Color Design in the Physical Learning Environment Influences Preschool Children’s Cognitive Development

There is a growing recognition of the significant role played by the early childhood education environment in the development of young children. Nowadays, preschools have become the primary learning and practice settings for most children, surpassing the influence of the home environment. The preschool environment helps to promote young children’s development by providing opportunities for exploration, reflection, experimentation, interaction, and learning. Theories of human development present the relationship between children’s cognitive development and the physically designed learning environment through many theories, paradigms, models, and ideologies (Bronfenbrenner, 1974; Piaget, 1951). There were some studies and research about how the physical environment influences children’s behavior and development; however, most of the prior research highlights architectural elements or landscape designs. That is the reason why this study was generated from a question about the influences of the interior design of the physical learning environment on the conscious development of children. From that point of view, the primary aim of this paper is to extend interior design concepts to preschool children’s development. An optimal interior design of the learning environment could flourish children’s creativity, intelligence, and language development. The current study on color design is presented. Document analysis is the primary method of this study. The interior design of the physical learning space will be analyzed and summarized to elaborate on the color design selected by interior designers or architects as well as their influences on children’s cognition. The outcome of this research is to formulate optimal color palettes for the interior design of preschool physical learning spaces. Color is the essential design element in the physical learning space impacting children’s cognition. These findings may help childcare center interior designers, architects, teachers, and administrators to select productive design projects.