Community Helper Light Table Activities for Preschool, Pre-K, & Kindergarten

A community helper theme is very popular in preschool rooms, so I have made a whole post with community helper light table activities for preschool, pre-k, & kindergarten students. These ideas focus on math, literacy, science, & STEM skills with a community helper theme.

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Community Helper Light Table Activities for Fine Motor Skills

Chef Light Table! Practice pre-writing skills and fine motor strength on the light table! Students can build lines with different-shaped noodles for a chef or restaurant in the community. They could also trace the lines with dry-erase markers. I made the lines by writing on the inside of a lamination sheet and running through the laminator to seal.

Community Helper Light Table Activities for Literacy

Construction Light Table! For a construction theme, break out the little toy equipment, small rocks, and brown tissue paper to make this fun light table activity. I wrote letters on brown tissue paper and laminated them for durability. Then, I cut them into shapes like rocks. I crumbled up some paper and gave students rocks to build the letters. Students will work on letter recognition, letter formation, and fine motor skills. You could make a capital and lowercase letters set for different ways to play. 

Community Helper Light Table Activities for Math

Farmer Light Table! Make an apple orchard themed activity by making some apples out of tissue paper and laminating them. Then, I set out dice, tongs, and bowls of counters. Students roll a die and count out that many counters. Add in another math skill by having them sort by color, too! Make it harder by having students roll 2 dice and practice addition skills. Give students tongs to help them develop fine motor strength. Your preschool classroom will be developing color identification skills along with their other math skills.

Beautician Light Table! Connect your community helpers light table activities to books to make a stronger connection throughout the classroom. Students measured combs with linking cubes after we read the book “Princess Hair”. This will be so fun in your preschool classroom. These light table ideas are a great place to get ideas for new ways to help students develop math skills in the preschool classroom. 

Barista Light Table! Use coffee beans for a counting manipulatives to make your room smell yummy and help develop counting skills with your little learners. Students rolled a die and put that many scoops in the cup. Students could also put that many beans in the cup if they didn’t want to use the spoons. Make it harder by having students roll 2 dice and practice addition skills. I can see students developing social skills while taking orders and pretending to be in a coffee shop with this setup on the light panel. 

Pilot Light Table! Make some sky by cutting blue tissue paper into different shapes. You can laminate them to make them more durable. Then, students can build the shapes with small gems, find the matching shaped buttons, or trace the shape with the airplanes. Don’t be afraid to add a book to your light table too!

Grocery Clerk Light Table!  Grab some themed plastic eggs to make a fun light table setup! I found these translucent carrot plastic eggs at the dollar store around Easter time. Then, I added tweezers, pom poms, and number cards. Beforehand, I put number stickers on the carrots. Then students had to place the carrot on the matching number card and then fill it with the matching number of pom poms.

Community Helper Light Table Activities for Science & STEM

Build a City Light Table! Grab these FREE road strips and print them on regular paper. I cut them into different-sized strips and added translucent building bricks and little cars. Young students can build their own communities and visit different places around the map. Kids of all ages will love this fun idea to build and design a town. 

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Firefighter Light Table! Use magnatiles, tealights, fire gems, and little fire trucks to build a fire station or a fire emergency. Your students will have so much fun building and playing together. If you don’t have a light table, you can use a light tablet or a tabletop.

Plumber Light Table! This pipe building set is so much fun for a community helper theme or water study. A great way to increase classroom connections is to put a book relating to your theme for students to get building ideas.

Architect Light Table! If your students are bored of the normal light box materials, try adding something new! My students love magnatiles, and when I put them on the light table, they have a blast. When the new wears off, I add in magnetic bingo chips and people counters to give them something new to build with. Some other ideas for STEM activities materials are pom poms, loose parts, tissue paper to make templates, small pieces of pipe cleaner, buttons, different colors of beads, plastic eggs, etc. 

Doctor Light Table! During our community helper study, my students loved this light table. I am sure you have used x-rays on the light table, but amp it up with a skeleton, mini bones or qtips, and books. Students can build the x-rays with the little bones or qtips; this is a fun way to increase fine motor skills with your little learners in the science center. Then, they can try to identify where that x-ray is on the body.

Dentist Light Table! Talk about dental hygiene and the mouth on the light table. Your students can look at a mouth x-ray, take care of a toy mouth, and more. The little teeth and pieces of yarn are great to practice flossing and building with.

Veterinarian Light Table! Again, I’m sure you thought about looking at animal x-rays on the light table, but have you thought of making it a matching game? Give students the x-rays and some stuffed animals that match and see if they can match them up. I also set out mini bones so they could build.

Mechanic Light Table! Set out some books or STEM cards to give students ideas for things to build on the light table. Little learners can build vehicles and then work on them with washers, bolts, and nuts. If you have young children, you can skip the small parts and have them build vehicles.

Your students are going to have a blast with these community helper ideas for the light table! There are enough ideas to last your whole community helper theme, which makes your job so much easier! Grab your lesson plans and pencil in your favorites! Don’t forget to grab the Community Helper Math & Literacy Centers to complete your theme!

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