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 got phlegmatic. I would say my almost four year old daughter is a mix between choleric and sanguine, more so the latter.
Jasmine Kim on
The quiz said melancholic and I would have to agree. It describes me almost to a T
Nicole Laris on
Melancholic here. I think my 4 year old daughter is a cross between melancholic and choleric, depending on if she’s home or on public. Lol
Leonta Young on
I’m a choleric melancholic married to a sanguine (thank goodness!). Our oldest is phlegmatic, second is sanguine, third is melancholic/choleric, fourth is sanguine, and fifth is only 3 years old but tending toward the choleric/melancholic too. It blesses me how well our personalities fit together. My weaknesses are another’s strengths and vice versa. ❤️
Laura on
I’m a phlegmatic! I see a lot of us here. :) Hi!
Tania on
I’m phlegmatic and the description fits me so perfectly! My son’s too young to take the test but I’d like to think we share the same temperament (he really does love water and food!)
Farah on
I am sanguine. I have a choleric, a phlegmatic and a melancholic!
Meg on
As I suspected I got melencholic and all 6 of my kids are melancholic or choleric . We are mostly introverted and emotional
maggie on
I’m melancholic. Who knew!?
Shaina Paddick on
I took the quiz and it said Pheglemic but I don’t really agree with the description! I usually find myself between several options because I like to try to look at things from others perspective too! My son is too young to pick his answers!
Hayley on
My husband and I are both Melancholic and I believe my son to be as well. We attend a Waldorf Parent and Tot class… I’d be interested to see if the teachers can peg the parent’s temperaments. :) What a fun give away. Thank you!
Sarah on
Fun test. I am melancholic. My children are all grown and now the grandbabies are coming. What a joy to see their unique personalities! Love them,every one.
Carrie Niemi on