Using the light table in other areas of the classroom is sometimes hard to imagine, but I love thinking of new ways to utilize it for all subjects! Keep reading for STEM & science light table activities designed for preschool, pre-k, and kindergarten students. If you need ideas for math light table activities, head here.
Check out the Little Learners Science Curriculum here! Grab all the STEM I Can Build sets here!
Find more of my favorite light table play items on my Light Table Amazon List.
This post contains affiliate links, which means I earn a tiny commission when you use my links at no cost to you.
Add Mirrors! An easy way to change up your light table is to add mirrors to your building materials. I love these flexible, break-proof mirrors for young children. The mirrors give students a new perspective and reengages them. Building on the light table is a fun way to increase fine motor skills in different ways in your preschool classroom.
Introduce a New Material! If your students are bored of the normal light box materials, try adding something new! My students love magnatiles, and when I put them on the light table, they have a blast. When the new wears off, I add in magnetic bingo chips and people counters to give them something new to build with. Some other ideas for STEM activities materials are pom poms, loose parts, tissue paper to make templates, small pieces of pipe cleaner, buttons, different colors of beads, plastic eggs, etc.
Give them a themed task! Give students a picture of what you want them to build with your materials to get their creativity flowing. I love to use my STEM I Can Build sets because they have real images to build students’ background knowledge. For this gingerbread house setup, there are magnatiles, bells, magnetic bingo chips, and little gingerbread men.
Cup Stacking Light Table! Grab a bunch of colorful cups in a variety of sizes from your dollar store. I love the small cups for the light table. I added some gems for another manipulative. Keep reading for more STEM & Science light table activities for young children.
Marble Run Light Table! For a summer theme, I set out pictures of water slides and roller coasters and gave students the marble run set. They made some awesome structures!
Match your theme! This pipe building set is so much fun for a community helper theme or water study. A great way to increase classroom connections is to put a book relating to your theme for students to get building ideas.
Habitats Light Table! Use real-life images to bring the light table to life for your students in the science center. I wanted students to create a polar region with the materials. Students used small cups, gems, plastic ice cubes, icicle ornaments, and penguins. They had so much fun building and creating this light table. Keep reading for more STEM & Science light table activities for young children.
Rainforest Light Table! Your students will love this rainforest set up on the light table. I gave students gems, animals, wood circles, sticks, and fake foliage. A real-life image is a great addition to your light table activity. It piques students’ interests about their natural world, helps them build background knowledge, and may spark their creativity. I think this would be a fun idea for a light table activity for older children, too; they could really create and explore habitats.
X-Ray Light Table! During our bone study, my students loved this light table. I am sure you have used x-rays on the light table, but amp it up with a skeleton, mini bones or qtips, and books. Students can build the x-rays with the little bones or qtips; this is a fun way to increase fine motor skills with your little learners in the science center.. Then, they can try to identify where that x-ray is on the body.
Animal X-Rays Light Table! Again, I’m sure you thought to look at animal x-rays on the light table but have you thought to make it a matching game? Give students the x-rays and some stuffed animals that match and see if they can match them up. I also set out mini bones so they could build. Keep reading for more STEM & Science light table activities for young children.
Color Exploration Light Table! Take your science table to the light table! I usually have this color set up on my science table, but the light table made it so much more fun! The light shined through the sensory bottles and color paddles, and the students loved it. It was fun to explore color mixing with the paddles with the light shining through. Little kids will develop critical thinking skills as they explore the colors and how to mix them to make new colors.
Build Snowflakes! Give students translucent manipulatives to build snowflakes on the light table. Pattern blocks, sunburst beads, gems, and icicle ornaments all worked great for my students. Pom poms, loose parts, small pieces of tissue paper, and cotton balls would also be a good idea for building materials. I set out science printables from the Snow & Ice unit to tie the activity into our theme.
Using your light table all around the room can be a great way to engage little kids in a new area or activity that didn’t interest them before. I want you to see that you don’t have to reinvent the wheel or use totally new things each time you turn it on. Your students will learn and enjoy whatever you put out for them. Kids of all ages will also develop social skills while working at the light box. To make it even easier, don’t forget to grab the science units and STEM I Can Build cards! These are great for another STEM activity in the block center or for free play for young minds with loose parts.
I hope you enjoyed these STEM & Science light table activities. Check out more light table inspiration below! There are ideas for math skills, letter recognition, sight words, fine motor strength, color identification, and MORE!
Love these STEM & science light table activities? Pin this image of fun light table activities!