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Fun Sand Games

As parents, we want to give our kids the best we can provide. Often, we buy them expensive interactive toys to capture and enlighten their minds. The truth is you don't have to make large, high-tech purchases to positively engage them in an educational or fun activity. Sand is a natural element and, in many cases, free to play with; however, there is more to sand fun than digging holes and building castles.

Sandathon Long Jump
- Gather the kids together to compete in a Sandathon Long Jump. Start by giving each child a stick to mark her jump with. The children can write their names on the sticks with a marker or color them any way they like. Next, use a stick to draw a line in the sand to be the starting point. Walk approximately 10 yards forward and draw another line in the sand to be the jumping point. Each child starts at the starting point and runs as fast as he can toward the jumping point, where he jumps as far as he can. They can use their sticks to mark where their feet land. The child who jumps the farthest, without falling over, wins.
Treat Find
- Another game for fun in the sand involves a little preparation. Use two plastic, sealable containers to house special treats for the teams. Bury the containers separately in the sand and mark each site with a small X. Find a starting point for the game somewhere far away from the X marks. Now count your steps as you walk to landmarks around the area. If there are no landmarks, create them by drawing more X's in the sand. Write down the directions and number of steps to get to each landmark and create a diagram that details the way to one of the final X's. Now, repeat all of these steps for another diagram to the second X so two teams can play. Break the kids up into teams and give each team a map to their own final X. The first team to reach its X wins, but both teams get the treats they find.
Sand Maze
- Make a giant maze out of sand for everyone to wander through. Using a stick, designate a starting point, and write "Start." Then pick an ending point and write "Finish." Now, use the stick to draw one line from start to finish, but make the line go all around the area, taking left turns and right turns before it reaches its destination. Then draw other lines from start to finish, and lines that go from one line to the other and cross these lines with barriers like sticks, shells or rocks. Each player must make her way from start to finish without reaching a barrier.

Kids Games