Glowing Good Night: 9 Ways to Play in the Dark

Have a glowing good time this summer with play that’s perfect for the dark. It can be outdoors or inside with the lights dimmed; the choice is up to you! Scroll down to see shiny stars, glowing games and even simple science.

These nine marvelous ideas for illuminating fun will keep your late-night adventurers giggling long after they’ve cleaned up and hit the hay.

Photo: Crystal Underwood via Growing a Jeweled Rose

1. Luminous Lite Brite
Did you have a Lite Brite as a kid? Then you remember how much fun it was to see pegs light up in the shape of your favorite cartoon character. Making one of your own isn’t tricky. Crystal of Growing a Jeweled Rose provides several tutorials, and our favorite is the one suggesting glow sticks as pegs! Find other new takes on this classic toy over at Growing a Jeweled Rose.

Photo: Asia Citro via Fun at Home with Kids

2. Gleaming Gelatin Stars
Star light, star bright, first star we play with tonight. Put the light of the night sky into play time by whipping up a batch of glowing gelatin stars. They wiggle, jiggle and make the water glow brighter by the minute. Find out what you’ll need to get the groovy hue over at Fun at Home with Kids.

Photo: Angie Holden via The Country Chic Cottage

3. Glowing Grass Games
We dig this glow toss game from The Country Chic Cottage. Easy to make and easy to store, it’s the perfect addition to family field day, a sleepover or neigborhood BBQ. Find out how to make your own version by visiting Angie over at The Country Chic Cottage.

Photo: Epic Childhood

4. Glowing on an Egg Hunt
Anyone up for a little late night egg hunt? All of the excitement with none of the sugar overload, we adore this very simple but very awesome glow game. Works great indoors or out, hop on over to Epic Childhood to find out how to make these plastic orbs glow. Hint: it’s not glow sticks!

Photo: Growing Book by Book

5. Light up Letter Hunt
We love this idea from Growing Book by Book. Scavenger hunts let the kids hone their detective skills, learn a thing or two and have a blast at the same time! Do it in the dark and the fun factor goes sky high. Supplies are simple, you’ll probably have almost everything you’ll need right at home. For the complete list and ideas, head over to Growing Book by Book.

Photo: Play at Home Mom, LLC

6. Glow-in-the-Dark Tarp
Kids love tents and bubbles. What if it was possible to make a cross between the two? Play at Home Mom has done it, and the results are worth the effort. Several different types of glowing gear will work with this set up, including sticks, coded labels and a blacklight. Pick and choose, or try them all! Find out how to keep the bubble blowing by grabbing the full tutorial over at Play at Home Mom.

Photo: Andrea Patton via Our Little Women

7. Sidewalk Games Go Glow
If you’ve got ample floor space that can go dark in a flash, consider going black light with the classic sidewalk jumping game. If you don’t have the equipment, it’s also possible to grab glowing paint and make your own version; just be prepared for less radiance. Find out which color tapes glows the brightest (and other amazing ideas for a Black Light Party) over at Our Little Women.

Photo: Crystal Underwood via Growing a Jeweled Rose

8. Bright and Shiny Science
The glow queen does it again! We know oil and water don’t mix, but we didn’t know how cool the combo would look in the dark. Head over to Growing a Jeweled Rose for several tutorials, including how to make the glowing water, and which oil works best.

Photo: The Dating Divas

9. Brilliant Baseball
This night time version of America’s favorite pastime is a home run. Set up outside and prep your gear with plenty of glow sticks, then it’s game time! We love The Dating Divas idea of having teammates wear glow bracelets for easy i.d. abilities. Find more cool ideas for glow-in-the-dark play over at The Dating Divas.

How do you and your family enjoy glow-in-the-dark play? Share with us in the comments!

— Gabby Cullen