Sunshine and shadow activities for kids

Safety first

Stay with a grown-up the whole time. Never look at the sun, not for a moment. Do not use magnifying glasses or lenses to focus light, since it can burn skin and objects. Wear a hat, cover up or use sun cream if your family does, and take regular breaks in the shade. Offer water often, and play at gentler times of day when you can. Keep away from roads, and check that paving is not too hot for bare feet. Scissors are for adults only. Age hints are only a guide, so you know your child best.

1. Chalk shadow portraits

Age hint: 4 and up.

Bring: chalk, and a paved or concrete spot in sunshine.

1. Stand still on the spot with your back to the sun while a friend or grown-up draws round the edge of your shadow with chalk.
2. Swap places so everyone gets a portrait. Keep your eyes on the ground and never look up at the sun.
3. Add a face or a hat inside the outline.
4. Come back later in the day, stand in the same place and draw a second outline beside the first.

Notice: Which outline is longer, and which way does your shadow point now?

2. Shadow tag

Age hint: 5 and up.

Bring: a flat, open, safe space such as a courtyard or playground, and a water bottle each.

1. Agree on the boundary and a shady corner that is home base.
2. The catcher tries to step on another player's shadow. A stepped-on shadow means that player becomes the catcher.
3. Try hiding your shadow by standing in the shade of a wall or tree, and keep moving gently.
4. Stop for a drink and a rest in the shade every few minutes.

Try: Play once with the sun behind you and once with it to the side. Does it change how you move?

3. A sun-clock with a stick and stones

Age hint: 6 and up.

Bring: a straight stick about as long as your forearm, a pot of soil or sand (or a patch of soft ground), and six or seven stones.

1. Ask your grown-up to push the stick upright into the pot and set it somewhere sunny that will not be moved.
2. Place one stone at the tip of the stick's shadow and note the time on a card.
3. Return about every hour and put a new stone at the tip of the shadow, with the time beside it.
4. At the end, look at the curve of stones. On another day, see whether the shadow tip lands near the same stones at similar times; it will drift a little as the seasons change.

Notice: How far did the shadow tip move between visits? This is a playful clock, not an exact one, and a pot moved by accident will spoil it.

4. Shadow hide-and-seek

Age hint: 4 and up.

Bring: a safe outdoor space with sunny patches and shady spots, such as a garden, courtyard or quiet playground, and a water bottle each.

1. Agree on the boundary with your grown-up, and look around for sunny patches and shady spots such as under a tree or beside a wall.
2. Walk slowly from the sun into the shade and watch your shadow on the ground. Find the spot where it disappears.
3. Step back out and find the spot where it reappears. Keep your eyes on the ground and never look up at the sun.
4. Now play hide-and-seek with your shadow: one person hides in the shade while the others look for the shadow edge, then swap.

Notice: Where does your shadow vanish, and what makes it come back?

5. Sun-catcher paper windows

Age hint: 3 and up, with a grown-up cutting.

Bring: a sheet of card, baking paper or tracing paper, tissue paper, child-safe glue and tape.

1. A grown-up cuts a window shape from the card, leaving a wide frame.
2. Tear tissue paper into small pieces. Glue the baking paper behind the opening, then stick the pieces on in patches.
3. Let it dry, then tape it to a window where light comes through.
4. Watch the colours glow on the paper, and look at how they change as clouds drift by.

Try: Overlap two colours and see what new colour appears.

6. Cloud-and-sun colour hunt

Age hint: 3 and up.

Bring: a card with six coloured squares: blue, white, grey, yellow, orange and green, and a pencil.

1. Sit in the shade with your grown-up and look at the sky away from the sun, never straight at it.
2. Find something that matches each square: a patch of blue, a white cloud, a grey one.
3. Then look at the ground around you for yellow, orange and green, such as flowers, walls or toys.
4. Tick each colour when you spot it and tell your grown-up where it was.

Notice: Which colour was easiest to find in the sunshine, and which was easier in the shade?

More to do on Rangooo

Watch the sky with weather watching activities, put on a show with puppet and shadow play, run about with outdoor games for kids, cool off with water play activities, browse more stories and activities, or see resources for teachers.

Questions

What age suits sun and shadow activities?

Most of these ideas suit ages three to eight with a grown-up. The colour hunt and sun-catchers work for the youngest children, from about three. Shadow portraits and shadow hide-and-seek suit four and up, while shadow tag and the stick sun-clock suit slightly older ones.

Can we do these without a garden?

Yes. A paved courtyard, a quiet playground or a sunny window is enough for most ideas.

When is the best time of day?

Morning and late afternoon are gentler on children, and shadows are longer then, which makes tracing easier. In the strongest sun at midday, choose shady ideas such as the colour hunt or the sun-catchers.

How do we stay safe in strong sunshine?

Never look at the sun, not even briefly. Wear a hat and sun cream if your family uses it, take shade breaks and drink water often. A grown-up decides when it is too hot and time to go indoors.