Last Updated on January 19, 2022 by Sheryl Cooper
Inside: Put together a preschool winter light table with loose parts while exploring the colors white and blue. This activity also includes different textures for hands-on sensory fun!
Invite your toddlers and preschoolers to explore the colors white and blue with this winter light table.
We’ve added different shapes and textures for sensory fun, as well as bottles to shake and look through.
The loose parts pieces we’ve used can be altered so that you use similar items depending on what you have on hand.
A nice addition to your winter theme!
We didn’t always have a light table in our classroom. In fact, it was many years into my teaching career that I toured a facility where each classroom had one.
I was so intrigued!
Through fundraising money, we were fortunate to be able to purchase a light table and have had one in the classroom ever since.
Throughout the years we’ve invited our toddlers and preschoolers to explore a variety of materials on the light able, many of which you can see in this post:
Ultimate Collection of Light Table Activities
Our light table is one of the many activities that are available during our free-choice centers time.
Children can come and go as they wish, and they often will play at bit at the light table, returning once or maybe twice more for further hands-on play.
Preschool Winter Light Table with Loose Parts
When I decided to put together this light table, I rummaged through our storage room looking for a variety of materials I felt would be fun to explore.
Some of the items:
I also added sensory bottles that I had made the year before.
Discovery Bottles
Discovery bottles are always fun at the light table!
I partially filled an empty Voss Water Bottle with water and added snowflake confetti. I hot-glued the lid closed.
I had plain blue bottles as well (a mixture of water and blue liquid watercolors).
Such a fun addition to this winter light table!
More discovery bottles:
Setting Up the Light Table
Ready to hear how easy this is?
After gathering your materials, spread them out on the surface of your light table.
That’s it!
Invitation to Play
No directions are needed for open-ended play at the light table.
The children explore the pieces, moving them around, looking inside them, noticing the way they feel.
They might distinguish those that are round and those that are straight.
The pieces can be manipulated and stacked, possibly fitting inside each other.
Everything on the light table is meant to be moved around.
In the photo above, one toddler wanted to see if the small snowflake window cling could fit inside the block.
Were they the same size and shape?
There is a sense of wonder as the pieces sit on top of the light while moving all the pieces around.
A fun open-ended play activity!
Adding Winter to Other Centers
After putting together this winter light table, try these ideas in other centers:
CIRCLE TIME: Snowman In The Cold Activity
COLORS: Mitten Color Matching
ART: Winter Collage
FINE MOTOR: Fine Motor Snowflake Art
COOKING: Snowflake Cookies
SENSORY BIN: Winter Sensory Bin
Books to read with this activity:
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