High-Contrasting Black and White Images for Newborns

Newborn babies start developing their color vision gradually as they grow. At around three months, most babies start seeing colors. But in the first three months, newborn babies could just see black and white, and only focus at around 8-12 inches away from them. So, newborns are not sensitive to colors, but they would love black and white images. Researches have shown that high-contrasting black and white patterns can help babies develop their vision system. They can also encourage cognitive development without overstimulation.

This worksheet provides some simple black and white images of various shapes, such as star, egg, sun, flower, balls. Parents could use these images to calm and entertain newborn babies, as well as to stimulate the development of their vision and brain. You may also cut the sheet into several strips with different patterns.