Understanding you and your child's temperaments can help with parenting. For example, melancholic children respond well to fairy tales describing hardships. The phlegmatic child likes comfort, to be kept warm, and delicious food. Sanguine children respond well to calm parenting but enjoy social situations. Choleric children like to be leaders and you may find letting them be in charge of tasks helps to give them direction. In Waldorf schools teachers work with temperaments to help children grow and develop.
Children of these temperaments are often drawn to these colors:
- Choleric: Red & Fire
- Sanguine: Yellow & Rainbow
- Phlegmatic: Green & Forest
- Melancholic: Blues & Ocean
According to Rudolf Steiner- the founder of Waldorf education - each phase of life has a temperament associated with it.
- Childhood: Sanguine
- Adolescence: Choleric
- Adulthood: Melancholic
- Old Age: Phlegmatic
A goal of adulthood is to bring all four temperaments into balance, to bring harmony into one's life.
Here's a list of animals associated with each temperament.
- Lion (Choleric/Dominance) Strengths— Visionary, practical, productive, strong-willed, independent, decisive, leader.
- Otter (Sanguine/Influence) Strengths— Outgoing, responsive, warm, friendly, talkative, enthusiastic, compassionate.
- Golden Retriever (Phlegmatic/Steadiness).
- Beaver (Melancholy/Compliance)
You can look at the characters in Winnie the Pooh to find the four temperaments - Eeyore is the melancholic; Rabbit choleric; Pooh phlegmatic; and Christopher Robin himself is the sanguine.
Take a quiz to determine your temperament. (A very fun activity to do with children - our family had so much fun discovering our temperaments!)
Let me know what temperament you and your children are in a comment below.
For further reading on this subject I recommend looking at Dr. Gilbert Child's work entitled Understand Your Temperament! A guide to the four temperaments: Choleric, Sanguine, Phlegmatic and Melancholic.
I’m phlegmatic, but I would have said melancholic. My kiddo is sanguine.
Tara on
I’m melancholic with one Choleric/Phlegmatic child and one Melancholic child! I’ve been wanting to study these more in order to parent more effectively! Thabks for the post!
Lauren S on
I’m a sanguine married to a melancholic. We have children in all 4 areas….it’s interesting to view them through this lens. My phlegmatic child might be the strongest phlegmatic I know! Now I know what to do when that child is having a rough time – warm drink, nourishing meal and some personal space. 😉
Sarah on
My husband is choleric, and I’m sanguine- both of which I assumed beforehand!
Charity Preda on
I got melancholic and totally agree. My little one is going to be two soon and I cannot wait to see what type she falls into as she gets older. Thank you for this. It was fun 🌈
Erin on
I got phlegmatic on the quiz! The description seems pretty accurate but boy does that make me feel stodgy. Don’t we all want to be a little more sanguine? 😄😄
Caroline on
The quiz came up Sanguine, but I don’t see that at all. I feel strongly like a Melancholic who has occasional Choleric tendencies…
Cindy on
We are both choleric!!!
Kacie Zglinicki on
I am Sanguine and my kids are melacholic
Michelle on
I am Melancholic and my little is Sanguine!
Courtney on
Oops! I meant to say Sanguine, not Sanguime! 💁🏻♀️😂
Thanks again!! 🌈❤️🧡💛💚💙💜🖤
Amber Diamond on
I took your quiz & I got Sanguime! My little girl is just going to be 1 next month so she really couldn’t do the quiz but my results do sound just like me. Cool info!! 🙌🏼 I actually had never heard of this b4. Thanks again & I hope to win. 🌈❤️🧡💛💚💙💜🖤
Amber Diamond on