100 Ways for Kids to Play & Learn with Light

My kids have always enjoyed light table activities and mirror play. And I'm pretty sure every kid on the planet enjoys playing with a flashlight!

There's just something appealing about light play for kids.

So to get you inspired to explore light and reflections with your own children (or class if you're a teacher!), I have put together this impressive list of 100 light table activities, natural light activities, and mirror play ideas for kids.

Back in late 2013, I joined forces with some other bloggers to create the Light & Reflections series. A collection of ways for kids to play and learn with light and reflections, this series continued until the end of 2015. A couple of new bloggers were added along the way to bring you even more amazing light play ideas for kids. In fact, we brought you exactly 100 amazing ways for kids to play and learn with light over the course of the series.

To make it easier to browse, I have arranged these 100 light play ideas for kids into common themes and seasons, including holidays like Christmas, topics like science, and units like all about me.

Literacy Light Play Ideas for Kids: Alphabet, Nursery Rhymes, & Fairy Tales

Whether you want to work on identifying letters, spelling your name, or exploring themes like nursery rhymes or fairy tales, these literacy based light play ideas are loads of fun!

1. Humpty Dumpty Light Table Play (pictured)
2. 10 in a Bed Silhouettes Nursery Rhymes from Frog in a Pocket
3. Itsy Bitsy Spider Window Activity (pictured) from Where Imagination Grows
4. Nursery Rhyme Retelling Slides on the Light Table from Still Playing School
5. Fairy Tale Sentence Building with Free Printable
6. Jack & the Beanstalk Window Retelling from Still Playing School
7. Fairy Tales Crown Math Game from Where Imagination Grows
8. Fairy Castles on the Light Table (pictured) from Frog in a Pocket
9. Alphabet Sorting on the Light Table
10. Helping Kids Learn Their Name with Personalized Suncatchers from Happily Ever Mom
11. Mirror Literacy: Exploring Symmetry in Letters from Still Playing School
12. Light Table Letter Search from Where Imagination Grows
13. Tracing Letters on Mirrors
14. Flashlight Alphabet Game (pictured) from Happily Ever Mom
15. Geoboard Letters on the Light Table from Where Imagination Grows

Art Light Play Ideas for Kids

Get ready to create some beautiful arts and crafts that take advantage of natural light, such as our suncatcher ideas, or try creating some process art on the light table.

1. Play Dough Window Art (pictured)
2. DIY Glowing Scratch Art Paper (pictured) from Still Playing School
3. Painting with Light (pictured) from Frog in a Pocket
4. Chalk Art on the Light Table (pictured) from Where Imagination Grows
5. Abstract Window Art (pictured)
6. No Mess Painting on the Light Table from Happily Ever Mom
7. Sand Art on the Light Table (pictured) from Still Playing School
8. Glue Art on the Light Table from Where Imagination Grows
9. Washi Tape Art on the Light Table
10. Melted Pony Bead & Tissue Paper Suncatcher (pictured) from Happily Ever Mom
11. Ladybug Suncatcher from Happily Ever Mom
12. Light Table Nature Mosaics with Loose Parts from Where Imagination Grows

Math Light Play Ideas for Kids

From counting to fractions, kids of all ages will love learning about math with these epic light play ideas.

1. Learning to Tell Time on the Light Table
2. Hundred Chart Patterns on the Light Table from Still Playing School
3. Train Your Brain Number Trails from Frog in a Pocket
4. DIY Jumbo Math Dice for Light Table Play
5. Shape Puzzles: Early Learning on the Light Table from Happily Ever Mom
6. Introducing Fractions on the Light Table from Still Playing School
7. Snowball Counters: Counting Circles on the Light Table from Where Imagination Grows
8. Giant Window Calculator from Still Playing School

Science & STEM Light Play Ideas for Kids

You can use light and mirrors to explore all sorts of scientific concepts. From simple engineering activities to science experiements, these STEM light play ideas are brilliant and fun!

1. Scoop & Pour Serving Practice on the Light Table (pictured) from Still Playing School
2. Sink or Float Science on the Light Table from Where Imagination Grows
3. Experimenting with Ice, Colored Water, & Salt on the Light Table from Happily Ever Mom
4. Bubbling Color Mixing on the Light Table from Where Imagination Grows
5. Oil & Water Experiment on the Light Table from Still Playing School
6. Animal Science with X-Rays on the Light Table from Where Imagination Grows
7. Experimenting with Light from Frog in a Pocket
8. Building 3D Shapes on Windows
9. Building with Straws on the Light Table from Happily Ever Mom
10. Fairy Land: Building with Recycled Materials on the Light Table from Still Playing School
11. Exploring Symmetry: Building with Rainbow Blocks on a Mirror from Where Imagination Grows

All About Me Themed Light Play Ideas for Kids

If you're looking to add some ideas to your all about me theme in preschool or kindergarten, then you'll certainly want to try these unique light play ideas!

1. Body Tracing Self-Portrait Mirror Drawings
2. All About Me Baby Play Station from Happily Ever Mom
3. All About My Feelings: Identifying Emotions with Self-Portraits from Still Playing School
4. Photo Puzzles on the Light Table from Where Imagination Grows
5. Reggio Mirror Self-Portraits from Racheous

Under the Sea Themed Light Play Ideas for Kids

Maybe you're planning an under the sea theme for preschool or kindergarten? Well, if you are, then you'll certainly want to check out these ideas. Or hello, shark week! That shark suncatcher will be a perfect collaborative project for that occasion!

1. Giant Shark Suncatcher Craft
2. Fish Color Matching on the Light Table from Still Playing School
3. Under the Sea Small World on the Light Table from Where Imagination Grows

Transportation Themed Light Play Ideas for Kids

Keep these ideas in mind if you are planning a transportation theme for preschool or kindergarten.

1. Traffic Light Suncatcher Craft & Light Table Play
2. Airplane Color Sorting on the Light Table from Still Playing School
3. Busy City on the Light Table from Frog in a Pocket
4. Window Race Track from Happily Ever Mom

Fine Motor Skills & Practical Life Themed Light Play Ideas for Kids

Need to target fine motor skills? Here are some fun ways to target them on the light table.

1. Teaching Kids How to Set the Table on the Light Table
2. DIY Photo Lace Cards for Building Fine Motor Skills from Happily Ever Mom
3. Weaving with Straws on the Light Table from Where Imagination Grows

Music Themed Light Play Ideas for Kids

Want to get a bit musical with your light play? These ideas will certainly get the kids moving and exploring!

1. Homemade Glowing Floor Piano
2. Glow-in-the-Dark Egg Shakers from Happily Ever Mom
3. Musical Water Experiments on the Light Table from Still Playing School

Gross Motor Light Play Ideas for Kids

Need the kids to burn some energy? Try these fun light play ideas that will get the kids moving.

1. Ball in a Box Gross Motor Boredom Buster
2. Mimicking Movement with Mirrors from Where Imagination Grows

Pretend Play Light Play Ideas for Kids

Inspire hours of imaginative play with these wonderful light play ideas for kids.

1. Frog Pond Small World on the Light Table
2. Pony Bead Puppets on the Light Table from Happily Ever Mom
3. DIY Shadow Puppets from Where Imagination Grows
4. Vet Office Pretend Play from Still Playing School

Sensory Themed Light Play Ideas for Kids

Want some tactile sensory input? These ideas combine tactile with light for some really unique and fun sensory experiences!

1. Animal Prints Sensory Mirror Process Art
2. Black Light Play: Shaving Cream That Glows from Where Imagination Grows

Spring & Easter Themed Light Play Ideas for Kids

If you're looking for seasonal light play ideas for spring and Easter, you'll certainly want to give these ideas a try!

1. Flower Mandalas on the Light Table with Free Printable (pictured)
2. Sticky Window Flower Garden (pictured) from Still Playing School
3. Mosaic Flower Art Window Collage from Where Imagination Grows
4. Sticky Flowers on the Light Table (pictured) from Happily Ever Mom
5. Spring Mirror Drawings
6. Touch & Feel Spring Suncatchers from Happily Ever Mom
7. Easter Eggs on the Light Table from Still Playing School
8. Spring Light Table Sensory Bin from Where Imagination Grows

Fall & Halloween Themed Light Play Ideas for Kids

From pumpkins to Halloween, these fall and autumn inspired light play ideas are sure to please the kiddos!

1. Pumpkin Addition on the Light Table
2. Pumpkin Patch Small World on the Light Table from Where Imagination Grows
3. Fall Tic Tac Toe on the Light Table
4. Counting & Adding Acorns on the Light Table from Where Imagination Grows
5. Autumn Lanterns from Frog in a Pocket
6. Halloween Sensory Play on the Light Table
7. Five Little Pumpkins on the Light Table from Still Playing School
8. Halloween ABC Learning on the Light Table from Where Imagination Grows

Winter & Christmas Themed Light Play Ideas for Kids

From snowflakes and Christmas trees, here are some wonderul ways to celebrate the winter season through light play.

1. Winter Math Tray on the Light Table
2. Winter Mirror Box Play from Still Playing School
3. Igloo Craft & Arctic Small World on the Light Table from Where Imagination Grows
4. Christmas Science on the Light Table
5. Retelling "The Mitten" on the Light Table from Still Playing School
6. Arctic Animal Small World on the Light Table from Where Imagination Grows
7. Christmas Tree Activity from Happily Ever Mom
8. Tracing Christmas Shapes on the Light Table
9. Stackable Egg Carton Snowmen on the Light Table from Happily Ever Mom
10. Christmas Tree & Snowmen Light Table Play from Where Imagination Grows
11. Exploring Symmetry with Snowflakes in a DIY Mirror Box
12. Christmas Counting Puzzles on the Light Table from Where Imagination Grows

Easter Bunny Sensory Bin

If you're looking for Easter sensory bin ideas for toddlers, then give this bunny sensory bin a try!

---

For my four year old, the most engaging sensory bin ideas for him have always been ones with kinetic sand or ones with water. So when I picked up a package of foam bunny shapes from the dollar store, it was a no-brainer for me to pair them with some water.

This super simple Easter bunny sensory bin for kids is a great way to explore the colors and shapes of Easter while working on fine motor skills and patterning.

Bunny Sensory Bin & Water Play Idea for Toddlers

This Easter bunny sensory bin idea is so easy to put together because all you need is:

• Water

• Foam bunny shapes

Simply toss the foam bunnies into a large bin of water and let the kids play!

Playing with the Easter Bunny Sensory Box

I purposely set up this sensory bin by the large mirrored doors in our dining room because I wanted to encourage four year old K to explore sticking the foam shapes to the mirrors (when wet, foam sticks to pretty much anything!). You could also use a large window though. Obviously, this is optional though.

Sticking the shapes to the mirror is great for fine motor development, but it also allows for the exploration of mathematical concepts such as patterning. I created a pattern with the bunnies on the mirror and then K repeated it like you can see below. Then as he removed the bunnies, he counted them.

And that's it! A super easy bunny sensory bin for Easter!

Other Ideas You'll Love

Wobbly Easter Egg Activities

Free Easter Bunny I Spy Game

Easter Sensory Bin with Water Beads

Loose Parts Snowman Activity for Preschool

Looking for a snowman activity for preschool? Try this super simple invitation to play using loose parts and a mirror.

---

We love to build snowmen in the winter, but sometimes it's simply just too cold to go outside. The last few weeks, for instance, have been like -30 to -50 C! Brr.

So sometimes we have to get a bit creative when it comes to building a snowman.

I thought it'd be fun to make little snowmen indoors using some loose parts and a mirror.

This loose parts snowman activity for preschool is a great way to work on body parts, creativity, fine motor skills, counting, imagination, and so much more!

A version of this post originally appeared on the CBC Parents website.

What You'll Need for this Snowman Activity for Preschool

This little winter loose parts activity doesn't take much time to set up as you just have to create the basic snowman shape and set out the materials. Here's what we used:

• Small mirror - I found these at the dollar store.

• Dry erase marker(s) - To draw the outline of the snowman and to add details to the snowman.

• Buttons - Any size, shape, or color will work.

• Foam snowflakes in various colors and sizes - To help decorate the finished scene.

• Other possible loose parts you might want to consider including: small twigs, cotton balls, or googly eyes

To set up this activity, I drew a snowman body on the mirror using the dry erase marker and set out a wooden tray nearby with the foam snowflakes and buttons. The invitation to play looked like so:

Time to Create a Loose Parts Snowman!

I set out this activity for my oldest son, J, while my youngest son was taking a nap and I was curious how he would use the different materials to create a snowman.

The first thing he decided to add were some arms. While he drew them using the dry erase marker, I do think it would have been really fun to include some little twigs for this part.

Next, he used the buttons to decorate the upper body and to create eyes and a mouth. How colorful!

Then J declared that, "It needs a carrot nose!" All snowmen need carrot noses, right? So, he drew a big, fat carrot nose.

Since we're creating a snowman, it makes sense to add some snow details. For instance, he drew a line to show the ground on which the snowman sits upon. Then he added some falling snowflakes to the sky and to the ground. Here's how it turned out:

Afterwards, J erased the mirror, wanting to make a new snowman. This time he took the lead and drew the body himself. He then ended up creating an adorable skinny snowman with button arms and tiny dot eyes. Seriously, how cute is this little snowman?!

I wonder what kind of snowmen your kids will create when you give this loose parts snowman activity for preschool a try!

Christmas Invitation to Play with Jingle Bells & Mirrors

This simple Christmas invitation to play is a great jingle bell activity for preschoolers and toddlers.

---

Mirror play activities have been making a regular appearance at our house lately, usually with some dry erase markers paired with some loose parts.

However, to switch things up, I set up this simple Christmas invitation to play for three year old K using a mirror and some Christmassy items. And he enjoyed it quite a bit.

So, if you're looking for a quick boredom busting idea that requires little prep, then this open-ended activity is for you. Let's take a closer look at what you'll need to recreate it at home.

What You'll Need for this Christmas Invitation to Play

This jingle bell activity is super quick to set up. Here's what we used:

• Small mirror - The ones pictured here was from the dollar store.

• Christmas cookie cutters - Ours are from this 101 Cookie Cutters set, which we've used for basically everything except making cookies.

• Jingle bells in Christmas colors (i.e., red, green, and gold)

I set all the materials out in a wooden tray next to the mirror. I also left a couple bells and one cookie cutter on the mirror as inspiration, to see what my son would do with it. Like so:

Toddlers & Preschoolers Love this Jingle Bell Activity (& You'll Love the Hidden Learning Going On!)

While, on the surface, this Christmas invitation looks simple and like nothing special, it does provide lots of opportunities for learning. For example, it reinforces math concepts such as volume and estimation. You can do some color matching. You can build vocabulary and work on fine motor skills. There's lots going on here.

My son K first made a green tree and filled it with green jingle bells.

Then he made a gold bell.

From there, he practiced some patterning. He decided to make a traditional striped candy cane, this one with red and gold stripes. You can see the start of his pattern here. Red, gold, red, gold, red...

Then he explored with the "cookie" cookie cutters (aka the gingerbread man cookie cutters) and made them dance around the mirror. It was pretty cute to see his imagination in action!

This Christmas invitation to play was a huge hit with three year old K. When I picked J up from school, he was excited to check it out too. He saw it and exclaimed, "Wow! What's this?!" and proceeded to spend quite a bit of time exploring the materials too.

Body Tracing Self-Portrait Mirror Drawings

Looking for all about me drawing activities for kids? Try these body tracing self-portrait mirror drawings!

---

The theme for this month's Light & Reflections series is all about me. So, to explore this theme, we combined body tracing with self-portraits, but gave it a twist by doing it on a vertical, mirrored surface.

The result? Body tracing self-portrait mirror drawings!

This activity was great for practicing fine motor skills, learning about body parts and identity, exploring creativity, and practicing French words. And frankly, it was just plain fun! Plus, the results are totally adorable.

What You'll Need for this All About Me Drawing Activity

Here's what we used for this body tracing activity:

• Large vertical mirrors - We have two large mirrored doors in our dining room, but you could use a full length floor mirror or something similar.

• Window markers - You could also use dry erase markers if you prefer, but we like window markers for drawing on mirrors and windows.

• Googly eyes (optional, but way more fun)

To set it up, I first asked the boys to stand as tall as they could against the mirrors so that I could trace their bodies with the window markers. I really enjoyed the fact that K chose a "stick-em-up" kind of pose...haha

Once you have the outlines of their bodies traced, it's time to decorate them.

Body Tracing Self-Portrait Mirror Drawings in Action

The first thing the boys wanted to do was add some eyes. You can add googly eyes to the body silhouettes with a little bit of magic. Okay, not really magic, but pretty darn close. Simply add a splash of water to the back of the googly eyes and they stick right to the mirrors, similar to how craft foam sticks to mirrors when wet (see here) or what we did with this abstract window art project.

Here's K adding some googly eyes to his face:

Next, the boys added facial details like a nose and smile. And then some crazy, floating hair. Here's K working on his portrait:

J's self portrait originally started off with gigantic ears, but ended up with three ears on one side of the head. Then J added extra details like teeth, hair, and a shirt.

Since J just started French Immersion kindergarten, we practiced saying the different body parts in both English and in French as he draw and decorated his portrait. Then we followed up the activity by singing "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes" in both languages as well.

Overall, both boys had a lot of fun with this activity. And it was a great way to explore body parts and learn about identity, while also building fine motor skills and practicing some French vocabulary.

Other All About Me Activities Your Kids Will Love

This body tracing activity is part of the monthly Light & Reflections series where a few bloggers and I share fun ways for kids to explore and learn using light and mirrors. Here are the other all about me ideas from this month's series:

All About Me Baby Play Station from Happily Ever Mom

All About My Feelings: Identifying Emotions with Self-Portraits from Still Playing School

Photo Puzzles on the Light Table from Where Imagination Grows

I hope you decide to give any of the above ideas a try, including the full body tracing self-portrait mirror drawings shown here. They're great for an all about me unit at school.

Preschool Symmetry Activity: Wooden Shapes in a Mirror Box

Looking for some preschool math inspiration? Try this simple preschool symmetry activity using wooden shapes and a homemade mirror box.

---

Our homemade mirror box is such a fun thing to play and explore with. My boys really love to watch how materials transform in the box, no matter what objects we put inside. It's seriously one of the best accessories to have for any kind of loose parts play. And it makes for the best symmetry activities!

The mirror box is also a great way to explore simple math skills such as symmetry, shapes, and counting, as you'll see. It's also just really really cool.

I recently purchased some colored wooden shapes at the dollar store. They're similar to these wood shapes, but obviously colored, not plain. They are so vibrant that I just had to pair them with the mirror box and let the kids explore. That's how this preschool symmetry activity came to life!

So grab some wooden shapes, quickly whip up a mirror box, and give this fun math idea a try. Your kids are going to love it!

What You'll Need for this Preschool Symmetry Activity

This math activity is a really simple way for toddlers and preschoolers to explore symmetry with shapes, whether at home or in the classroom. Here's what you'll need to recreate this activity at home:

• Colored wooden shapes - I found these shapes at Dollarama, our local dollar store. They are similar to these wood shapes, but obviously dyed in bright primary colors. You could substitute foam shapes or pattern blocks instead. Feel free to use anything else that might be similar.

• Homemade mirror box - It's perfect for symmetry activities! You can find details on how I made our mirror box here.

Once I gathered all the materials, I placed a few shapes inside the mirror box as a way to invite or entice my boys to explore symmetry. As soon as they saw the reflections in the mirror box, they were intrigued, especially my oldest son, and quickly went to work.

Simple Toddler & Preschool Math Activity for Exploring Symmetry

This symmetry activity is so inviting! And it's not just for kids either. I mean I loved playing with this myself, creating many stunning symmetry pictures in the mirrors.

The colored wooden shapes take on a life of their own in the mirror box and look absolutely lovely. Seriously, look at how cool the wooden shapes look in the mirror box. It's basically symmetry art!

J, my oldest, loved to place one shape in the box and then count how many shapes would then appear in all the mirrors. That's hypernumeracy at its finest! He would repeat this over and over. Place a shape. Count. Place a shape. Count. Over and over. What can I say? The kid loves to count!

My youngest son K, on the other hand, didn't participate too much in the actual constructing part of this symmetry activity. Instead, he preferred to observe. From time to time, he would hand J a shape or two to put in the mirror. You can see his arms as leans over J. He also enjoyed emptying the contents of the mirror box each time, which is such a toddler thing to do, hey?

This math activity kept the boys busy for quite some time. Most math activities do around here. But if you're looking for preschool symmetry activity in particular, then definitely give this idea a try!

More Symmetry Ideas for Kids You'll Love

Cotton Swab Snowflake Symmetry Activity for Kids

Great Preschool Symmetry Activity Using Magnetic Tiles

Exploring Symmetry with Magna-Tiles

Simple symmetry activity for kids: exploring symmetry with Magna-Tiles and a mirror.

---

We have fallen in love with Magna-Tiles at our house. Seriously, the boys have been playing with them daily for hours on end!

While magnetic tiles on their own are fun to explore, sometimes I like to enhance their play by pairing them with something else. In this case, I decided to add a mirror as a way to explore reflections and symmetry.

So, if you're looking for a simple symmetry activity, then try exploring symmetry with Magna-Tiles and a mirror. What will your kids create? (If you know my kids, especially J, you'll probably be able to quickly guess what he makes!)

What You'll Need for this Simple Symmetry Activity

Here's what you'll need to recreate this symmetry activity at home or in your classroom:

• Magnetic tiles - We used tiles from our set of 100 translucent colored Magna-Tiles.

• Small mirror - I found the ones we use at the dollar store.

You can set up a simple invitation of shapes in front of the mirror to show how we can explore symmetry. I opted for this route and set up a star shape with the Magna-Tiles. His first reaction was, "Oh, it's a star! Cool!" Alternatively, you could simply set out the materials to see what your child does with the materials on their own. Here's the star set up:

Exploring Symmetry with Magna-Tiles

After seeing my star invitation, J started putting some different Magna-Tiles next to the mirror. He then leaned the mirror back and forth to see how the reflections changed. You can see he started with just a few simple triangle shapes to explore with.

Then, in typical J fashion, he started creating numbers out of the Magna-Tiles (hello, hypernumeracy!). Here he is with the number two and its reflection as the number five. J was curious about why the two turned into a five in the mirror's reflection so we had a little discussion about the science behind it all.

J continued to make more numbers, such as the number seven (or could even be a one) pictured below.

This house or camel shaped design is actually the number 10.

It's amazing how J can turn literally everything he sees and plays with into numbers. I now know that's part of his hypernumeracy. What a kid, I tell you!

Overall, he had a blast exploring symmetry with Magna-Tiles with this simple mirror activity, even if he mostly explored numbers. But, again, numbers are his thing so I'm not surprised it led to more number play.