10 Sand Play Ideas for the Summer
Sand is a staple in any setting. It goes hand in hand with water and children just love it. It can be used as simply as it is or be mixed with water, adding stones and logs for a dinosaur swamp. Add construction vehicles, buckets and spades, bury pirate treasure in it or letter or number hunts, add dinosaur bones and fossils to sand for children to uncover. Sand makes a great base for tray play. Why not mark make on the sand?
We get tagged in a lot of sand play and activities over on our social channels. Be sure to check out our other sand related blog posts.
Here are 10 sand play ideas for the summer:
- Digging for Fossils and Bones
Digging in sand to look for fossils and bones is always popular. This could also be a digging for treasure activity or digging for hidden letters? What will you discover? Add brushes and scoops to enable children to dig and brush like a paleontologist.
2. Messy Mark Making
Add sand and water and get mixing and swirling making mark using fingers, sticks or brushes.
3. Small World Play
Create a sealife or ocean theme with sand and water. Add pebbles, shells and sea creatures, sharks for a small world scene to explore. You could extend this by adding pirates or mermaids. Sand also makes a great base for Dinosaur Worlds.
4. Exploring and Counting Shells & Pebbles
Ask children to collect shells if they are near a beach or going away. Display them, count them in tens frames or bamboo pots, discuss what creatures live inside them. Bury them in the sand.
5. Loose Parts
Explore ocean-themed loose parts on sand as a great natural base. What can you create?
6. Construction Play
Hours of endless fun to be had with construction small world play using a crane and a construction vehicle set and figures. These Vehicles are great for transporting sand and digging.
7. Rolling
Add bamboo ramps to your sand play - encourage children to see what happens when you tip sand down the chute. Add wooden balls or conkers or shells - will they roll down the chute too?
8. Buckets and Spades
What better way to play with sand than with buckets and spades? Dig, scoop, make sand castles. Dig for treasure.
9. Make a Sand Kitchen
Get messy and add lots of water to make sand pies, tea or soup! A great sensory activity for little ones with some added role play to make sand pies and soup. Sand soup?...Yes please!
10. Mandalas and Transient Art on Sand
Don’t forget to share your Sand play and activities and set ups with us on our social media channels: @CosyDirect #CosyDirect #CosyClubIdeas #CosyTuffSpot
