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Shadow puppets: a play idea for 3 year olds

Shadows are fascinating, and turning them into characters makes a story. It takes about 10 minutes and uses a flashlight, a blank wall.

Checked October 29, 2026.

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How to play

Shadow puppets3 year olds · about 10 minutes

You need: a flashlight, a blank wall.

  1. Turn the lights down and shine a flashlight at a blank wall.
  2. Make a shadow with your hands: a bird, a dog, a rabbit.
  3. Let your child make their own shadows.
  4. Tell a little story with your shadow animals.

Builds: thinking and problem solving and language and talking. Shadows are fascinating, and turning them into characters makes a story.

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