How to Make the Easiest DIY Light Table + Activities!

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Learn how to make a DIY light table with Rachel!

This is one of my very favorite things we have ever done – and my kids love it too!

We made our very own DIY light table, and it really couldn’t be easier. I promise you can do this!

We actually made this for the first time about 4 years ago, and it definitely needed a little refreshing!

Build Your Own DIY Light Table:

There are lots of ways to make your own DIY light table, and about a zillion things to do with it.

Check out these other light box ideas, too!

For ours, I used a translucent under-the-bed storage bin.

I filled it with a few strings of white holiday lights. I used 3 or 4 strands of mini lights.

Then I taped white tissue paper to the inside of the lid. My storage bin happened to have a gap at the handle so I just snaked the plug out the handle, plugged it in and we were ready to go!

The tissue paper diffuses the light to make it easier on little eyes. It’s also just really pretty!

Endless Fun with Your DIY Light Table:

There are tons of ways to play with your light table. You can try things that require a little bit of prep but are super cool, like this making faces activity.

Hannah hadn’t used the light table in a while, so I kept it simple so she could really explore.

You can use clear objects around the house or buy some new items. We picked out special toys from Amazon.

You can also go super simple and still really fun, like this tracing activity.

First, we did some shape matching.

I set up some shapes on the table and then had her make matches. We talked about each shape and color as she was matching.

Then we moved on to colors.

Hannah started with a pile of the colorful bingo chips and sorted them by color. The chips we used are on the smaller side so manipulating them is a little bit of bonus fine motor work!

Note: please keep a close eye on little ones with these because they are nicely mouth-sized.

The last thing I got out for Hannah was these really pretty rock slices.

The original idea when I bought these was for some science exploration, and we do use them for that. My 8-year-old loves inspecting them and noticing all the tiny details.

However, right after we bought them I dropped them on the concrete floor in our basement and several of them broke. So now some of them are puzzles!

We also have these really cool letter construction shapes for the light table. They are a little tricky still for Hannah, but my 6 and 8 year old love them.

You use simple shapes to build every upper and lower case letter.

Recently, my older two have been using them to build other shapes. They have been combining everything to make intricate designs and pictures.

All three of them also love just playing with their dolls and action figures on the table as well.

It’s so worth the little bit of effort and gives them a great change of pace in their playtime.

How would you use a light table with your kiddo?

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