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Peabody TeachFor teachers and grown-ups

Shadows and light: a preschool theme week

Checked Oct 30, 2026 · Winter · December, January, February

One week on shadows and light for twos to fours: a five-line circle time, 4 books (2 free to read on Peabody), one craft with 4 materials, “Hey Diddle Diddle” with its words, a snack from the Kitchen and the letter L.

Plan this weekPrint the two sheets

Circle time

  1. Good morning song, then say each name together.
  2. Calendar: the day, the date and the weather.
  3. Ask: “Where does your shadow go when the sun goes in?”
  4. Sing: Hey Diddle Diddle.
  5. Read: I See a Boy (level 3).

Threes and fours: ten to fifteen minutes; let a child hold the book.

Books

  • I See a Boy (level 3, free on peabody.kids): Seeing things: what we need light for.
  • Where Is the Cat? (level 3, free on peabody.kids): Hide and seek: where is it hiding?
  • The Little Lantern (read aloud, level 6): A read-aloud: a small light at night.
  • The Sun Is a Star (read aloud, level 5): A read-aloud: our biggest light.

Craft: Shadow puppets

You need (4): dark card animal shapes (grown-up cuts), craft sticks, tape, a flashlight.

  1. Tape each shape to a stick.
  2. A grown-up shines the flashlight on a wall.
  3. Make the animal's shadow move and talk.

With a grown-up. No heat, nothing hot.

Song: Hey Diddle Diddle

The words

Hey, diddle, diddle, The cat and the fiddle, The cow jumped over the moon; The little dog laughed To see such sport, And the dish ran away with the spoon.

Traditional; public domain. From Top 52 nursery rhymes with lyrics.

Snack

Frozen Banana Pops from the Peabody Kitchen: picture steps, allergy swaps and safety lines on the recipe.

Swap: Yogurt → oat yogurt.

Letter pack

LlL is for light. Print the two pages (a trace page and a color page).

Threes and fours: trace L and l once, then find L in the room and in the book.

Outside: Shadow tag

On a sunny day: try to step on a friend's shadow. Where does your shadow go in the shade?

All themesDecember themesJanuary themesFebruary themesThe theme plannerPreschool and daycare

The books are Peabody's own open library, free with no sign-in. The song is public domain. The snack links to the Peabody Kitchen. Nothing here asks for a child's name.