Shadow Art Activities for Kids

The sun is shinning more and more often as we get deeper into spring, and its rays of golden light inspire many creative ideas for activities to partake in with our little ones. Whether you are playing inside or outside, let your imaginations join you in the fun!

I've had my eye on this particular activity for quite some time now, and I'm excited to be sharing it with you now. I've gathered my favourite "Shadow Art" ideas from around the web—a neat technique that makes use of actual shadows to create art! I just love the idea of introducing art to kids through activities. I've also compiled a list of artists who make use of shadows to create sculptures for inspiration and to share with your kids as examples. 

 Shadow Art Activities 

Solar Light Drawing Prompt - This neat idea by Tinkerlab involves creating a night light out of a mason jar and then tracing the intricate shadow patterns that it emits onto a piece of paper... The patterns that emerge will look like something from space!

 

Shadow Art: Outdoor Steam for Kids - This activity by Rhythms of play is excellent for kids as it will get them outside and experimenting with different ways to create shadows! Fill in the resulting outlines with chalk, and there you have it: shadow art! 

 

Shadow Tracing Activities - These two shadows tracing activities by Artful Parents, one  with grapes and one with curtains, are sure to delight kids of all ages, and are easy to pull off with minimal materials at home.

 

Shadow Tracing Activity for Kids - The dad lab brings us this fun shadow art activity—great for practicing fine motor skills and for introducing the concept of shadows to your kids! 

 

Shadow Artists

If you'd like to delve a little deeper into the subject, introduce your little one to these amazing artists that incorporate shadows into their artwork:

Kumi Yamashita creates amazing origami art by making use of light and shadow. 

 

Vincent Bal uses shadows to create super fun doodles. His Instagram account is definitely worth checking out!

 

Fabrizio Corneli is an Italian artist who has become famous for his innovations in shadow art. 

 

Rashad Alakbarov makes use of shadows to create complex installations that cast all sorts of fascinating shapes. 

 

Tim Noble and Sue Webster created this piece, Wild-Mood-Swings, in 2009 using discarded wood and a light projector. The shadows cast by their constructions are positively lifelike! 

 

Larry Kagan somehow crafts wire structures that when illuminated transform into hyper real creatures, like this Shadow Cat!

 

 Happy Creating!