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Using Color In Childcare

Child care centres often serve as a kind of second home for young children. Daycare is where many children participate in day to day activities like playing, napping and learning. Through color, you can make each room of your child care facility an inviting space where children can get the most out of their time spent with you. 

Rooms for Learning

Yellow is a great classroom color because it promotes a positive attitude while stimulating the brain. Yellow is often associated with happiness and a joyful attitude, so it can really help kids love learning. 

Orange is another good choice for a room where kids will be learning. Orange is another positive color with a stimulating effect. It is bright like yellow but not as overpowering as red, which can be too intense for young children. 

Places for Play

Decorate a play area with a variety of bright, contrasting colors. Too many colors in a classroom environment can confuse the brain and make it hard for kids to focus, but a rainbow of colors in a play area brings out the natural creativity in children. 

Try to use simple, basic colors in a play area. The major colors in a small pack of crayons are a good place to start. 

Be sure that toys and play equipment is bright and cheerful, and use red in spaces where you are encouraging running and other physical play. 

Brightly colored murals are excellent for play areas, especially outdoors. Have children use bright reds, yellows, greens and oranges to paint on outdoor walls that serve as part of a playground. This will not only personalize the play space but will showcase creative colors and encourage kids to play. 

Nap Time Areas

Choose calming colors in spaces that are going to be used for napping or resting time. Any shade of blue is helpful for soothing a tired child. The Huffington Post suggests blues to calm and decrease stress. Choose shades of blue that blend into each other rather than contrast. Mix shades of soft green with a blue background to create the perfect nap time environment. 

Brown is a good color for cots or blankets because it creates a sense of security that will allow kids to relax and unwind. 

Dining Spaces

While kids are in child care, they will typically eat a snack and may have one or more meals. You can use color in your dining area to encourage kids to eat. Bright colors, especially red, stimulate the appetite. However, red can also cause little ones with high energy to be even more restless. You can tone down a red by choosing a shade with plenty of orange. 

Purple is also a great color in a space where kids are eating. Purple combines the relaxing qualities of blue with the stimulation of red so children are hungry but are also comfortable and calm while enjoying their food. 

Use bright green to compliment your dining space. Green tables, utensils or wall art give a sense of the great outdoors and promote an appetite for fresh fruits and vegetables. 

Neutrals and grays are not good for dining areas and can actually decrease the desire to eat. Decorate neutral walls with brightly colored pictures of food and stimulating art work. 

Color is more important than most people realize, and being surrounded by the right colors can make a big difference in mood, attitude and lifestyle. Children are no exception to this, and a smart educator or child care professional will use color in setting up an environment that helps children succeed each day. From the calm, soothing space where babies sleep to the exciting outdoor play area, color can play a key role in educating and nurturing kids. 


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