Urine Color Chart Activity for Kids: What Color Is Your Pee?

What color is your urine - comparison chart for kids

Have you noticed that your urine (pee) comes out in different shades of yellow? Your urine color (the color of your pee) depends on 2 main factors:

  • The waste that your kidneys put into the urine.
  • The amount of water that your kidneys put into the urine.

What urine color is normal?

Most people start the day with dark yellow pee, because they don’t drink anything after bedtime. Later in the day, the urine color gets lighter in color after drinking water, sipping soup, or eating juicy fruits.

Light to medium yellow is the goal! This usually means that you are getting the right amount of fluids in your body.

Why is yellow the most popular urine color?

Your kidneys make a type of waste called urobilin. Urobilin is yellow, and your body gets rid of it through your urine.

  • If you have a lot of water in your urine, it will dilute the urobilin. This will make the urine a lighter color.
  • If you don’t have much water in your urine, the urobilin color will be stronger. This will make the urine dark yellow, or sometimes even a color like honey.

Different colors of pee and what they mean

Clear urine might be a sign of too much hydration

If you drink more water than your body needs, the kidneys know to get rid of the extra water. This makes the urine look clear. In rare situations, if the kidneys can’t filter out extra water, the water stays inside the body and causes the cells and tissues to swell up.

Dark urine might be a sign of dehydration

If you don’t get enough water from drinks or food, you could get dehydrated. Dehydration means that your body doesn’t have enough water to work properly. If you don’t have enough water, you might have small amounts of dark smelly pee. People who are extremely dehydrated might not be able to make pee.

REMEMBER: Drink water when you’re thirsty, especially if you’ve been sweating! Snacking on juicy fruit can help, too.

Pink or red urine might be a sign of blood…or something you ate!

This color could be a warning sign of a problem in your kidneys or bladder. But often times, pink urine can be a totally normal if you ate certain foods. For example, if you ate a lot of beets, blueberries, and rhubarb, these healthy foods can make your urine look rosy.

Urine color experiment for kids

In the hospital, doctors and nurses keep track of how much someone drinks, how much they pee, and the color of their pee.
You can spend a few days keeping track of your eating, drinking, and bathroom habits. Then write down your answers to these questions:

  • What did you drink today? For example: water, milk, juice.
  • How much did you drink? For example: 4 ounces.
  • What time did have each drink?
  • What time did you go to the bathroom?
  • What color was your urine at that time? Check the Urine Color Chart to see what color your urine matches.

Learn more about your amazing body!