My Shadow Prediction — draw and write

My Shadow Prediction: illustrated shadow activity worksheet with space for children’s ideas

Look, then try.

A prediction is a clever guess you can check. Before you shine your light, say out loud what you think will happen: long shadow, short shadow, or almost none at all? Outside, the sun is the light: shadows stretch long and skinny in the morning, huddle small and tight at midday and stretch the other way in the evening. Use chalk to trace a shadow in the morning, then come back after lunch and trace it again in a different colour. Inside, tip the lamp or move the torch and guess before each move. Being wrong is not a mistake: it is the moment you learn something new.

Start drawing and writing below

Open the worksheet to print or save

Move lamps and torches with dry hands and keep them away from curtains and paper. Never look straight into a torch or the sun, and never stare at bright light. A grown-up dims the room and stays nearby, and an adult comes outside with you. Rest your eyes often, and nothing goes near your mouth.

Pen colourPen size

Use a finger, stylus or mouse in each drawing box. Type below it, or ask a grown-up to write your words. Your work stays in this tab. Save before refreshing or leaving.

ACTIVITY 1

My guess

Choose a toy and a light. Before you start, draw the shadow you expect.

I predict my shadow will be…I think this because…

ACTIVITY 2

Check my guess

Now make the shadow. Draw what actually happened next to your guess.

My shadow really was…My guess was…

ACTIVITY 3

Try again later

Trace the same outdoor shadow in the morning and again after lunch, or move your lamp and predict each time.

Later my shadow…The light changed by…

Your ideas belong here. There is no score.

What are we learning?

Predicting, checking and comparing results is the heart of how science works. The sun's position changes through the day, so the same object makes different shadows at different times.