Space & stars
Find the star
- Builds: Watching and pointing
- 10 min
- Ages 1–3
- Calm
- No mess
From the house
- A flashlight or phone light
- A dark room
- A bed or rug to lie on
How to play
- Lie side by side on your backs in the dark.
- Shine a small spot of light on the ceiling: “Look, a star!”
- Move it slowly, switch it off, then pop it on somewhere new: “Where’s the star? Can you point to it?”
- Sing “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” and make it twinkle with tiny wiggles.
Fit it to your child
- Harder: They hide the star for you to find, and you tell them real stars are giant suns that look tiny because they are so far away.
Words to use
- star
- up
- there
- where
- twinkle
Why it helps
Following the moving light trains their eyes, and pointing to it is one of the first ways they talk to you.
Grown-up eyes: Keep the light out of everyone’s eyes, and use a flashlight with a secure battery cover.