Pretend Play
Shadow Zoo
Make animals with your hands and a flashlight on the bedroom wall.
Ages 3 to 5
15 minutes
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Get ready
None.
What you’ll need
A flashlight and a blank wall.
Let’s play
1. Turn off the lights and shine the flashlight on the wall.
2. Make a bird, a dog or a rabbit with your hands.
3. Let your kid guess the animal, then try their own.
4. Tell a short story starring your shadow animals.
Your part in the adventure
Make the first animal, then become the audience.
What they’re discovering
They’re building imagination, hand control and storytelling.
Before you begin
Keep the light pointed at the wall, never at eyes.
Keep the idea going
Ages 6 to 8 can cut paper shapes and tape them to sticks.
Every child is different. Adjust activities for their age and abilities, and stay close by. These are play ideas, not medical or developmental advice.