Love STEM Light & Reflective Play

When children are given the opportunity to freely explore light and reflection, they instantly become intrigued by the many possibilities within the materials. From infancy through early childhood, playing with light and reflection invites children to form theories, experiment, and deepen their understanding of the world, while supporting many areas of development. They are often fascinated and deeply engaged by the interplay of shapes, patterns, shadows, spacing, imagery, light, size, and color.

With Valentine’s Day approaching, this invitation used various materials to spark children’s curiosity and creativity regarding their current interests. On the table, we placed a canvas drop cloth, a large circular mirror and a smaller spinning mirror, our favorite cones in pink, purple, and red, iridescent cups, hexagon risers, cloud shapes, linking discs, clear and colored acrylic heart gems, potion bottles, and LED color-changing tea lights.

Light and reflection are all around us, and from birth, children pay close attention to them because of their ever-changing, magical nature. Whether children are looking into a mirror, exploring light, or building with open-ended materials, they are naturally drawn to how light and reflection transform their play.

Through these invitations, we not only honor children’s interests, but also nurture their imagination by intentionally selecting materials that inspire wonder, problem-solving, and limitless creative thinking. May there always be magic, light, and love in their days.