At Chicago Children’s Museum, one of our favorite things about play is that you really don’t need much to make it happen.
Today’s at home activity shows how a sheet, a lamp, and a flashlight can make for hours of fun—plus fine and gross motor development.
Shadow Play
Benefits: fine and gross motor development, imagination, play
Kids will: get dramatic when they tip a lamp over carefully or position a flashlight towards a wall or bed sheet hung up and cast grand shadows of themselves!
What you’ll need:
Light colored wall, large white paper (try a few taped together), or a sheet
Flashlight or strong light source
How to:
Find or make a space for this dramatic play by finding a blank or light-colored wall, or by taping up white paper or a light-colored sheet.
On the opposite side of the room position a flashlight or a lamp tipped over so that it “spotlights” the area. You can add several flashlights if you want, the goal though is to keep the room dark enough so that the spotlight really shows up.
Now, get in between the wall and the light source and have fun! Dance with your shadow, experiment by standing close to the wall and then compare that shadow to when you stand close to the light source.