It's never too early to explore science and technology through age-based STEM content that spurs the imagination. Engaging in these type of activities make learning fun and encourage young minds to explore new discoveries, test hypothesis, and try new things.
We've put together a list of amazing activities, books, and videos that you can use to introduce your preschool to the fantastical world of day and night, dark and light, the sun and moon, and how colors are created through light.
Light and Shadow Activities Theme
1. Light and Shadows Video
Knowledge is power, especially when it comes to overcoming fears. Young ones are often afraid of the dark, but engaging in a few activities that explore the light and dark, may help them understand it and thus, conquer that fear. This video teaches how shadows are created so they are not scary anymore.
Learn more: Kids Academy
2. Outdoor Shadow Activities
Then go outside on a sunny day and explore all of the shadows that you see as you walk around the neighborhood. Examine the shadows for size and shape and movement. Explore different games you can play with colored sidewalk chalk.
Learn more: Rhythms of Play
3. Shadow Puppet Play
Another activity you might try is shadow puppet play. Use a cardboard box and paper to create a stage and puppets for hours of playtime fun. Not only will this activity teach your child about the concepts of shadows, but they will engage in language-learning skills and develop processing skills with storytime.
Learn more: We Have Kids
4. Dragon Night by J.R. Krause
Whether you read this in story circle time in class or read it at home before bed, this book will help children discover many wonderful and fascinating things that happen in the dark. It uses a delightful play on words as George is afraid of the night and his dragon friend is afraid of the knight.
Learn more: Amazon
5. Sunrise and Sunset Event
Examining how the changing light affects the colors in the sky during sunrise and sunset is a fun way to explore light and dark. Take some pictures with your phone, print out the photos, and ask your preschooler to arrange them in the correct order. Putting things in process order develops early critical thinking skills.
Learn more: 3D Zone
6. Make Your Own Lightbox
Follow the instructions in this video for building your own sensory light box with just a few simple materials you probably already have on hand. You can use the bright light box over and over again for other lessons about colors, shapes, letters, and numbers or just use it for imaginative play.
Learn more: Miami Children's Museum
7. Glow-in-the-Dark Painting
Go outside at night and spend some time exploring the night sky with your little one and talk about what they see when they look up. Follow that up with an art activity and paint your own starry night on a piece of paper using glow-in-the-dark paints.
Learn more: Amazon
8. Create a Fort
Use bed sheets and other furniture to create a living room fort. Spend the evening exploring books using flashlights as your only source of light. Play with the flashlights to create shadows against the sheets or place them under your chin to show how the light changes your face.
Learn more: Primrose Schools
Activities to Explore Night and Day Theme
As an extension of light and dark, examine the meanings of night and day. The day is generally associated with light and night is connected to dark, so take your preschooler on a journey to discover what happens during both.
9. Explore Nocturnal Animals
Some animals sleep during the day and are awake at night. Introduce your child to nocturnal animals with this fantastic Cat in the Hat book. It looks at the habits of familiar animals like raccoons and owls and a few not-so-known ones such as kiwi birds and sidewinders.
Learn more: Amazon
10. Sing a Song
Watch this fun video with your preschooler and soon you'll be singing along with the bouncy lyrics about nocturnal animals. The colorful animation will keep them focused and they will learn some valuable STEM vocabulary through this early science lesson.
Learn more: Mr. R.'s Songs for Teaching
11. Hands-on Science Experiment
Mommy, what makes night? The biggest questions will often arise at the most inopportune moments, like driving home after a long day at work. And trying to come up with a simple answer isn't always easy. Use this hands-on science experiment for Pre-K learners to teach them what makes day and night.
Learn more: Playground Park Bench
12. Day and Night Sensory Bins
This helps develop fine motor skills and really engages a child's senses while encouraging their creative play. This particular activity will also help with alphabet recognition and letter sounds. As a bonus, you can also add some counting activities here using the beans in the bin.
Learn more: Fun Learning for Kids
13. Night Monkey, Day Monkey by Julia Donaldson
This is a cute story about friendship, opposites, and cooperation. This adorable children's book will introduce toddlers and babies to day and night with the rhyming story and colorful illustrations.
Learn more: Amazon
Activities to Explore the Sun and Other Stars Theme
14. Light Box Magic
Light Box Magic is an early STEM education science experiment that will delight curious young minds. It is a hands-on activity that shows the process of refraction, where water bends light as it passes from one transparent object to another. Use this activity to create a conversation about how the sun and water work together.
Learn more: True Aim The Blue Manor Blog
15. Watch a Video About the Sun
This engaging video is well-paced and informative at an age-appropriate level for pre-K students. The cute animated graphics help the young learners grasp some complicated science concepts about stars in our solar system.
Learn more: Kids Academy
16. I Am the Sun by Rebecca and James McDonald
Children will learn how important the sun is to our daily lives. This shining star brings warmth and light to many planets, but it is central to all living things on earth and preschoolers will understand the basic concepts of how the sun sustains plants, animals, and people.
Learn more: Amazon
17. Create a Gorgeous Star Drop
This is an age-old scenery trick used in the theatre, but you can modify it for your use in any child's bedroom. Take an old blanket, preferably one that is dark blue or black, and cut small holes into it randomly. Place white fairy lights into the holes and hang up.
Learn more: Event Answer
18. Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
Teach your toddler to sing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" and create a beautiful star mobile. Use stencils to cut out different star shapes using a sheet of paper. Color with glow paints and use string to hang them from the ceiling. Turn off all of the lights and enjoy while singing along!
Learn more: Super Simple Songs - Kids Songs
Explore the Moon and Other Planets Theme
19. Use Oreos to Understand Moon Phases
Snack time can also be a learning opportunity! Use Oreos to help your child understand the phases of the moon. We only get to see the part of the moon the sun wants us to see at different times of its rotation around the earth. See this activity and others at team-cartwright.com.
Learn more: Team Cartwright
20. Math Moon Game
Play this Moon Game for Math with your young learner. It is a great activity to teach counting and number recognition while satisfying their curiosity about the moon and outer space in general. This can also be adapted to use for letter recognition and spelling too.
Learn more: Stir the Wonder
21. Explore the Moon with Books
Check out this wide variety of books about the moon for your preschooler. Explore everything from the phases of the moon to the formation and history of the moon. Learn about the first moon landing, astronauts, and space exploration.
Learn more: Rainy Day Mum
22. Moon Twister Game
This fantastic kinesthetic activity will get a group of little learning while doing. Follow the steps to create a moon-based twister game from an old, traditional one, or make an original using a shower curtain, markers, and a ruler from your local dollar store.
Learn more: Dollar Store Crafter
23. Planet Song
Learn the planets of our solar system with this sing-along song. Music develops the areas of the brain related to language and learning and kids will easily memorize new vocabulary when it is set to music. Plus, it's just plain fun!
Learn more: KLT
24. Solar System Craft Project
This solar system craft project is delightfully fun for kids of all ages. It uses inexpensive and colorful yarn to create each of the planets in our system. Using templates for the planets, children will be able to get a visual grip on the size and spacing relationships the planets have to one another.
Learn more: 123 Homeschool 4 Me
Explore Colors with Light Activities Theme
To see color, you have to have light. When light shines on an object some colors bounce off the object and others are absorbed by it. Our eyes only see the colors that are bounced off or reflected. So it is a natural extension of lessons on light to explore colors.
25. Color Theory with Light
Your little ones may have already mixed some paints to explore how the color changes, but mixing colors with light is a very different thing. Use this STEM early childhood experiment to show them what happens when you miss different colors using light with flashlights and colored cellophane.
Learn more: Teach Beside Me
26. The Science of Light and Color
Watch this informative video that teaches young learners how light itself creates a rainbow of colors. Great for older and younger siblings to watch together because the vocabulary is more advanced for older children, but the videography will keep the younger sibling engaged and curious.
Learn more: Free School
27. Suncatcher Craft
Create a suncatcher with tissue paper and clear contact paper. This one uses a butterfly, but you could copy the process using any shape that your preschooler desires. Watching the light pass through the suncatcher at different times of day will help them understand how light affects color.
Learn more: The Suburban Mom
28. Teach Patterns and Math Concepts
This web-based content presents a variety of craft projects that utilize light and color lessons. They won't even realize they are learning, but are making new discoveries about the world of color that has already piqued their interest.
Learn more: Kindergarten Lessons
29. A Ray of Light by Walter Wick
The stunning photographs are paired with simple text to help young readers understand the beauty and complexities of light. Wick covers areas seemingly complicated such as refraction, iridescence, and light waves, but it is presented in an age-appropriate manner for young readers.
Learn more: Amazon
30. Curious George Discovers the Rainbow by H.A. Rey
A delightful tale that will introduce your preschooler to how light and water create the beautiful colors of the rainbow. This is not a book for nighttime, but one that you'll happily start the day with, it includes additional science experiments you can complete together.
Learn more: Amazon
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