Sand toys do more than keep children entertained when you take them to the beach.
They also give toddlers (18–24 months) plenty to discover and offer several benefits through play. Let's explore these benefits and make your beach trip a chance for both family fun and children's development. (For fun game ideas, see 5 Beach Games to Play with Your Child.)
First, sand play is open-ended play. Sand is an unstructured material that can take many forms. At the beach, children can shape it in different ways simply by changing its texture with water. This gives them endless opportunities to invent ways to shape the sand. Beach play becomes increasingly enjoyable, and children can stay absorbed for hours.
Once children get their hands into sand, they often become absorbed in working with it, without rules getting in the way of their imagination and creativity. Sand play offers three benefits:
1. Sand Play Supports Physical Development
Playing at the beach is good for developing motor skills, discovering what their bodies can do, and strengthening children's muscles. They practice muscle movements as they learn to hold a shovel, and put their muscles to work when trying to lift a bucket of water or push a sand truck to build a castle. Almost every movement children make while playing at the beach matters for their physical development.
2. Sand Play Supports Sensory Development
Sand is fascinating for little fingers to touch and play with. It helps develop three sensory systems.
First, "development of the sense of touch" (tactile): handling or digging sand helps children develop their sense of touch, especially as they explore different sand textures by adding water. Children also notice differences in temperature when they touch sand warmed by the sun and cooler sand in the shade.
Another sensory system exercised through sand play is "balance" (vestibular): the ability to understand how the body moves and balances on different surfaces. For example, when kneeling while holding a shovel, children learn how to balance without falling forward.
Finally, "body awareness" (proprioceptive sense) involves knowing where our bodies are in space, or understanding how all our body parts work within that space. We use it to assess everyday situations. Children sense what it feels like to walk on uneven surfaces and use that awareness to walk carefully without constantly looking down at the ground. This skill helps them control their movements and judge their body's position more effectively, such as when stepping up or down between different levels or using the right amount of force to grasp objects.
3. Sand Play Builds Social Skills
It is no secret that nature offers some of the best learning opportunities in children's early years. Playing with sand and water encourages children to interact with others, share and listen as they work together to play or build something. It also helps them learn empathy and recognize other people's emotions. When toddlers start sharing sand toys or digging holes together, they are practicing social skills, cooperation and language skills.
Safety precautions: Adults must stay close and keep children in sight at all times, especially when playing near water, because young children can drown even in shallow water and in just a short time (see AAP water safety guidance). Keep sand out of their eyes and mouths, wash their hands after play, avoid strong sun from late morning through the afternoon, provide hats and clothing that cover their skin, and use age-appropriate sunscreen (babies under 6 months should primarily be kept out of direct sunlight; see Sun Safety – AAP).
Now that we understand how important sand play is for young children, it is time to decide how to get started. Here are some examples of sand toys you and your children can play with to enjoy the benefits described above.
Monster Digger
Children love playing archaeologists and love dinosaurs, so why not dig in the sand to find dinosaur bones? A sand digger is a firm favorite with children. While your child is busy pushing it by hand or digging sand, they are moving several muscle groups and practicing balance too. It is a little helper that makes playtime even more fun.
Ice Cream Shop Sand Molds
Sand, sea and ice cream are the best things about summer, aren't they? Would you like a cone or a cup?
Children can pretend to sell sand ice cream with this toy set. Simply add the right amount of water and discover which texture helps the sand ice cream hold its shape, then serve it in cups or cones to friends or parents for a delightful treat.
Build Sandcastles with the 5-in-1 Beach Set
Building sandcastles has been a beach tradition for generations. This time, the challenge is to build the biggest sandcastle ever! Your children will need beach tools to tackle that enormous pile of sand, and the 5-in-1 Beach Set offers five handy pieces to choose from. Pack your bags and bring the whole family to the beach. Make the most of these special moments and benefits. Explore more toys in our Children's Toys category.
If you are looking for an excellent developmental toy, ‘Hape’ is a great choice, with a wide range of wooden toys that support children's development at every age. Browse all Hape toys in our store.
Thoughtfully designed with children's learning in mind, these toys help them practice important skills such as seeing, listening, observing, fine motor skills, problem-solving, imagination and creativity. They also encourage integrated academic learning through STEAM.
With durable designs and materials, these toys focus on children's development and prioritize their safety. They use non-toxic paints and FSC-certified wood, are long-lasting, and are environmentally friendly.
Hape is therefore a global wooden toy brand that has received toy awards from numerous organizations and has production systems based on international standards such as ICTI, ISO 14001 and ISO 9001.
What matters most is sharing happy moments as a family, because where there is love, there is a complete home.
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