By Adam Marycz – Early Childhood Educationalist at TTS Resources Learning through
When building an inspiring, purposeful space for play and exploration, every element makes a difference. The furniture, the layout, the resources, and even your team all contribute to the environment. But the impact of lighting can often be underestimated.
Light does more than just help children see. It has the power to support concentration, regulate wellbeing and emotions, and make scientific concepts more interactive, all while contributing to the overall atmosphere of a space.
Humans have always had an instinctive fascination with light. It forms part of our natural survival instincts, and it starts from an early age. This is one of the many reasons why introducing resources which emit different types of light can be so impactful on a child’s learning and development.
What the research tells us
The concept of attention capture demonstrates clearly why we are drawn to bright lights and colours. Dr Gemma Goldenberg and Professor Sam Wass explain that the brain networks involved in attention capture are among the earliest to develop. Children are more sensitive to light than adults, and the contrast between an object and its background increases the likelihood of attention being captured. This added sensitivity makes it easier for young children to follow and fixate on objects. Babies are completely driven by attention capture, which is one reason why so many toys for babies focus on lights, colours and movements. Even at 20 years old, our attention control abilities that help us choose what to focus on and resist other distractions aren’t fully developed – which shows the power light can have.
Balancing the sensory stimulation is also key. What feels like the optimum light level for focus to one child might be overstimulating or uninteresting to another. It’s up to us to create spaces that meet this challenge, so each child can find their own ‘Goldilocks zone’ for attention.
16 For more ideas and inspiration visit
ypo.co.uk/littlelearners
Adam
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