Shadow Activities for Preschoolers: Indoors and Outdoors
One of the first topics we explored in our light and science unit was shadow activities for preschoolers. We started indoors, noticing how objects block light to create shadows. Then, we stepped outside to find shadows everywhere—on the ground, on walls, and even on the playground!
That’s when I noticed something interesting… preschoolers learn more from shadow activities when they’re actively making shadows instead of just watching them!
That got me thinking—what other easy, no-prep shadow activities for preschoolers could we try? And how could we explore the science of light and shadows in fun, active ways?
So, I created a simple game where I called out commands like:
- “Make your shadow as big as possible!”
- “Can you make a tiny shadow?”
- “Wave at your shadow. Does it wave back to you?”
- “Make your shadow jump up and down!”
The kids loved it, and it got me thinking—what other easy, no-prep shadow games could we play? And how could we explore the science of light and shadows in fun, active ways?
These simple and playful shadow activities for preschoolers are perfect for circle time, science centers, or outdoor learning days. Each one introduces big science ideas in a way young children can understand.
How Do Shadows Form?
Before jumping into games and activities, help preschoolers understand what shadows actually are.
Take them outside on a sunny day and ask, “Where is your shadow?” Encourage them to move around, jump, or turn around and observe what happens to their shadow. Then explain:
Shadows are made when something blocks light. The light can’t go through the object, so a shadow forms on the surface behind it. Shadow size and direction change depending on where the light is coming from.
Outdoor Shadow Activities for Preschoolers
Shadow Tag
- Objective: Observe how movement changes shadow position.
- Setup: Open outdoor space on a sunny day.
- How to Play: Instead of tagging each other’s bodies, children try to step on each other’s shadows. If your shadow gets stepped on, you’re “it.”
Shadow Freeze Dance
- Objective: Explore how movement affects shadow form.
- Setup: Music player, sunny open space.
- How to Play: Play music and let children dance freely. When the music stops, everyone freezes and looks at their shadow’s shape and pose.
- Extension: Call out specific shapes or poses (“Make a tall shadow!”).
Shadow Tracing
- Objective: Learn how shadows change over time.
- Setup: Chalk, sidewalk or blacktop.
- How to Play: Trace each child’s shadow on the ground in the morning. Return later to compare how the position or length has changed.
- Extension: Repeat tracing at different times (morning, noon, afternoon).
Shadow Hunt
- Objective: Identify different types and shapes of shadows.
- Setup: Sunny day with a variety of objects outdoors.
- How to Play: Challenge children to find specific types of shadows—tall, curved, zigzag, tiny, etc.
- Extension: Take photos or draw the shadows they find.
Follow the Shadow Leader
- Objective: See how shadows follow motion.
- Setup: Open area with sunshine.
- How to Play: One child leads with exaggerated movements. Others copy while watching their own shadows mimic the motion.
- Extension: Take turns being the “shadow leader.”
Build a Shadow Block City
- Objective: Understand how structure affects shadows.
- Setup: Building blocks, flat outdoor surface.
- How to Play: Build towers and shapes. Observe how the shadows form, grow, and overlap.
- Extension: Trace the shadow of the block city.
Shadow Art
- Objective: Use shadows as a tool for creativity.
- Setup: Toys or nature objects, white paper, crayons, and a sunny surface.
- How to Play: Place objects on the paper so their shadows fall on it. Trace and color the shadows to make “shadow pictures.”
- Extension: Find tall plants or grasses and trace the shadows.
Indoor Shadow Activities for Preschoolers
Flashlight Shadow Exploration
- Objective: Shadows form when light is blocked, and the size changes based on distance to the surface.
- Setup: Flashlight, blank wall or rug, small toys or hands.
- How to Play: Shine the light and block it with hands or objects. Try changing the distance to the wall.
Shadow Puppets
- Objective: Explore storytelling through shadow creation.
- Setup: Flashlight, blank wall, hands or cutout puppets.
- How to Play: Use hands or paper puppets to make shapes and animals. Tell a simple story using the shadow characters.
- Extension: Check out my Tortoise and the Hare Shadow Puppet Set on Teachers Pay Teachers — it’s designed for young learners with bold, easy-to-handle pieces.
Shadow Matching
- Objective: Match objects with their shadows.
- Setup: Toys, flashlight, white paper, pencil.
- How to Play: Shine a light to cast a shadow of each toy. Trace the shadow and let children match toys to outlines.
Shadow Color Experiment
- Objective: Discover how light passes through different materials.
- Setup: Flashlight, colored plastic or cellophane, translucent blocks, white surface.
- How to Play: Shine light through colored or translucent objects. Observe how the light changes.
- Extension: Introduce terms like opaque, translucent, and transparent.
Shadow Stretching Station
- Objective: Explore how distance and angle affect shadows.
- Setup: Small figure or toy, flashlight, ruler or tape marks.
- How to Play: Shine the flashlight from different distances and angles. Watch how the shadow grows and shifts.
Shadow Drama Time
- Objective: Use a DIY puppet theater and let kids perform mini plays with paper puppets.
- What They Learn: Combines creativity with light science.
- How to: Learn how to make a shadow puppet theater.
Extend the Learning with Books
Here are some of my favorite books for exploring light and shadows with young children.
- Playing with Light and Shadows by Jennifer Boothroyd
- Shadows and Reflections by Tana Hoban
- Shadows (Science Readers: Content and Literacy)
- Light: Shadows, Mirrors, and Rainbows (Amazing Science series)
Want More Movement Activities?
There’s an Nature Hunt and a Nutty Squirrel Movement Game in our resource library. Click here to join our community and get access the library, receive email updates, and more.
Conclusion
Whether you’re inside with a flashlight or outside on a sunny day, these shadow activities for preschoolers will spark curiosity, creativity, and lots of fun learning moments!
