Rainbow Journey
Click the play button to listen to the song…
Dear parents, teachers, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and carers.
Even when children are tired, their minds can still be busy replaying the day, worrying sometimes about school, or simply feeling overstimulated.
This week’s Joyful Journey is the riddles answer, “Rainbow Journey”. This journey has been created especially to support children at bedtime, helping them transition gently from activity into rest through imagination, colour, music, and rhythm.
Why This Journey Helps at Bedtime
Children do not fall asleep by being told to “relax”. They do not relish bedtime if they’re simply told ‘go to bed’, and yet a beautiful routine can make them throw on their pyjamas and jump into bed!
They fall asleep when their nervous system feels safe and their attention has somewhere gentle to land.
The Rainbow Journey uses a combination of:
Guided imagery (climbing, floating, sliding)
Predictable rhythm and repetition
Colour visualisation, which is deeply soothing for the brain
Together, these help move the body into what scientists call the rest-and-digest state, where breathing naturally slows, muscles soften, and sleep becomes easier.
Many parents notice that by the time the rainbow colours are complete, children are already quieter, heavier, and more settled.
As the story unfolds, along golden paths, up gentle steps, through orchards and into colour, the rhythm of the language slows and softens. Children are invited to imagine climbing, floating, and finally sliding gently into rest.
As children imagine travelling through red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet, their focus gently narrows. The story invites them to experience each colour rather than just thinking about it, allowing the imagination to do the calming work.
The journey ends not with excitement, but with a soft slide into bed, giving the brain a clear signal that the day is complete.
You can listen to a clip of the Rainbow Journey song by clicking the PLAY button above.
At bedtime many families find it helpful to:
read the story together
listen to the song together
and if needed, again quietly allow the child to listen on their own
In a classroom setting this is done for a 5-10 minute rest time
Over time, the melody itself becomes a familiar sleep or rest cue.
Activity before bed or in class
How Does This Colour Feel?
Try this from the Joyful Journeys Activity Pack
Invite your child to look at one colour at a time
Ask gently:
“How does this colour make your body feel?”There is no right or wrong answer — calm, happy, sleepy, warm, safe, are all perfect
This helps children begin to notice emotions without needing to explain them, which supports emotional regulation and calm.
The Emotional Colour Matching Cards, which accompany Joyful Journeys, are designed to support this activity and are included in the activity bundle.
Thank you for sharing this quiet moment together.
The Rainbow Journey, along with the song, activity pack, and emotional colour cards, can be found inside the Joyful Journeys bundle — created to support children’s emotional wellbeing and restful sleep.
With warmth and care,
Grandma Mimi
Research Insight
¹ Bakosh, L. S., Snow, R. M., Tobias, J. M., Houlihan, J. L., & Barbosa-Leiker, C. (2016). Maximizing mindful learning: Mindfulness interventions for elementary school children. Journal of Applied School Psychology, 32(2), 172–191.
Research indicates that mindfulness-based imagery and rhythmic focus can support emotional regulation and improved sleep patterns in children.