The Benefits of Playing with Sand

How Sand is Important for the Developing Mind and Body

Sand can be found almost everywhere, in different textures, sizes, shapes and colours. It’s the perfect tool to entertain your child with, but who knew there were so many developmental benefits to playing with it?

The Benefits

Since sand is so adaptable, it can be used and changed each time a child plays. As your child creates different sculptures and adventures, they are actually able to advance various developmental skills at once.

• Motor Skills – As children move their arms or legs through the surface of sand, they are able to better understand how it shifts with them. By learning to walk and move with sand, your child/ren will be able to expand many of their motor skills.
• Hand-Eye Coordination – When children pour sand through their hands, digs it into a bucket, or tips water across its surface, they are advancing theirhand-eye coordination.
• Understanding of Touch – As they move their limbs through sand, they can understand how much energy needs to be placed into the movements. When they feel sand, they can expand their understanding of touch.
• Problem Solving – Sand can feel grainy and dry, but when water is added, it can be cold and slimy. The ability to understand sand’s different forms and these different forms can create the ability to build different wonderful creation, allows children to problem solve.

Socialisation

Sandpits or beaches can be the perfect place for your child/ren to enjoy themselves and make friends. The excitement of playing, especially in a sandpit surrounded by toys, gives them the ability to talk and play together. With sand moving so combatively, children are able to make their own fantasy worlds and decorate them together, they can draw across its surface, and bury each other’s limbs. Sand gives them a perfect excuse to not only expand their socialisation skills but expand their creativity and imagination.

What We Do

At The Brook, we understand how important it is for a child to have enough playtime, while also expanding their developmental skills at the same time. In every play area, both inside and out, your child/ren will be able to happily find a sandpit filled to the brim with toys and many tools to support them as they learn. By giving them the opportunity to appreciate how sand works with these toys, will further their ability to learn and continue developing those necessary physical and mental skills.

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