Making your own shadow names, or shadow shapes, is a super easy activity to pull together on a hot and sunny summer day, with very little preparation needed.
Once the kids have the idea of how to make their own shadow words, shadow names and shadow shapes, they can mix it up and make all kinds of cool designs.
We will provide some free printable templates to download later in this blog post in case you need a starting point.
All you need for this activity is some left over cardboard, for example left over packaging from something you ordered online works great.
You will also need a pencil to create your outline and a sharp knife such as a craft knife, to cut the shapes from the cardboard.
You also need strong enough sun light to make shadows on the ground.
The way this simple summer activity works is that the cardboard casts a shadow on the ground, and using the negative space of the words or shapes you cut from the cardboard, you will see them displayed on the ground within your shadow.
If you’re writing a name or a word, cut it out exactly as you would like it displayed. There is no need to reverse, or do it back to front to anything like that – it’s super easy, the way that it looks on the cardboard is how it will look on the shadow.
Shadow word art
Printable Templates
Use these pages for inspiration or as a guide, with summer and happy words to use, and easy shapes of different sizes.
Sun and smile
Love and Happy
Summer
Stars of different sizes
Hearts of different sizes
Download Templates PDF
click below to download the PDF file of all five template pages
terms of use – free for personal use and free for classroom use
Want another fun way to work on name recognition with kids? Check out our simple textured name craft which is a lot of fun, and can be done even if the weather isn’t warm enough for this shadow craft.
More Summer Activities
- Rainbow Sun Catcher Shadow Art
- Exploring Sunography: Making Sun Prints
- Dried Pressed Flowers Suncatcher Craft
- 25 Cheerful Sun Crafts for Toddlers
Free Summer Printables and Coloring for Kids
- Summer Kids Coloring Pages
- Summer I Spy Printables
- Free Printable Bugs Coloring Pages
- Cool Ice Cream Coloring Pages
- Decorate the Ice Cream Play Dough Mats
- 10 Ocean Coloring Pages for Kids
Share
We hope you enjoyed this fun summer activity for kids. This idea works great for kids of all ages – just adapt to their level.
Please go ahead and share with friends, fellow parents and teachers so everyone can try this easy idea.
Why not pin to your Pinterest board? Thanks so much
Anna Marikar, mum of four and seasoned blogger, has spent over a decade sharing her parenting journey and passion for kid-friendly crafts and free printables.
Her easy-to-follow craft ideas and practical parenting advice have transformed In The Playroom into a cherished resource for parents.
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