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Shadow theme for 2 year olds: a week of activities

A shadow theme lesson plan for 2 year olds: what a day looks like, then the week's circle time (about five minutes, standing up for the song), books, craft, song, snack, letter and outside time, each with what changes at this age.

Plan this week for 2 year oldsThe whole shadow week

A day of the shadow theme with 2 year olds

  1. Arrival, hands washed, free play.
  2. Circle (about five minutes): hello song, then “Where does your shadow go when the sun goes in?” and sing “hey diddle diddle”.
  3. Craft with a grown-up pouring and cutting: shadow puppets.
  4. Snack: Frozen Banana Pops.
  5. Outside: shadow tag.
  6. Read I See a Boy, the same book again tomorrow.
  7. Rest, then color the letter L picture page.

Shadow 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).

Twos: about five minutes; stand up for the song.

Shadow theme 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.

Shadow 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.

Twos: a grown-up pours the paint and holds the glue.

Shadow 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.

Shadow snack

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

Swap: Yogurt → oat yogurt.

Letter L activities

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

Twos: the picture page only; color it and say the word.

Outside activity: Shadow tag

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

Shadow theme for toddlersShadow theme for 3 and 4 year oldsShadow theme, all ages

Checked 2026-10-30