Sand and Water Play Benefits

As the weather warms, children of all ages will LOVE hitting the beach.

Sand and water enables hours of fun and this learning opportunity can easily be replicated in your nursery or preschool setting.

Here’s how…

A rich learning experience.

Children can learn a lot from playing with sand and water. Let’s look at some examples:

Understanding of the world: When children play with sand and water, they experience – first-hand – how these two important natural resources behave. What’s more, this discovery promotes open-ended, investigative play because children can control what these materials do. In addition, sand and water play can be extended to allow children to discuss different watery habitats and give them a context in which to explore and learn about different animals and plants.

Physical development: When children explore sand and water, they develop their fine motor skills and their hand-eye coordination. For example, when sand is moulded, dug, sifted and poured, major muscle groups are used. And it takes focus to put sand into a bucket or fill a sand mould. Similarly, water can be poured and used to fill up containers. This encourages children to use their muscles while they play tactically and discover how sand and water behave.

Maths: Sand and water can be weighed, divided, added and subtracted – offering lots of opportunities to discover basic mathematical principles. Mark making can be integrated too and children can practice drawing shapes with sticks and other resources. Water play offers a perfect environment for children to discover which items float and which sink.

Literacy: Sand and water play lends itself to stories about the high seas, pirate adventures, mermaid tales, buried treasure and travelling to different countries, cultures and communities. And early years practitioners can use this opportunity to engage children in cultural conversations and to put words around their ideas. In addition, beach visits can be discussed and home-nursery links can be nurtured, by encouraging children to bring in items that they’ve found on a beach hunt with their family.

Suitable for all ages

Children of all ages can enjoy playing with sand. Here are some examples:

• Babies will love this Crawl-in Sandbox that allows them to explore sand with their whole bodies

• These Tiny Tubs are just perfect for encouraging a group of children to enjoy sensory play together and explore sand and water

• Tuff Trays can be used inside and out and provide a sturdy base for all types of sensory play including sand and water

Integrate with other activities

Sand and water play can also be used as a platform to encourage other types of play. For example, sand is an ideal setting for small world play that involves pirates, mermaids and all manner of other adventures that a child can imagine. In addition, children can play with blocks and other construction toys in sand and water to discover ‘what happens if…’

If you’d like to integrate more sand and water play into your setting, let’s chat. You can book a free room plan and we can give you some ideas for maximising your space and investing in the appropriate equipment.