; you can write the words under their drawing.
• Model saying feelings: 'I see you look sad. Do you want to tell your book why?'
• Praise effort: 'I love your picture! You told a story.'

Games and activities to add to the books

• Mood faces page: child draws faces for small, big, or medium feelings.
• Breathing exercise page for the green (calm) book: 'Breathe in like a balloon. Breathe out like a bubble.'
• Role-play: use a small monster puppet and act the short story.
• Sticker rewards: one sticker for each time they tell the story aloud.

Simple tips for adults

• Keep sessions short (10–20 minutes) — 4-year-olds have short attention spans.
• Let the child lead the story idea; don’t worry about spelling or perfect sentences.
• Use real moments from the child’s day to help make the stories feel real and useful.
• Repeat: reading their little books often helps them learn to name feelings and find ways to cope.

Have fun making a small library of Colour Monster books—one for each feeling. These books help a child name feelings, practice storytelling, and learn simple ways to feel better.

Quick idea: After making the books, have a 'Feelings Book Hour' where the child reads each one aloud to a stuffed animal or family member.