I had a roommate whose favorite color was plaid.  I had a student whose favorite color was glitter and then, just recently, another whose favorite was “rainbow.”  I love these color non-conformists!

“Favorite color” is generally more of a childhood thing although we all have certain colors we gravitate towards both in clothing and decor, but I’m not sure this is the same.  Usually we choose clothing based on what flatters and room decor is often selected to evoke a feeling.

Nearly all my students cede green game markers to me.  Green has been “my” color since I was little and matching gifts were bought for me and my sister–blue for her, green for me.  Not hunter.  More grass or spring green.  Surprisingly, at least to me, I seldom have any kiddos who want it any way.  Poor yellow also takes a frequent backseat while red and blue are often fought over.  No wonder.  Turns out blue is the favorite of the majority.

As we move into St. Patrick’s Day themes and spring/rainbows, color will enter more discussions.  I thought it might be fun to see what each preference “means.”

Note:  The following is very unscientific.  I found numerous sources of color meaning, often they contradicted, and I’ve collected and rewritten them to be more child friendly.  Do you want to tell a student that they are passionate and/or sensual?  Me neither.

I think this could make a great jumping off point for a compare/contrast activity.  I was going to only include rainbow colors (except indigo, which, weirdly, was listed with different traits in a couple places), but I knew you’d get stuck with lots of unassigned “pink” people and at least one insistent “black.”

Red:  bold, confident, outgoing

Orange:  friendly, easy going, likes attention

Yellow:  happy, idealistic, creative

Green:  decisive, good leader, strong convictions

Blue:  trustworthy, easy to get along with, reliable, calm

Purple:  empathetic, helps others, mysterious

Pink:  playful, sweet, compassionate

Black:  dramatic, loyal

For a quick handout with these traits listed as well as a worksheet on color character traits, click here.

If you’re looking for more color fun, check out my Go Figure! idioms packet which includes flash cards and worksheets on color idioms.  Click here.

Let’s hear it!  List your favorite color below.  I’m curious to see if speechies gravitate toward any in particular!