3 Fun Light Table/Panel Play Ideas for Kids

Let's get creative and explore light + colours using a light panel and beautiful resources ...

Light play is not only beautiful, but also offers many opportunities for learning through play in a hands-on and enjoyable way! Simple materials, when added to the light panel can create the most inviting and engaging invitations to play.

We have an A3 sized light panel that we use at home for play. It is stored away when not in use. I get it out and set it up for my kids to use when needed, as we don't have room for it to be left out all the time.

In the classroom, or if you have room at home, a light focused invitation to play and explore is a wonderful addition to the learning environment.

Changing up materials presented with the light panel/light table will help to keep children interested and engaged with exploring/playing with this space. I will usually change up materials when I see that the children are no longer playing or engaging with the space.

In this blog post I will share 3 ideas for light play that we have used recently.

You might also like to explore these blog posts about light play:

• 10 Easy Play Ideas for Kids Using a Light Table/Panel

• Light Panel Play Idea - DIY Colourful 2D Shapes

• Easy Light Panel Play Idea - Exploring Colours

• Mirror and Light Play for Kids: D.I.Y Sparkly Reflective Mirror Building Platforms

*IMPORTANT: Please note that these play ideas contain small parts, which are a choking hazard for young children. These play ideas are suitable for children ages 3+

All play ideas should be actively supervised by an adult. It is your responsibility to determine the suitability of these ideas for your child/ren.

3 Fun Light Table Play Ideas for Kids

1. Filling and Emptying Containers on the Light Table/Panel

What we used:

• Edex Education Tactile Shells - Set of 72 - Translucent - 6 colours

• Heart plastic bowls - Kmart Australia (party section)

• Reusable coloured ice cubes - local discount store (these can be found online too)

• Clear resin bowls - from The Sensory Way - Vintage collection (not an affiliate link)

• Wooden spoons - the heart spoon is Papoose brand

  *Any translucent/transparent bowls and loose parts could be used for this invitation to play. Get creative with what you already have!

What to do:

• Set out the different coloured resources in bowls or trays next to the light panel/light table.

• You can set out a few of the materials onto the light surface if needed to invite children to play and explore.

• Allow children to explore the materials how they wish.

Play that happened with this invitation:

There are lots of possibilities for play and learning with these materials.

• We ended up with play about making soup and mixing up all the ice cubes and shells to make soup and then drinks.

• The shells were also used to be money for a shop.

• I left this out to explore over several days.

These materials could be used for building, for filling and transferring, for colour sorting, colour mixing, imaginative play + so much more!

2. Exploring Colour Sorting, and Colour Mixing on the Light Panel

This idea builds on the resources used in the first idea, with some coloured 2D cellophane shapes added in.

What we used:

• Edex Education Tactile Shells - Set of 72 - Translucent - 6 colours

• Heart plastic bowls - Kmart Australia (party section)

• Coloured cellophane sheets that have been laminated and cut out. You can read the blog post + get a free template to make these here: Light Panel Play Idea for Kids: D.I.Y. Coloured Shapes

  *Once again - get creative with the resources you already have for colour sorting - you don't need these specific resources.

What to do:

This was a bit more structured than the first idea. I put out the coloured cellophane shapes and talked with my daughter about making the different colours. I then asked if she would like to colour sort some of the shells and she said yes.

She sorted some of the shells naming them as she went and then colour matching them to the cellophane.

Then I showed her how we could stack the shells on top of each other to make some different colours. She was interested in this, so we explored making orange, green and purple. She also explored what happened with some of the other colours too.

Then we talked about how some of the shells were spiky, bumpy, smooth and that they felt different. This was great for introducing some vocabulary to explain the different textures that we could see and feel.

This could also be set up for children to explore freely how they wish. You could just start with some of the coloured cellophane on the light table/panel and add something coloured e.g. the shells next to it in a bowl ready to play with how they wish.

3. Exploring mark making, letters and light on the light panel

This is an easy light panel/light table invitation that I have used many times before. I have used salt that has been coloured with some pink food colouring and with some eco glitter mixed in for extra sparkle! You only need a few drops of food colouring to dye normal table salt. Mix it in with a spoon and spread out on a tray to dry. My advice is to go for the lighter colours - pink, orange or yellow. I have found that the blue and darker colours stain skin.

For this idea make sure that the children don't have cuts on their hands and keep the salt out of their eyes. Also remind them that we don't eat the salt.

Adding in paint brushes allows children to explore making different marks in the salt and even drawing letters, numbers and words. The light shines through from the light panel underneath, which makes this an engaging way to explore light.

This is also great as a mindfulness + calming activity. Using the paint brushes to make patterns in the salt is very calming. You could also add in some bowls and scoops for some simple sensory play on the light table/light panel.

I added in some gems here too, but they are not necessary. You can use one larger tray or dish, or 2 smaller clear trays like I have here. This allows 2 children to use it at a time.

Some letter or number tiles could also be added in to fill with the salt.

3 Fun Light Table Play Ideas for Kids

Light play is not only beautiful, but offers the opportunity to explore different early learning skills depending on what resources you offer. Filling and emptying containers, colour sorting/mixing and mark making in coloured salt are all easy, but engaging ways to explore a light table/light panel.

Changing up the materials that you have out with your light table/light panel is a great way to get children engaging with it again. I would recommend doing this when you see that they aren't playing with it anymore, rather than on a set schedule.

Thank you for reading this blog post. If you know someone that would find this blog post helpful - please share it with them.

Make sure you subscribe to the email list below to find first out when new posts are published.

Let's create a kinder world:

 ✨one playful, mindful and creative moment at a time.✨

Danica 🩷

For more play, learning and creative ideas visit the homepage here.

Save these ideas for later - Pin me now!