kids paint
psychology
Color can have a pretty strong affect on the way we feel when we enter a room or space.
Certain shades of colors can immediately affect some people more than others, it can give off an immediate relaxation feeling, or a cold and lonely feeling and even more. This all comes down to color theory and I do honestly think the context of that space plays into this theory. But today I am mainly speaking about color theory. I will have to write another blog talking to you about context alone. People and children perceive color differently and it plays a toll on our psychology as well.
There is a lot of research on how paint color impacts mood, such as warm shades like red and yellow can give energy and joy feelings. Whereas the cool colors are linked to feelings of relaxation and calmness. This is where the psychology of color comes into play.
{Scientific studies demonstrate that colours affect the brain and the entire central nervous system as well. When color is transmitted from the eye to the brain, this one releases a hormone affecting the emotions, mind clarity and energy levels. }This is from an article written on Hape.com
{Color is part of the electromagnetic spectrum, and in its very purest form, it actually represents energy – a wavelength that has its own magnetic frequency. As such, colors can affect neurological pathways in the brain and create a biochemical response. Every color has a wavelength, and each of these affect both the body and the brain in different ways.}
{Some theorists have argued that an environment rich in orange increases oxygen supply to the brain, stimulating mental activity. This is good if children need to be energized, but care is needed if kids are energetic already}
this is from an awesome article from... https://smartkidschildcare.com/how-colors-affect-the-brain-and-learning/
I chose these two points of reference because to me they are key into my story to you today.
Color is so much more than what we just slap on the walls, it has a function, and can help our brainwaves in many other ways. How many of you have kids who attend schools or churches with bright orange walls in a few places? It helps them learn, in this article it also talks about the people in high cognitive load are most productive in a blue environment.
Okay story time...
As a single mom most of my energy since the moment I was pregnant till even now, has been spent on doing what's best for my son, reading books on brain development, learning skills, creating a faith based heart in him. Even studying what foods to eliminate because when we got the terrible two stage, I refused to let this stage beat me. (bet all the moms laughed at that one) We put so much energy into our kids why don't we put that much energy and thought into their bedroom paint color and the space itself?
I recently helped a client choose paint for their child's room. Spoke to their almost 13 year old about certain colors she liked or might want in her room, and she wanted dark grey everywhere.
After talking to the child's parents a bit more about the overall color choices of the home and hearing more about the family dynamics and how they lived and functioned in the home together. A comment stuck out to me about their child……”She has horrible anxiety.”
My thoughts were.. ”OH NO, anxiety and dark colors in her room are not a good combination.” Our paint palette had to change for her room, but I still wanted to give her what she wanted without increasing the anxiety she deals with.
Grays can be a gorgeous color and used in moderation we were able to still give her the dark gray she wanted. How? Sparingly!!
All children are different, what I did with my son might not work for my nephews or a friend's daughter. This is where we would use the psychology and understanding of that specific child to create a space specifically for them.
Don't let this overwhelm you, we already know our kids better than anyone else right? It is just sitting down and thinking of their needs, how they act and react in certain places or with certain colors in a space and then creating a safe and happy room for them to come home to everyday and unwind.
Dark gray on the door, a white that had a hint of gray to it on all the walls and a dark rose gold color as an accent on her window wall.
With her existing dark furniture and light color bedding, I chose white window curtains to add some more lightness to her space. She still received the colors she wanted but in moderation and we were able to bring in some light colors to help with the anxiety as well.
Time for my story now...
My son who is almost 4 now is very energetic, as a toddler should be right? He enjoys his books and of course his toys, when he would come home from daycare he was just everywhere, and he could not sit still. He would pull out all the toys and the books, and I mean all of them all at once piled up, but would not really play with them, he just sorta created chaos in his room that every parent would just cringe seeing. When I started thinking about painting his room, I of course started thinking about the psychology behind my choice and of course something he would love in the end.
Because my son is an energetic child and is more aware of his feelings and aware of other people's feelings i'd say, I knew for him I would need a cool color instead of warm tones, I could not use a dark color because of the furniture size and size of the room. I also took into consideration that if I chose say a lighter green it could increase his appetite, which we know at this age SNACKS ARE LIFE. I of course stayed away from feminine like colors, pinks, purples and I went towards the blues. Primary colors are solid choices for a child's cerebral development, and looking at the different shades of blue, I know with this space a lighter shade of blue could have a nursery feel to it, and I would need to repaint in a few years. If I went with a blue that had too much gray undertone to it, it might affect him in the long run because he is more attuned with his feelings at this age. I chose a dark bold navy blue color as an accent on one wall in this space, it gave him the cool undertones he would need, the dark color is a solid choice for him at any age and because I used it minimally it did not shrink the size of the room at all, I used the same blue on the window treatments to give some color depth to the surrounding walls since I went with a white paint everywhere else.
White is probably not my go to color typically for a kids room if I am being totally honest. It is bright and lacking in color for a child. But, it turned out to be a great option for his particular room size and context of the space, and great contrast to the navy blue accent wall.
As we brightened up the room by getting rid of the beige warm tones on the walls and the red curtains I decided to think about the context of the space and not only the wall paint. My son and I went through his toys and we organized and decluttered. I had read that children that have a hard time focusing like my son was doing with toys or books, was because they were overstimulated. So, we gave some away and only kept the main toys he played with and the learning toys. Following the LESS IS MORE idea here, I know it sounds a bit cruel for a child to get rid of their toys but I will tell you this, my son still get his toys out and makes a mess, but it is minimal and he cleans up more on his own and has certain spaces for his toys “centers” as he calls it. He now has organized chaos.
When the room was finished, his attention span was so different, he would sit down on his own and read a book, pull out just the dinosaurs, instead of dumping everything out all at once. He has his own creative and relaxing atmosphere and to me I call this a mommy WIN. I have a photo of his room here below, also if you want to see how i created his hero corner in his wall see my DIY page.
before paint color...
painting with my little helper
After
