One of our favorite items to use during center time in preschool is the light table. Kids love things that light up - shoes, glow sticks or fun night lights - light brings another element of interest. When I put a light table in our preschool classroom, it was an easy sell. The thing gets used daily and we can do so many learning activities right on the table!
Do you have a light table in your preschool classroom, or looking to get one?
Here you can find the light table we have (affiliate link). It's a tabletop light table and we love it. It takes up less space and can easily be moved to another area of the classroom if need be.
Now, let's get into those must-have items for the light table!
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Small Translucent Manipulatives: great for patterning, sorting and counting. You can find small translucent manipulatives lots of places. Check your local craft store for 'table scatter'. You can find translucent table scatter for lots of different Holidays. Also, keep your eyes out for any small toys that are translucent. I had found some dogs and cats at the Dollar Spot years ago.
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Re-Useable Ice Cubes*: Great for stacking (fine motor), counting, sorting and patterning. You can usually find these plastic, water-filled cubes during the summer time at many local stores. I have also found some in different shapes! Keep your eye out when out shopping! Sidenote: no, we have not had an ice cube pop or leak. I'm sure it is possible, but so far we haven't had an issue!
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Clear Shallow Tray: By having a clear shallow tray, you can use different materials in the tray, with a paintbrush, to write letters and numbers. Try putting old sprinkles, rice, sand or fake snow in the tray.
- Colored Translucent Cups: Great for stacking (fine motor), sorting and problem solving. I was able to find two different sizes of cups at the Dollar Tree during the summer. But, the small, shot-sized cups* seem to fit better on the light table.
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Translucent Letters & Numbers: Great for all kinds of math and literacy skills! We have the small translucent letters from Colorations*. They are quite small, but the kids don't seem to mind. We have the translucent numbers* (there are also letters that come with it) from Edx Education. They are much larger.
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Light Table Mats: These Mats were created to scaffold children's learning while at the light table. By giving children a guide in how to use the manipulatives, we can steer learning!
Do you have these must-haves for your light table?
Drop me a comment and let me know!
*This post contains affiliate links. I receive a small commission when you buy through the links in this post.