Christmas Shadow Matching Activity for Preschool
In this Christmas shadow matching activity, kids look at a holiday picture, like a candy cane, a stocking or a gingerbread man, and find the shadow with the same shape. Each mat has four spaces, and the color pictures stick on with Velcro dots.
There are 12 pictures on three mats. The set has two kinds of mats, solid black shadows and plain black outlines, plus the picture pieces in color and in black and white.
What Shadow Matching Teaches
Matching a picture to its shadow takes careful looking. With the color and details gone, kids have to notice the shape itself: the hook of the candy cane, the points of the star, the antlers on the reindeer.
Some shadows look a lot alike, and that is where the real thinking happens. The ornament and the wreath are both round, so kids have to look at the top to tell them apart. The bell and the Santa hat both get wider at the bottom. Talking through those differences builds the same visual skills kids use later to tell letters like b and d apart.
It is fine motor work, too. Kids pinch each small piece, line it up with its shadow and press it down so the Velcro holds.
Prep Once, Use All Season
Here is what you need: Velcro dots, scissors, cardstock, a box or bag to store the pieces, and lamination sheets if you have them.
- Print the mats and picture pieces on white cardstock.
- Cut out the picture pieces and the mats.
- Laminate everything if you can. It is optional, but the pieces last much longer.
- Put the rough side of a Velcro dot on the back of each picture and the soft side on its matching shadow.
Once it is prepped, the whole activity fits in a bag and comes back out every December.
Making It Easier or Harder
Start with one mat and its four pieces. Name each picture together, then have kids find its shadow. When that is easy, mix the pieces from two or three mats so there are more to sort through.
The black shadow mats are the place to begin, since the solid shapes are easy to see. The outline mats are a step harder because kids are matching to a thin line instead of a solid shape.
The black-and-white picture pieces are another option. Kids can color them before they cut them out.
Ways to Use It in December
- A busy bag or task box for independent work time.
- A morning tub kids can grab when they come in.
- A quiet activity at a holiday party.
- A language activity. After matching, kids name each picture or tell what makes two shadows different.
What’s in the Set
- 12 pictures: Christmas tree, candy cane, bell, gingerbread man, ornament, Christmas light, Santa hat, gift, stocking, star, reindeer and wreath
- 3 mats with black shadows and 3 mats with outlines
- Picture pieces in color and in black and white
- Materials list and prep directions
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