When designing usable outdoor areas, it’s important to consider who will be interacting with the space. When looking at canopies for young children, it can be easy to become swept up in a world of building safety and usability. However, you should also consider use of colour, which can have long-lasting impacts on children.
Why Do Colours Impact Young Children?
It‘s not an accident that the many colours of the rainbow inspire most children’s toys. In fact, many studies have proved that a strong link lies between different colours and development. Colours can stimulate varying parts of the brain, leading a young learner through an exciting journey of discovery.
As young children are still developing cognitive understanding responses, they have a slightly delayed reception time when greeted with new colours compared to adults. This means that colours can have much more impact on kids and should be used strategically to support healthy development.
In What Ways Can Colours Affect Young Children?
Colours can influence moods and behaviours with different tones, causing varying results. It should also be noted that bright and calm colours have contrasting impacts. Brain development and physical progression can be improved when considering the impact all colours can have on young children.
Below are a few examples of different colours and how they psychologically impact little ones:
Blue: The colour blue has a calming effect on the minds of little ones, leading to lower blood pressure and reduced feelings of anxiety. It is also seen as a colour representing authority, which is why it is commonly associated with school materials such as pens and notepads.
Red and Orange: Red and orange are bold and confident colours that are said to unlock energy and excitement within children as well as high levels of stimulation. The shades should be used sparingly as it is also commonly associated with warnings or danger. This means that integrating it into playtime could result in the significance of other messages being lost.
Green: Another colour known for having calming qualities is green. Due to the association with the great outdoors, it also has concentration-boosting qualities that can help young children feel safe and protected.
Pink & Purple: Two colours known for unlocking creativity and enhancing well-being in young children are pink and purple. With both having the power to unlock imaginations, cognitive development is often associated with the hues. Other emotions that can be unlocked in young children when faced with pinks and purples are compassion, caring, energy, and kindness.
Yellow: Yellow is a colour that can unlock joy and happiness in people of all ages. The bright hues are particularly effective in young children who associate the colour with positivity. It can be used for both creative activity and to calm, depending on the shade, making it one of the most versatile colours.
Do Black and White Shades Impact Young Children?
Two colours that don’t have as much impact on young children are black and white.
Although white is a shade loved by both adults for its fresh and calming connotations, it doesn’t have any impact on the cognitive functions of young children. Black has a bit more of an impact and can be said to calm and neutralise emotions. However, when used excessively, it can be associated with danger, which can negatively affect childrens' minds.
How Can You Create An Engaging Outdoor Environment For Kids?
If you want to maximise the impact of colours on young children, it's a brilliant idea to add them into play spaces. For young ones, even playtime offers a chance to develop skills and abilities, which means areas must always be engaging.
Our shade sails provide a fantastic way to add colour to outdoor areas, as any hue can be chosen. You can tailor a space depending on the impact you want it to have by switching up the sails and how they are installed. We use durable waterproof tensile fabric, which is available in almost any colour you could imagine. As well as creating a visually engaging space, these canopies offer weather protection to ensure outdoor play areas can be used for most of the year.
Another possibility to consider is installing a canopy with coloured roof panels. This enables you to create a rainbow effect in the playground, helping to visually stimulate and engage your pupils.
To learn more about creating a space ideal for young children, contact our team.
