Home >> Toys >> Childrens Toys

Sand Table Activities for Toddlers

A sand table is typically an elevated base with two plastic tubs, one for sand and another for water, with drains at the bottom of the tubs. Toddlers don't necessarily need instructions on how to play with a sand table; their imaginations will be their instruction sheets. The activities can be dreamed up by the toddler or initiated by the adult. Either way, a sand table can make free play fun for the toddler who loves to "do it himself."

Wet Sand
- A dumptruck is a great way to haul sand.
  
  Wet sand lends itself to being formed into fantasy places by a toddler. The site can be fashioned by using all kinds of "tools," such as a flat shovel, margarine tubs, buckets, plastic cups and plastic picnic utensils. Toys or items with holes in them, such as a colander or sieve, create interesting patterns. Trucks, cars, little people figures and other toys can inhabit a toddler's fantasy of a place they create, and twigs, leaves and stones morph into a secret "garden."
Dry Sand
- A toddler can use his imagination to create any scenario he wants.
  
  Toddlers typically love to feel sand running through their fingers. Buckets, shovels, scoops, funnels, sieves, spoons all make dry sand a fun experience. The simple act of pouring the sand from one container to another fosters hand-eye coordination skills. Like wet sand, little scenes can be created with sticks, seashells and little figurines.
Treasure Hunts
- Seashells make great "finds."
  
  Most toddlers love to find hidden treasures, such as seashells, small plastic sea creatures, little people figures or anything that can be found to give them a sense of victory. Safety is priority, so items need to be big enough so they're not a choking hazard if the child chooses to put the item in her mouth.
The Sensory Experience
- Food can be used for creative play.
  
  The sand table doesn't have to be limited to sand. Dry macaroni or pasta, rice, popcorn, shredded paper, potting soil, dried peas, oatmeal or beans provide a variation to sand for the senses. Other substances, including clay, birdseed and even whipped cream, give different sensory sensations. The sensory table feeds language development as you can talk with the toddler about what he feels, smells or sees and he tells what his favorite substance is, and physical development is cultivated as the toddler uses motor skills while pouring, measuring and manipulating the materials at the table.

Childrens Toys