Why you should ditch the bright display backing paper
Many think the early years should be full of lots of wonderful display boards, filled with children’s art work. Although true, display boards are becoming a hotly debated topic with more and more suggested ideas for best practice. Settings are choosing to limit the number of display boards they have as it is being seen as a waste of practitioners time as practitioners feel obliged to fill these ensuring every child has artwork displayed for example a sticking picture of a cut out butterfly. Although these make the room appealing to adults it is believed by some that these have little or no benefit for the children. Instead many settings are now choosing to have ‘wow’ boards where the children can choose which work they would like displayed and often can add their own pieces. These are thought to be much more beneficial as it enables the children to display the work they are truly proud of and have created of their accord.
Whether you have a room full of displays or a limited number of displays all too often practitioners are backing these boards with brightly coloured backing paper and bright display borders. This is something which is now thought to be bad practice and can hinder children’s development. Instead settings are opting to use hessian, burlap or brown paper as backing paper for display boards.
Why should neutral backing materials be used for displays?
There are many reasons that practitioners are now using materials such as hessian/ burlap for display boards. The reasons include:
· Less distraction – The bright colours on display backing can be a huge distraction for the children and the focus on this instead of the lovely work displayed
· Makes children’s own work stand out – If a neutral colour is displayed behind the children’s own work really stands out and the children are better able to identify what is on there and which one belongs to them
· Communication friendly – It helps the whole learning environment become a more communication-friendly place.
· Inclusive – This can have a very positive impact on children with additional needs and therefore makes your setting a more inclusive environment
· Calming – This creates a more calming environment for children to learn, discover and play in. Too many bright colours and hanging displays can cause too much stimulation and children find it harder to focus
· Durable – If you use hessian or burlap it is a very durable material meaning the backing rarely needs changing. This is great for practitioners and children as less time is spent on the display boards and more meaningful activities and play can take place.
What are peoples views on this topic?