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Writer's pictureTracy Kearns

Sand and Water play


Sand play and water play are some of those amazing activities that can have so many benefits and often are something that we do not even consider as a learning task!


I cannot remember a time at the beach where my children didn’t do things like bury their dad in sand or make forts!


It’s an activity that has spanned generations and can often encourage the most stubborn of children off of the tv, or tablet!


Even if you are not at the beach, you can buy a bag of cheap sand and use some washing up bowls from a cheap shop and start your adventures.


It doesn’t have to look or be amazing to have fun!


Some ideas:

You can use kitchen utensils (sorry but you can!)

Make music by adding water to different levels of containers

Mark making (everywhere!)

Add food die to the water

Use all fingers and toes to make pictures on the floor


This is an extremely flexible activity use your imagination and theirs! What can you think of to do with water or sand?

You can even use a mud kitchen with sand in it instead of mud!


Truly it's such an adaptable activity!



On to sand and water play benefits,:


Creates a safe place for expression and role play


Roleplay and engaging with objects to enable role play, can really strengthen a child’s ability to engage and work through their understanding of the world around them.


This can also be a great time to engage in conversation over things that might be uncomfortable in their life.


Sand therapy is a real thing and something that can benefit any age but even just discussing everyday life and engaging in conversations can be easier with something to express themselves with.


Builds motor skills


Sand and water can build motor skills from mark-making and the way we hold items and use all the muscles in our hands building that strength, to lifting heavy buckets of sand and navigating the ocean waves to fill a castle moat.

Sand is an extremely good way to build those skills!


Sensory explorations


Sand and water can often have things added to them (cornflour and water =gloop!!!!!)

or add them to each other, you can make a plethora of different sensations for your child.


It’s also possible to get them used to the sensation of sand and water before a big summer holiday at the beach so they don’t lift their feet up as soon as they touch a strange texture!


Maths


Discovering how to fill containers, different amounts of liquid or sand, filling up different spaces and actual measurement in jugs is an amazing starter point, but If you want to take it further lookup Sand and Water play maths activities for your key stage/age and you will find a lot of information on learning with these items


If you would like any more ideas on sand activities then feel free to give me a shout, or if your child is struggling to engage in this type of sensory play then book into one of my 20-minute zoom sessions so we can have a talk!


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