Colour & Light Exploration
2-4 Years, 4-6 Years, 6 Plus
A beautiful open-ended activity using transparent coloured shapes to explore colour, light, shape and layering. Children can hold the pieces towards the light, overlap different colours and experiment with arranging them into patterns and pictures.
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Learn what is needed in order to do this activity
Learn how you can adapt this activity and reuse
Learn the Benefits of this activity
What do you do:
Spread the transparent shapes out.
Explore the different colours and shapes.
Hold individual pieces towards the light.
Overlap two colours and observe what happens.
Arrange the pieces into pictures or patterns.
Experiment with different colour combinations.
What's Needed:
Transparent coloured shapes
Natural light, a window or light table
A clear surface for creating
How to Adapt
For younger toddlers: Focus simply on handling the pieces, naming colours and shapes and looking through them to see how the world changes colour.
For older children: Encourage colour mixing, shape sorting, pattern making and predictions — “What colour do you think we will see if we overlap these two?”
Make it more open-ended: Provide all the transparent pieces and let your child freely layer, arrange and combine them to create pictures, patterns and their own colourful designs.
Benefits of the Activity
Develops colour recognition
Introduces colour mixing
Supports shape recognition
Encourages creativity
Develops visual perception
Encourages curiosity and experimentation
