Light on, light off

From the house

• A flashlight
• A blanket or sheet
• A table or two chairs
• A soft toy

How to play

1. Drape the blanket over a table or two chairs to make a den, and crawl in together.
2. Click the flashlight on and off: “Light on. Light off.”
3. Shine it on their hand, their foot and the toy, naming each one.
4. Hide the toy in a dark corner and find it with the light.

Fit it to your child

• Easier: Skip the den: dim the room and move the light slowly across the wall for them to follow with their eyes and hands.
• Harder: Let them hold the flashlight and find things you name: “Where’s the teddy?”

Words to use

• light
• dark
• on
• off
• where is it?

Why it helps

Seeing the dark vanish every time the light clicks on teaches them cause and effect, and that we need light to see things.