Turn out the lights. Flip on the flashlight. We are going to have some learning fun with a real flashlight and the book Flashlight by Lizi Boyd. The best part about this activity is that it uses items you already have on hand. In this flashlight activity, you can explore light and dark as well as build literacy skills. This fun exploration would be a great addition to a camping theme.
Flashlight Book and Literacy Activity
The literacy skills covered in this activity include:
- listening responsively to a book
- identifying details in a story
- identifying beginning sounds
Materials Needed
- Flashlight by Lizi Boyd
- flashlight
- empty cereal box
- cardboard tubes
- various stickers
- scissors
- glue
The Book: Flashlight
Flashlight by Lizi Boyd does an interesting job of showcasing light and dark with the help of a flashlight in this wordless book. It’s dark, and a child ventures outside the tent exploring all there is to discover.
Enjoy sharing the book several times throughout the week with the children. Invite the children to help you tell the story in this wordless book. Ask the students to watch for different things the child reveals with the help of the flashlight on the first read.
On a repeated reading, you can emphasize the animals that are active at night. Explain that we call these animals nocturnal.
Beginning Sounds Flashlight Activity
This activity will allow students to practice identifying beginning sounds with an inexpensive activity. The experience can be done as an individual or small group activity.
Setting Up the Activity
Cut off the back of a cereal box to form a tray. Cut the cardboard tubes into varying lengths. You want 8-12 pieces.
Randomly place stickers on the base of the tray spacing them a few inches away from the other stickers. Select sticker items that begin with sounds you want the students to practice.
Glue around the bottom of each tube and place each one over a sticker. Allow everything to dry completely.
Expert tip, don’t forget to test your flashlights and make sure that you having working flashlights.
Starting the Activity
Tell the students that they are going on a beginning sound flashlight hunt. They are going to shine a flashlight down into each tube on the tray. Students should name the object they see and identify the beginning sound and say it aloud. Continue until all items have been discovered.
Extensions, Variations, and Modifications
1. Instead of beginning sounds you could have students identify ending sounds or rhyming words.
2. Turn the activity into a phonics activity and have students find a letter magnet and match the beginning sound to a visual letter.
3 Make a tray with items that all have the same beginning sound. This tray will emphasize one particular sound.
4. Let students pair together to play. They can take turns being the “finder” and the “announcer.”
5. Students could also make their own boards to take home.
Contributed by Jodie, the creator of Growing Book by Book.
Early literacy is child’s play! We will be discovering even more about preschoolers, play, and learning at the Soar to Success Summit in July.
