Preschool Light Table Activities

Enhancing Learning with Light Tables

Leisha Harrelson of Gingerbread Play House

Adding a light table to your space provides new sensory opportunities for children to explore the world around them. The light table is also a great place to explore color, color mixing, and shadows. Children can also use it to explore: Literacy, Math, Thematic Units, Science, Patterns, and Building.

Leisha Harrelson of Gingerbread Play House

Benefits of Light Tables in Preschool

Light tables are more than just a fun addition to the classroom—they also help develop essential skills such as:

Fine motor skills – As children manipulate small objects, trace, and build
Visual discrimination – Recognizing shapes, letters, and patterns
Spatial awareness – Understanding light direction, shadows, and transparency
Creativity & Problem-Solving – Encouraging open-ended exploration and design

Using translucent materials, children gain a deeper understanding of depth, contrast, and how light interacts with different surfaces. These explorations build a strong foundation for critical thinking and scientific inquiry.

Leisha Harrelson of Gingerbread Play House

Best Materials to Use with Light Tables

Light tables are incredibly versatile, and using the right materials can make learning even more engaging! Here are some of the best materials to use for different types of activities:
🔤 Literacy & Letter Recognition

Translucent alphabet letters (plastic, acrylic, or magnetic)
Letter tracing sheets (printed on transparency film)
Dry-erase markers (on laminated sheets or transparency paper)
Alphabet beads or tiles
Clear sand trays (for tracing letters with fingers or a stylus)

🌈 Color Exploration & Mixing

Colored transparent sheets or cellophane
Acrylic color paddles
Transparent cups and water beads
Gel bags (DIY squishy sensory bags with colored gel)
Stained glass craft paper or tissue paper

🔢 Math & Counting Activities

Translucent number tiles
Counting beads, gems, or manipulatives
Geometric shape pieces or tangrams
Sorting trays with different colored objects
Dice with numbers or shapes

🔍 Science & Nature Exploration

X-rays of animals or the human body
Leaves, flowers, and pressed plants
Shells, feathers, and translucent stones
Magnifying glasses and transparent petri dishes
Water beads (great for light refraction experiments)

🔲 Shapes, Patterns & Art

Acrylic blocks or Magna-Tiles
Transparent buttons, gems, or sequins
Mosaic tiles for pattern building
Shadow puppets or silhouette cutouts
Sandpaper or textured sheets for sensory contrast

🏗️ Building & Engineering

Transparent LEGO or Duplo bricks
Stackable acrylic or plastic blocks
Lightweight, clear cups or containers for stacking
Mirror sheets to reflect and manipulate light
Magnetic tiles for creative building

Types of Preschool Light Table Activities

Small World Play Activities

Cheryl V.

Light tables can be a magical backdrop for small world play. Try using:

Translucent animal figurines (forest animals, ocean creatures, insects)
Acrylic or plastic trees, mountains, and nature elements
Glass pebbles or transparent stones (to create lakes, rivers, and paths)
Small wooden houses, bridges, and miniature people figures
Silhouettes of animals, fairies, or dinosaurs for storytelling
Glow-in-the-dark stars and planets for space-themed play

💡 Try This! – Create a woodland forest scene by placing tree silhouettes, animal figures, and natural materials on the light table. Children can move the pieces around to tell their own stories!

Art Activities & Mosaics

Colored transparent paper shapes (for creating mosaics)
Plastic or acrylic frames (to hold mosaic designs)
Translucent buttons, gems, or sequins
Light-safe paint on clear plastic sheets
Shadow puppets or silhouette cutouts
Layered tissue paper art for stained-glass effects

💡 Try This! – Use a simple frame and encourage children to arrange colored tissue paper or cellophane sheets in primary colors to create their own stained glass creations or mosaics. Place them on the light table to see the colors glow beautifully!

Explore Letters

Light tables make learning letters fun and interactive! By using translucent alphabet shapes, magnetic letters, or tracing sheets, children can see letter forms clearly and connect them to words and objects. They can move letters around, flip them in different directions, and experiment with forming new words.

Fun Letter Activities:

Translucent alphabet letters (plastic, acrylic, or magnetic)
Letter tracing sheets (printed on transparency film)
Dry-erase markers (on laminated sheets or transparency paper)
Alphabet beads or tiles
Clear sand trays (for tracing letters with fingers or a stylus)

These hands-on activities strengthen letter recognition, fine motor skills, and early literacy in an engaging way!

Explore Colors & Patterns

Experimenting with color is a fantastic way to use a light table. Ideas include:

Overlapping colored transparency sheets to mix new colors
Creating stained glass designs with tissue paper or plastic shapes
Using colored water beads, gems, or sensory bags for a vibrant, tactile experience

Explore Science & Nature

Light tables can turn into a mini science lab! Encourage curiosity with:

Observing objects like leaves, shells, and x-rays to see details not visible in normal light
Exploring shadows – Experiment with different angles and materials to see how shadows change
Transparency investigations – Compare clear, frosted, and opaque materials to discover how light passes through them

Victoria S.

Leisha Harrelson of Gingerbread Play House

Alina Dutka

Explore Math: Numbers, Shapes & Counting

Make math hands-on and exciting with:

Translucent number tiles for counting and number recognition
Geometric shape sorting to introduce early math concepts
Pattern-building with colored gems, tangrams, or mosaic tiles

Leisha Harrelson of Gingerbread Play House

Building & Engineering with Light Tables

Encourage creativity and fine motor skills by:

Stacking translucent blocks to explore balance and structure
Creating 3D shapes with acrylic shapes or Magna-Tiles
Using natural materials like stones, wood, and shells to explore textures and contrast

Leisha Harrelson of Gingerbread Play House

DIY Light Table Ideas

Want to create your own light table? Here are a few simple ways:

Repurpose a plastic storage bin – Add LED lights under a clear bin for an affordable DIY option
Use a glass-top coffee table – Place LED strips underneath for a sleek, built-in light table
Buy an acrylic light panel – A portable option that can be used on any surface