5 Sensory sandbox learning opportunities
Posted by Jess Goodwin on 22 May 2022
Take your sandbox to new depths by sprinkling in these creative yet simple sensory learning experiences.
Kids have been playing in sand for years, even centuries. And I think we can all agree there is nothing better than sinking your hands and feet into the cool sand. Pathways.org says children who play in “the sand by themselves and with others helps them to develop fine motor skills” along with other developmental skills. There are many ways to encourage critical thinking with the activities you choose.
With the benefits of sand play in mind, let’s sink into some easy learning opportunities you can do at home with your child.
1. Blocks
Take some blocks or shapes you have at home and bury them in your sandbox. Do this out of sight of the child. Then call them in and start asking them to find certain color shapes or specific shapes in the sand. This causes them to think and identify the colors and shapes while also encouraging digging and fine motor skills.
2. Counting Bears
Place your counting bears all around your sandbox. Try to add more of a certain color, or just use two colors. Then you can ask your child to count how many of a certain color there are. You can ask questions in different ways. “Can you count the red bears? Can you take out all the blue bears? How many green and yellow bears are there?”
3. Letters
If your child is learning to recognize letters or spell their name, place magnetic letters or block letters into your sandbox and start asking questions. Ask them to find the letters in their name or spell their name as they find the letter. You can also encourage them to trace their name in the sand with their finger.
4. Animals
Animal recognition is also a skill that can be easily taught with your sandbox. Take your child’s plastic animals and let them find their favorite animal or specific animals, even future anthropologists can get in on the action by digging for dinos! If your child is a little more advanced, you can ask for ocean animals or animals for the jungle. Your questions can adjust to your child’s level of development.
5. Other Mediums
With your sandbox, pit or tub, you can substitute the sand for water, rice, beans or other sensory mediums. You can even mix in sand with these and encourage your child to create new worlds like a coral reef or castle in their sandbox!
These activities can be done in a sandbox, pit or tub. We recommend these from Simplay3.com.
