Here’s a neat way to create your own shadow puzzle, an advanced version of a game Travis and I played long ago. One child can challenge him or herself with the final product, or invite a friend or sibling fill in the puzzle once created.
First, Travis and I gathered metal items from around the house. We ended up with a coin, a paper clip, a hole punch, a spoon, and a key.
Place the items on a piece of paper and cover with a second sheet of paper. Rub with the side of a crayon to reveal the shadow of the images underneath.
It was interesting to see what worked well (the flatter things) and what didn’t; the spoon was quite tricky!
We removed the items and now Travis had to match everything up to its silhouette, a challenge he enjoyed.
Again, this was fun with one kid but would be a great game for two kids: one to make the puzzle and the other to fill it in.
Don’t underestimate the magic of bubbles. Blowing bubbles is an activity I remind myself to return to at intervals, since children engage with them differently as they age. The last time we did 
joyful parenting 