Shadow hunting with a torch
15 min Calm
Darken a room, grab a torch and discover the world of light and shadow. A short, enchanting afternoon of indoor play.
With nothing but a torch and a dark room, the living room transforms into a little theatre. Move an object closer to the light and the shadow grows into a giant. Turn the torch a quarter turn and the image changes completely. Children discover in a playful way how light and shadow work.
This activity takes just fifteen minutes and needs almost nothing: a torch, some toys and books, and a room you can darken. While you make shapes and invent stories, children aged five to twelve learn something about angles and distance, and you share a surprisingly calm, magical moment together. Hang up a white sheet and it naturally becomes a shadow theatre show.
Darken a room and grab the torch. Gather some objects like toys, books or kitchen items.
Make shapes and figures with shadows by moving objects closer to or further from the light. Watch how the shadow grows and shrinks.
Change the angle of the light and talk together about what stories are unfolding in the shadow world.
Hang up a white sheet and come up with a short shadow theatre show for the rest of the family.
Suggestion: Draw inspiration from a picture book or your own imagination.Related playbooks
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by PlayTryBe team