Sand play gives children endless opportunities to explore and create, as well it having the flexibility to be used in both the indoor and outdoor classroom. 

Sand play can help children to work as a team, focusing, sharing and taking turns with resources, making and creating together. Through this activity, they are learning to communicate with one another and build relationships with their peers.  Toddlers love to build sandcastles and then squish them flat, repeating the action over and over again! 

In the Banana moon garden, the toddlers enjoy seeing the effect that adding water from our water butt has on the sand, thus expanding the children's vocabulary with words such as water, river, wet, flood and recognising that adding water to the sand changes its consistency and what they can do with it! This then gives the opportunity for us to talk to the children about the different textures that sand can have, depending on whether it is dry or water has been added - words such as sludgy!

For babies, toddlers and preschoolers alike, this is a sensory experience. For babies, sitting in the sandpit with the sensation of the sand in between their fingers and toes is a delight. For Preschoolers, it's also a sensory experience, but also gives them the opportunity to create sandcastles, towers or hide treasures, helping them to use their imaginations to make something amazing! 

Sand play also helps to strengthen children's fine motor skills by using tools to fill and empty containers, as well as giving them a chance to do some fantastic mark making. Anything can be added to the sand - cars, diggers, colanders....the list is endless!! 

If they add water to it they can create sandcastles,  if it is dry they can fill and pour the sand from one container to the other, which also covers mathematical terms, such as bigger, smaller, more, less. 

Next time you are on the beach and feeling the sand in between your toes, why not try some of these ideas and send us some pics!