Ask Ollie
Flashlight Shadow Show
Here's one to try together!
A wall, a flashlight and your hands. Showtime.
Reviewed by our team.
Safety first
- Kid scissors only, and a grown-up does the cutting for under 4s.
- Point the light at the wall, never at eyes.
- Keep any flashlight with coin-size batteries closed and out of reach.
What you need
- Flashlight
- Paper (optional)
- Kid scissors (optional)
- Crayons or markers, 1, for drawing shapes (optional)
How to do it
Grown-up prep: Dim the room and point a flashlight at a blank wall. Practice one hand shape (a dog or a bird) to start the show.
- Turn down the lights and switch on the flashlight.
- Make a bird by linking your thumbs and flapping your fingers.
- Now make a dog. Hold your hand flat and put your thumb up for an ear.
- Move your hand closer to the light, then farther away. Ask: What happens to the shadow's size?
- Make the same animal giant, then make it tiny.
- Cut paper shapes and make up a story with them. Ask for help if you need it
- Take turns: one person makes a shadow and everyone guesses.
- Put on a shadow show for the whole family! Ask: What is the name of your show?
Play it again
- Shadow freeze: make a shape, and when someone says freeze, hold it while they guess.
- Toy shadows: use toy animals, or a fork and a spoon, to make strange shadows.
- Shadow tag: chase the other person's shadow across the wall with yours.
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