Shadow Drawing

Drawing shadows is a fun and easy activity for kids! This activity also builds hand-eye coordination as the kids doodle away by tracing the shadows on the piece of paper. What's more, they unknowingly explore the relationship between light and shadow by observing the shapes created at different times of the day. #scienceisfun!

What you need

Toy figurines

paper

marker or writing/ colouring materials

Sunlight (Alternative: Flashlight or handphone with flashlight function for indoor play)

Step by step

1. Do this in the early morning or late afternoon so that the sun is not too hot! Place the figurines on a piece of paper.

2. Using your pencil or marker, trace the outline of shadows on the piece of paper.

3. Colour in the shadows to decorate your masterpiece!

For older kids

Try to scaffold their learning by asking questions such as: Do the shadows stay the same at different times of the day? What makes the shadow longer or shorter?

For the little ones

Turn this activity into a puzzle by asking the kids to match the toy with its corresponding shadow. They can also develop colour recognition by matching the colours of the figurines to the shadows!

Possibilities are endless! If you are playing outdoors, you may even want to get your kids to trace shadows of their siblings using chalk!

Shadows can also be created at home. Simply use a source of light to create interesting shadows of items around the house! Check out the step by step instruction guide in the video below!

Figurines are great for sensory and pretend play - there are plenty of those in our Rainforest, Camping and Dinosaur Box. 

More light and shadow play can be found in the Light and Shadows box here!