A baby's first year of life is a crucial period for development and learning. Babies have difficulty distinguishing between different tones and shades. In their first few months of life they see mostly in shades of grey. High-contrasting colours, particularly black and white, are a simple and effective way to stimulate babies' senses and help develop neural connections in their brains.
Black-and-white pictures provide the highest possible contrast, while distinct regular patterns present the highest contrast to the eye and gain babies' attention. They are attracted to these colour combinations and geometric designs, and exposure can hold their interest and help them to focus by stimulating the neural connections associated with vision.
Spaces rich in high-quality displays are necessary to promote visual development. High-contrast areas can captivate and hold baby's attention, encouraging visual development as well as physical movements.
Monochrome resources
- Monochrome resources and images are ideal for creating a high-contrast area, so look out for everyday objects in contrasting colours that will encourage babies to explore.
- You could use black-and-white wallpaper or wrapping paper to create bold pictures that will catch babies' gaze.
- Use flowing materials, such as voiles, suspended from the ceiling to really define the space.
- Textured materials will also add to the area and give babies a cosy and multi-sensory space to discover.
- Geometric designs in black and white are downloadable from www.righto.com. Just look for the link for patterns.
Adult role
- Start to collect resources in high contrasting colours; white and black are ideal. Involve parents in the process.
- Designate an area to set up the resources. Consider it from the baby's perspective. What will they see if they are lying on their back, sitting up, crawling or standing?
- Involve babies in making giant black-and-white paintings that can be used as a backdrop to the area.
- Observe the babies as they explore the area and resources. What catches their attention? How do you know? What do you look for?
- It is vital that practitioners involve themselves with babies as they explore together the high-contrast experiences.
- Allow babies plenty of time to investigate the world around them.
- Notice how babies are feeling as they explore, and respond when they are ready to move on to another activity such as sleeping, going outside or having a drink.
- Use busy patterns and strong colours in appropriate spaces. It is important not to overstimulate the senses all the time.
- Set up your areas and extend them in line with babies' interests, learning and development, but take down old resources before you put up new ones.
In practice
Northamptonshire practitioners who used high contrasting colours in an area of their setting were amazed at the effect it had on the babies.
One setting used the idea to create a stimulating nappy changing area. They displayed laminated geometric images on the walls and made mobiles from the same designs, which were hung above the changing unit. Another setting laminated black-and-white photographs of babies' faces and put these on the walls at baby eye level.
Everyone noticed how interested and alert the babies were when looking at the visually striking images. Staff observed that babies were drawn to the bold display and would reach out towards the images.
Claire Stevenson is an early years birth-to-three adviser, Donna Luck is an early years Foundation Stage adviser and Veronica Lawrence is a specialist senior educational psychologist (early years), all working for Northamptonshire county council
LINKS TO EYFS
- UC 1.1 Child Development
- PR 2.3 Supporting Learning
- EE 3.3 The Learning Environment
- L&D 4.1 Play and Exploration
'MY FAMILY' PHOTO BOX
Babies just love to look at faces. Research has shown they are naturally drawn towards human faces. 'A baby just a few minutes old, if content and alert, will gaze intently at the face of another person, watching them seriously' (Murray& Andrews (2000) from The Social Baby, p19).
Having positive images around them of the special people in their lives is crucial for a child's healthy development. Family photo boxes provide practitioners with a simple way to engage parents and find out about who plays an important role in each baby's life.
Photo boxes
Photo boxes can be made for individual babies. This is an easy way of bringing together home and setting life for the baby. A 'My Family' photo box that belongs to that baby can also help families recognise that they are valued by people working in the setting.
'My Family' photo boxes allow practitioners and family members to talk with each other about the baby's life. Start by collecting empty boxes - these could range from a tissue box to a shoe box. Cardboard tubes or metal tins are equally effective.
Encourage parents to bring in photographs of significant people, events and objects in their baby's life, such as images of siblings, parents, grandparents, a favourite blanket or pets - in fact, anyone or anything the baby has a special bond with.
Stick the photographs to the box until the surface is covered. Use sticky-back plastic to protect the photos and hold them securely in place. You may like to add rice or pasta to the boxes to ensure they are securely sealed. This will make an interesting noise as they are handled by baby.
Adult role
- Involve parents in contributing photographs for their baby's family photo box and explain to them the benefits it will have for their baby.
- Make time for babies to snuggle in with you and talk with babies about the important people and objects in their lives.
- Keep the family photo boxes where babies can easily see and reach them.
- Note how each baby responds as you share their family photo box with them. What do you notice about their physical responses such as facial expressions?
In practice
Practitioners who made family photo boxes during the Northamptonshire Baby Room Project have seen for themselves how they can be used in a positive way to support emotional development.
They are very cheap and easy to resource and so effective that all the babies in many of the settings have had a family photo box made for them.
Practitioners felt this was an excellent way to engage parents and gained knowledge that enabled them to respond sensitively to individual families. The babies responded so well that some practitioners developed touch boxes and tins using textured materials and photographs.
MORE INFORMATION
- Gerhardt, S, 2007, Why Love Matters: How affection shapes a baby's brain. Routledge.
- Sunderland, M, 2006, The Science of Parenting. Dorling Kindersley.
- The Wonder Year: First Year Development and Shaping the Brain (2008) Siren Films
- Murray & Andrews (2000) The Social Baby. Surrey: CP Publishing.
- Forbes, R (2004) Beginning to Play. Berkshire: Open University Press.
- Robinson, M (2003) From Birth to One - The Year of Opportunity. Buckingham: Open University Press.
