Sand provides a rich sensory experience that promotes physical, social and cognitive development.
As your tamaiti | child explores, they develop fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination. They can use their creativity and imagination to build and invent stories, promoting their social and emotional development.
Tip
Ideas for sand equipment
In a sandpit or on a beach, your tamaiti might use:
- digging equipment such as shovels, spades, scoops and sticks
- a range of containers of different shapes and sizes
- natural resources such as stones, shells or wood
- sieves and sifters
- wooden planks, pipes and tubing of different lengths and types
- a range of medium-sized vehicles
- sheets of plastic for building rivers, dams and lakes.
Learning with sand#
Playing with sand can help your tamaiti to:
- learn about the properties of sand, like texture, temperature and weight by touching, shaping and digging it
- strengthen hand muscles by scooping, pouring, sifting and digging sand
- develop social skills such as communication and problem solving by working with others
- explore mathematical concepts such as measurement, including quantity and volume, as well as ordering, sorting and estimating
- boost creativity, imaginative play and language development.
Support your tamaiti#
You can support your tamaiti by:
- offering new ideas and new words
- joining in with the play, letting them take the lead
- supporting communication and problem-solving skills
- asking open ended questions
- encouraging reflection.
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