How to make the most of your summer with sand play
A bag of play sand is a cheap purchase that can entertain your children for the whole of the summer (and beyond).
Sand is brilliant, because it’s versatile and can be used for play both outdoors and indoors (if you’re feeling brave). If you have the space, a designated sandpit is great, but filling up an old paddling pool, storage box or even a simple roasting tin or Tupperware box works too!
How to keep children entertained with sand
When you first introduce sand to your child, keep it simple and potentially only give them sand in a tray so that they can fully immerse themselves in the sensory experience.
Then as their interest begins to dwindle, why not introduce a few different types of spoons, followed by various containers? Adding objects into the mix will help to keep them interested in sand and encourage them to explore it in new and interesting ways.
What can you add to sand to make it more exciting?
Simply add water
Wet sand and dry sand are two completely different materials and while it's impossible to sieve wet sand, it's equally impossible to build with dry sand! Adding spray water bottles and small jugs of water will encourage them to experiment with changing and altering the texture and then manipulating the sand in new and interesting ways.
Add things from your kitchen cupboards
You don’t need to buy any sand-specific toys. In fact, things you no longer need from the kitchen are brilliant for sand exploration. This could be a sieve, colander, tubs, recycled containers or tubes, old scales, jars, pans, pots, cutlery and utensils, which all make for a fun and interesting way to explore this material. Just make sure they are clean and safe, and that you supervise your child using them.
Hide objects in the sand
Looking for and discovering objects in sand make it a great exploration and creative task. It will also encourage your child to think critically and mathematically. You could add shells, stones, dinosaurs, treasure, flowers, leaves or other toys to the mix to make it into an archaeological dig!
Add other materials
You can add different materials to sand to change its texture and usability. For example, if you add paint and PVA glue it becomes a wonderful painting resource to make 3D prints. If you add flour and oil, you can make a moon sand that comes together, and you can build with it and crumble it apart easily. We have lots of recipes in our app you can try! Download here: My First Five Years on the App Store (apple.com)
Make marks!
Why not add sticks, paint brushes or other tools and encourage your child to make marks in the sand. This is a good way to practise both fine and gross motor movements that will eventually support them in writing.
So that your sandpit or tray can be used over and over again, make sure that you keep it covered up when not in use. This will make sure that your sand is still fresh and clean, and prevent it from going to waste when it can be used and enjoyed again.
