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Using Colors and Patterns in Playground Design to Enhance Play and Creativity

Picture an elementary school classroom. The first things that come to mind are probably letters, numbers and bright colors. Young children learn their colors faster when they can easily spot them, but designing their environment with vibrant colors has many other benefits. A brightly colored playground may catch a child’s attention and spark their curiosity.

Colors also help kids associate other aspects of their environment, such as temperature, danger, lighting, food and nature. Colors may impact kids’ learning and behavior more than you might realize. This is why it’s so important to offer colorful, vivid spaces for them to discover.

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Why Does Color Matter in a Child’s Environment?

Kids interact with the world through their senses. Color helps them understand their environment and may even influence their energy levels and how they learn.

1. Stimulates Their Senses

Kids begin to develop and refine their senses during early childhood. This is why many classrooms, playgrounds and other areas of learning entice kids to use their senses to understand the world around them. You’ve likely heard the phrase, “Children’s brains are like sponges,” which is true. When kids enter a new environment, they’re inherently learning basic skills and necessary functions that will help them later in life.

When it comes to color, for example, adults know that red signage, such as depicted in a stop sign or stop light, most often means “stop.” It’s also common knowledge that red usually means “no” while green means “go” or “yes.” While we don’t think twice about this when we see those colors, kids are just learning to make these connections and interpretations. Incorporating subtle colors in posters or sensory playground equipment stimulates children’s senses and helps them learn visual cues.

2. Supports Learning and Education

Colors help kids identify items in their environments. For example, a child might point out a yellow banana, a red slide, a green apple or a blue swing. Learning these colors helps them differentiate between objects and may aid their memorization abilities. After learning their colors, kids might grow to associate blue with the sky, yellow with the sun and green with the grass.

Kids can also learn by using their favorite colors. Parents and teachers can organize scavenger hunts and tell each child to find five items of their favorite color in their environment. This can help kids develop an enjoyment of learning.

Using colored blocks or sticks in the classroom can also make it easier for kids to learn other subjects, like math. Color coding is a popular way of studying, which kids will need to use as they become more independent in their learning.

One study found that color coding can influence cognitive processing in individuals and can even attract a learner’s attention, known as perceptual theory. The study suggests that color coding also helps learners organize concepts in their minds, reduce their overall cognitive load and improve their academic performance.

3. Affects Mood and Emotions

Research shows that color impacts the psychology and emotions of people — children included. Certain colors might make an individual feel happy or calm, while others may attract people to buy a product.

The same type of response may affect kids. For instance, they may feel more excited or interested in learning when they see their favorite colors in the classroom. Kids can also use colors that represent their emotions to express their feelings and communicate with their teachers and loved ones about what they’re experiencing.

Colors are the visual tools that help kids recognize their emotions in a safe and creative way.

4. May Impact Attention and Focus

Color can also potentially affect a child’s ability to concentrate and focus on tasks. One study found that certain colors can stimulate a child’s brain and help them concentrate more effectively. The study noted that cool colors in particular were more effective at improving students’ memorization and concentration than warm colors.

This is because colors have an emotional effect, which may influence a child’s attention and memory retention. It’s important to note that all kids are different. While some colors may activate attention in certain students, others may not have the same effect.

5. May Improve Sleep

In general, brightly colored rooms may be more effective at keeping a child’s energy levels high and helping them stay alert. In comparison, warm lighting and dark colors may entice a child to feel sleepy. Kids learn to associate bright light with the sun or daytime and darker colors with nighttime, which can affect their circadian rhythm.

Brightly colored classroom and playground spaces may help to regulate kids’ circadian rhythms — they feel awake during the day when they’re at school, then feel sleepy at night when their bedrooms are dimly lit. This may contribute to better sleep overall. Better rest will help them feel more energized during the day and prepare them to learn.

How Certain Colors Affect Children

Though every child is unique, they may be generally affected by colors in similar ways.

1. Red

When you first think of red, you might instantly picture red hearts, cherries or strawberries. Red can sometimes convey an excited energy or passion. Red can also make people think of danger or other experiences that have negative connotations.

Though it’s certainly an attention-grabbing color and may help keep kids energized, you may want to use red sparingly in spaces of focus. Red may be better suited to areas of play, such as a playground.

2. Yellow

Images of yellow bring about objects like the sun, sunflowers, and pencils. This color is commonly associated with happiness, wisdom or kindness. Kids may be able to concentrate better in a room with yellow colors as they may feel more cheerful and optimistic.

Of course, too many instances of bright yellow can be distracting, but subtle shades of yellow are generally considered a mood booster. Yellow objects can also be a source of energy that reminds kids of the sunlight.

3. Orange

When you think of the color orange, you probably picture the fruit or goldfish. Like fire itself, this color is associated with warmth. Kids who are exposed to the color orange may feel more social, confident and friendly. Some kids may even feel more extroverted and more awake while learning.

4. Blue

Blue is generally considered a relaxing, calming color. Though the saying “I’m feeling blue” is associated with haziness and sadness, this color can also represent calmness and contentment. Most people associate blue with the color of the sky or the ocean.

Such imagery may help lower a child’s heart rate or anxiety. If a child has a blue-colored bedroom, for instance, they may feel more serene and peaceful compared to a child who has a bright yellow bedroom.

5. Green

Green can be a very grounding and tranquil color due to its close association with nature. If there’s lots of green in a child’s environment, they may feel heightened senses of safety and positivity.

Designing your classroom or playground with green shades that one might find in nature, such as forest green, may have a soothing effect on kids. In the classroom, green can be used to instill motivation and calmness that inspires children to grow and learn.

6. Purple

If you’re looking for a color that brings the energy of red but the stability of blue, purple is your shade. Dark purple shades are often associated with royalty, but lighter purple colors like lavender may produce feelings of calm and wisdom. Because purple is not often found in nature apart from herbs and flowers, it may invoke feelings of creativity and imagination in kids.

7. Pink

Most people assume that pink is strictly a feminine color, but pink can actually be beneficial for all kids. Pink generally conveys feelings of empathy and youthfulness due to many popular children’s toys that primarily use pink. Pink can also make kids feel a sense of happiness and sweetness. Some introverted and shy kids may feel overwhelmed by bright shades of pink, but it may be a comfortable color for others.

8. Black

The color black tends to have a mysterious, negative connotation. This is partly because of phrases like “black sheep.” This leads adults to have not-so-positive feelings about this dark color. Additionally, most villains in the media are dressed in black.

However, black can also emulate feelings of sophistication, elegance and intelligence. Think of a black-tie event, for instance. While being in a very dark room can be scary or overwhelming for kids, subtle uses of black may convey a comforting, protected feeling, like the stripes of a tiger.

9. White

As one of the top neutral colors, white may be used to add a sense of brightness to a space without using a bold color. When you think of white in a classroom, you probably think of a white dry-erase board or white paneled ceilings.

Though white isn’t specifically known for stimulating creativity in kids, it can help balance out a busy or dark-colored room. White may represent a feeling of clarity — like a large blank canvas that kids use to express themselves with color.

10. Brown

Bold and vivid colors are great for attracting children’s attention, but they can sometimes be overwhelming for kids. Using a neutral color like brown can help you stabilize and balance out a bright space.

Though you won’t want to design an entire classroom or playground with the color brown, small touches of it can help kids feel grounded. This earthy, natural color might be perfect for a nature playground theme that helps kids learn about their environment. Brown is also a wonderful complementary color to bolder shades.

How to Use Color in Playground Design

Color plays a key role on the playground. Playgrounds and classrooms are colorful for a reason. Color inspires kids to use their imaginations and get creative. It can also help encourage play and socialization. Colors help set the tone for the type of activity kids will experience.

When it comes to play, the use of color should be rooted in happiness, fun and energy. For instance, a bright yellow slide can instantly draw a child’s attention when they go outside for recess. A light blue swing might be used to help kids feel a sense of peace as they whoosh through the air. Bright colors and fun patterns on a playground may even encourage kids to create their own make-believe stories and games.

Apart from the fun and creativity, colors can also help kids learn spatial awareness. Color-coding playground equipment and amenities can help kids learn directions and instructions. For example, a bright green sign may tell kids where to enter the playground, while a red sign shows them the exit. Green receptacles can also help kids find where to throw out their trash.

Schools might even use colors as a way to inspire school spirit. Designing a custom playground enables you to improve your student’s connection to their learning community. They may feel a greater sense of cohesion on a playground that matches the colors of your school logo or uniforms.

Of course, themed playgrounds also lend a hand to the connection between color and creativity. A themed playground can transform your outdoor space and make it easier for kids to get into a learning state of mind. You might use one of the following themes in your playground:

These real-life examples make it easy for kids to connect to the world around them and improve their color association. Very quickly, they’ll associate red with the color of a fire truck, brown with a log found in nature or gray with the castle’s stones.

Contact Miracle Recreation to Design Your Colorful, Bold Playground

Color impacts us in many ways and can influence how we feel in any given space. Kids soak in everything around them. It’s important to design their environment with various colors so they develop a better understanding of their emotions and new concepts. At Miracle Recreation, we know play and creativity go hand in hand.

We design and install colorful playgrounds for communities to promote imagination and learning. It’s our goal to put the thrill back in play for kids of all ages. From themed playgrounds to sensory playground equipment, we can meet your playground needs while fitting your budget.

Contact your local Miracle Recreation representative to request a quote for your colorful, inviting playground today.