Why Are Children Drawn to Bright Colors?
Have you ever wondered why toys, snacks, and other children’s products are packaged in brightly-colored boxes? Designers know that the best way to reach a customer is the package, no matter the industry. It just so happens that children respond positively to packages with bright colors.
Long before kids utter their first word, they use colors to discern objects from one another. They rely on their sight to learn more about the world, which is why they react best to bright colors. Children start discerning colors around the fifth month as their vision is still developing. Since they find it easier to tell apart bright colors, they become drawn to them as they age.
That is why children spend more time looking at bright colors rather than muted ones. But did you know colors can also affect your kids’ behavior and mood? Read on to learn more!
Colors Can Draw Children
Kids are more attracted to bright colors than muted blends and pastel colors. They are most fond of primary colors: red, yellow and blue. They are also drawn to green, purple and orange, but less drawn to beige, gray or light pink. This is the reason why product packages designed for kids always use a combination of the aforementioned colors to draw children to them. The next time you take your kid out shopping and pass by a toy rack, ask them which one they’d like to have. Pay attention to the color of the box.
There’s a Reason in Biology
As previously mentioned, kids prefer bright colors as they are easier to discern with their still-developing sight. They notice these hues much easier than fainter or darker shades as well as neutral colors. Contrasting or bright colors are therefore more likely to capture children’s attention. As they use the colors to make sense of what is what, they find bright colored objects more appealing and stimulating.
Colors Can Affect Their Mood
There have been numerous studies proving that colors can affect people’s mood. With children, this is even more noticeable. Children feel more comfortable and happy in brightly colored red or orange rooms. Red can also help increase appetite and alertness. Cooler hues, on the other hand, have a calming effect, which is what makes them ideal if your child has troubles falling asleep. There are numerous ways you can use colors to affect their mood by painting their bedrooms or classrooms.
Children Use Colors to Recognize Objects
Until they improve their vocabulary, children use colors to discern different objects. That is why they often associate apples with the color red, oranges with the color orange, sun or bananas with yellow, sky with blue, or green with grass. This is also the reason why the names of the colors are among the first words kids learn and often confuse them with the names of the objects at first. You can use this fact to help them learn new words and make playtime educational.
By Thomas Boyd. Image provided by Lara M.
