BUILDINGS, MAINTENANCE & REFURBISHMENT Nurturing learning through colour
Y
ou’ve probably noticed that colour influences your mood, but have you stopped and
considered how you can use colour to enhance learning and influence mood in the classroom or other educational environments? The colours you choose to use in your classroom or centre can actually have a major impact on children’s mood and how children learn and absorb information. For example, using yellow in your classroom will encourage children to be creative and will also help you maintain their attention. Infants only see black and white when they are
born, so providing bright colors in their environment will help their brains learn to recognize colour. Wrapping red fabric around bottles or placing red placemats under children’s plates will help even the pickiest of eaters get the nutrition they need. Using crib linens and flooring designs in cool colors (blue, green, purple) can calm children and help them rest better. There are also several ideas you can implement
for pre-school children. Wearing a yellow or off- white apron or smock when you present information to children can help maintain their
attention. In areas where children need to be attentive such as classroom floor surfaces and furniture, try placing a yellow placemat, a yellow vase of flowers, a picture of yellow flowers, a yellow folder, or a yellow pencil case to help them pay attention. Using calming colours (different shades of blue, beige, and green) in quiet areas can calm children and help them feel relaxed. You can teach school age children about how
colour affects their moods, appetites, behaviour, and learning by asking questions about how they feel around certain colours and whether they agree with research findings about the impact of colour. Some institutions create breakout flooring
schemes using multiple colours to provide a difference in space and visual impact. Include a discussion about colour-related
phrases (e.g., feeling blue, seeing red, true blue, having a green thumb) in your lesson plans. Ask children if the phrases and their meanings match their experiences with colour. Make an effort to display art from different artists in your classroom. The artwork you choose can lead to discussions
about why the artists chose certain colours and how they used colours to create emotional reactions to their work. For Small or Large Groups, hang crepe paper
streamers to influence the moods in certain areas. For example, dark-coloured streamers in a reading area would help children relax and focus on what they are reading. Use reds and yellows in areas where you would like to encourage creativity (e.g., art learning centre, dramatic play learning centre, writing area/learning centre). Consider the effects of colour when planning
family engagement events or other classroom activities. Bright flooring schemes may overstimulate children if they are already excited so consider calming or neutral floors.
uFor more information about colour and how to design flooring schemes for different moods - please visit
https://www.paragon-carpets.co.uk/wp- content/uploads/ Education_Magazine.pdf
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www.education-today.co.uk December 2018
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