Fun & learning combined in the sandpit
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By
Katrin F.
Playing in the sand: guaranteed fun for children of all ages
We particularly remember the carefree playtimes of our childhood. One of these play adventures was undoubtedly playing in the sand. Who can't remember the days when the sandpit was the scene of countless adventures and creative discoveries?
But what we didn't realize back then was that playing in the sand was not only fun, but also taught us important things .Did you know that a simple sandbox can be a gateway to a world of learning opportunities? Playing in the sand is not only a fun outdoor activity, but actually offers your child the opportunity to develop and improve different skills. This article is all about the developmental areas that children's games in the sand address. You can also look forward to sandy play ideas and important practical tips for playing in the sand.
What skills does playing in the sand develop in children?
When your child builds castles, bakes sand cakes, draws patterns in the soft ground or buries their hands in the grainy sand, they are effectively developing their sensory perception, motor skills and creativity.
This makes playing in the sand an extremely valuable activity, especially in terms of child development.
In the following, we delve deeper into the topic and answer the question "What is promoted when playing with sand?" in detail.
Developing fine and gross motor skills through play: the sandpit as a place to learn
What do walking, standing and running, clapping and snapping, eating, drinking and changing clothes, writing, turning the pages of a book and riding a bike have in common? All these things are impossible without motor skills. Accordingly, motor skills are one of the largest and most important areas of a child's development.
The sandpit is the ideal learning environment when it comes to motor development. Just standing and carefully walking on the soft sand stimulates your child's motor skills - or more precisely, their gross motor skills. Not to mention handling buckets, shovels, molds, rakes and watering cans, which trains fine motor skills. If your child has mainly been working with their hands when playing in the sand so far, you can offer them toys to supplement this in order to strengthen their motor skills.
Playing in the sand promotes creativity and imagination
When playing in the sand, (almost) only the rules that your child sets themselves apply. In contrast to many other children's games, playing with sand is often unstructured and completely without a set plan. This naturally offers plenty of scope for creativity. Your child can try things out freely and is only bound by the guidelines that may have been communicated by parents or carers beforehand. For example, you can advise your child without hesitation not to rub the sand in their eyes, without having to worry about restricting their creativity. Certain rules also make sense in the sandpit!
While some children immediately create the wildest creations out of the sand with an almost bubbling imagination and are always thinking up new sandpit games, others don't know exactly what to do with the sand straight away. As a parent, you can support them with suggestions. Make sure that you don't go into too much detail, but simply bring ideas into play - your child's imagination will do the rest!
How playing in the sand promotes a child's social and emotional development
In terms of interpersonal interaction, the sandpit is also a place of almost endless development opportunities. When children play together in the sandpit, they have experiences that are invaluable for their emotional intelligence and social skills.
Share and take turns
Sometimes two children reach for the same mold, sometimes all the other players want to try out the new bucket at the same time and sometimes they can't decide who gets to fill the watering can: sandbox games are a real goldmine when it comes to learning how to share and take turns.
Conflict resolution
If there are different ideas about what the perfect sandcastle should look like or if you can't agree on a game, the kids can practise conflict resolution in the sandpit. Small disputes and misunderstandings are inevitable when playing together in the sand. This automatically creates points of contact with the important topics of dispute resolution and finding solutions.
Develop empathy
Is a teammate angry because they didn't bake the best sand cake, or are tears rolling down their cheeks because someone has destroyed their sandcastle? Then your child will learn how to deal with other people's feelings and put themselves in other people's shoes.
Communication skills
Playing together in the sand means coming to an agreement, finding compromises, communicating your own wishes, expressing ideas, discussing and advising. Accordingly, playing with sand improves your child's communication skills.
Self-confidence and independence
Playing in the sand is also useful when no other player is available and your child has to manage on their own. Independent play encourages your child to work independently and experiment on their own.
They will be twice as proud of castles that they have built on their own and mud pies that they have baked on their own!
Sand games for different age groups: Age-appropriate sand games
As with all games, the same applies to children's games in the sand: whatever is suitable for the child's age is particularly entertaining and stimulating. That's why it's important to make sand play age-appropriate. The"Sand and water toys" category provides you with inspiration and the right equipment.
Sandpit for toddlers
Toddlers don't need fancy ideas and extensive play suggestions to play in the sand. For them, it is already a great experience to feel wet and dry sand between their fingers, to make hand and footprints, to fill buckets and empty them again or to observe how water discolors the sand.
Important: When small children play in the sand, the safety instructions discussed later in this article are particularly important . The butterfly sandpit is particularly suitable for small children.
Preschool children in the sand
Pre-school children may need a little more "action" in the sand so that they don't get bored and can be encouraged. They often enjoy building huge sandcastles or digging and filling more complex moat systems. It is important that the children can flexibly adapt the games in the sand to their own abilities and interests.
For digging and building in the sand, the Mickey bucket is a great companion for little explorers.
Many parents ask themselves one question about the sandpit: When is it sensible to start playing in the sand?
In principle, children can play in the sandpit under supervision from the moment they can sit freely. However, it is still some time before they can really play independently in the sandpit. To assess the extent to which your child already benefits from playing in sand, you should observe and assess their individual motor and sensory development.
Creative ideas for sand games: Inspiration and guidance for parents
There are an incredible number of games in the sand with children that are worth trying out! Below we would like to take a closer look at some particularly popular children's games in the sand that are as simple as they are creative:
Treasure hunts in the sand
Play figures, chocolate gold coins or simply particularly beautiful stones: These are all objects that you can use as treasure. Hide them in the sand and equip the kids with shovels, buckets and sieves to help them find the treasure. Our tip: The bigger the sandpit, the bigger the items you bury should be.
Marble runs
Ruts in the sand can be turned into a marble run in no time at all, allowing children to experiment with different widths, tracks and lengths. Off they go on a wild ride!
Sand artworks
Playing in the sand while creating works of art - it's possible! Let the kids collect natural materials in advance, such as leaves, branches and stones, which they can later use to decorate their sand pictures.
They can draw the pictures themselves in the sand with their hands as well as with forks, shovels and rakes. The Spidey handcart issuitable for collecting the sand itself , sothat the little ones can carry everything into the sandpit together.
Water and sand experiments
How much water makes the sand nice and squishy? What does almost completely dry sand feel like? And how much water is too much? When water meets sand, children can gain unique haptic experiences and start great experiments. Building canals and dams is also an idea that adds new spice to playing with sand. If you are looking for the right "tool" for building in the sand for your little ones, we recommend the Peppa Wutz bucket set with a watering can, which is perfect for water play in the sand.
Or are you looking for a whole set of equipment for your little builder? Then take a look at our sand building site super set.
Cooking and baking games
Bake, bake cake: Baking sand cakes is certainly one of the classics among games with sand . In an imaginative role play, your child can prepare delicious imaginary dishes from sand and garnish them with stones, shells or leaves - hopefully you won't have to try it!
Building sandcastles and sand sculptures
Building sandcastles and shaping sculptures is a must when playing in the sand!
Your child can use buckets, molds and other accessories to create increasingly complex buildings and elaborate structures. Our sand play shell with sand toys is ideal for helping your little builder to do this.
The role of parents when playing with sand
Playing in the sand together with your child creates childhood memories that you will always look back on fondly. By exploring the many possibilities offered by the sandpit together, trying things out and learning together, you strengthen your bond. Playing in the sand helps to promote the parent-child relationship.
Health and safety during sand play
When children play, safety and health protection always have priority. Of course, children's games in the sand are no exception. Below we tell you what you should look out for when your child is playing in the sand.
Hygiene in the sandpit
Check regularly to see if the sand is dirty. If you find any dirt, you must of course remove it before your child can play in the sand. It may also be necessary to replace the sand completely.
Protection from solar radiation
Children play in the sand, especially in good weather. To prevent the sun from harming your child, you should apply sun cream with a high sun protection factor and wear a hat if necessary. You should also choose clothing that suits the weather and, if possible, seek out shady play areas.
Avoidance of injuries
With public sandpits in particular, it is important to check that the sand is free of potentially dangerous objects before playing. Also make sure that the sandpit toys used are childproof and safe to use.
Supervision
Younger children should not play in the sand unsupervised. Stay close by and keep an eye on your child. This way, you will be on hand immediately if unexpected risks arise or your help is needed.
With sandboxes and accessories from Smoby, you are always on the safe side! Our high-quality products score points for safety and quality and make playing in the sand pure fun.
Conclusion: When the little ones play in the sand
Soft sand, child-friendly accessories, endless possibilities: A sandpit is a wonderfully adventurous place where fun and developmental support come together. When children play in the sand, they develop a wide range of social, creative, cognitive, motor and emotional skills.
Playing in the sand is therefore undoubtedly a worthwhile activity from which children benefit in many ways.
The effectiveness of sandbox development also depends on the external circumstances and the equipment available. Parents and educators are therefore advised to pay attention to safety when playing with sand, to make suggestions and proposals if necessary and to provide useful utensils. In addition to sand and water toys, we also offer other toys at Smoby.
We look forward to your visit to our website.