How to build an easy DIY Light Table

Light tables are great for young kids and preschoolers as they invite them to explore play through light, shadow, colour and transparency. The light table adds a very unique element to their exploration and plays which ultimately encourages their sense of curiosity, exploration and problem-solving skills.

I started using the light table when my son was 18 months to have a unique way to look at different colours on the light table.

My son was fascinated and still is at 4 years old. We incorporate our light table in many of our dramatic play space such as the Doctor clinic or the Vet clinic.

In this blog post, I would like to share the materials I used and the steps I followed to DIY this light table for my son. Once I figured out which materials to use, the whole project took about 10 minutes to assemble – Yes, I promise, it was that EASY!

Materials Used

• A table – I used an Ikea Lack table which I found for free on the internet
• An LED light strip – I used a 5M Smart LED light strip like this one which has a remote to change the lighting colour
• Perspex or Acrylic Sheet (like this one)  cut to size 450 x 450 x 8mm
• 1 sheet of A1 Tracing paper cut to size 450 x 450 mm. I purchased a roll of tracing paper to cut to size and reuse the leftover for other DIY projects; similar to this one
• White paint – I just used the Crayola one we already had at home for other painting projects. Crayola white paint
• Some tape, measuring tape, cutter, ruler and pencil
• 4 large screws
• An electric screwdriver. I wanted a sturdy electric screwdriver for all my DIY craft and home projects so I invested in this one from Bosch. I have been using it for over 5 years without any issues!

Directions

1. Draw a square in the middle of the table using a pencil: 400 x 400 mm
2. Cut the upper layer of the table using a cutter
3. Remove the inner cardboard layer
4. Drill a hole on one side of the table for the LED light strip to go through
   
5. Pain the inside of the table using white paint. Let it dry overnight
6. Prepare your A1 tracing paper by cutting it 450 x 450mm
   
7. Tape the LED light strip in a circular manner and make sure it goes through the hole you drilled to plug it in
   
8. Place your 450 x 450 mm tracing paper on top of the table
9. Place your perspex or acrylic sheet on top of the tracing paper
10. Drill screws in the four corners of the perspex or acrylic sheet to make sure they don’t move around
    
11. Plug into your nearest powerpoint. Alternatively, you can buy a battery-operated LED light strip which costs a bit more but looks oh-so-much better especially if you want to place your light table in the middle of the play space.
12. And turn the light on – Voilà!

As your kids use the light table, they play and imagine. Try to incorporate a dedicated French-inspired environment using your DIY light table, they will be building fantastic content-specific vocabulary in French!

Have you DIY’ed a light table, or are you planning on creating one? I’d love to hear from you below.