The Importance of Sand and Water Play in Early Childhood

Posted by EYR Team on 27th May 2024

What is Sand & Water Play?

Sand and water are the most basic of raw materials and children can use them without being constrained by the ‘right’ way to play with either of them. They are completely open ended and promote curiosity, imagination and experimentation. Children can dig, sift, build, pour, feel and explore, there are no limits. The range of skills which can be developed through play are endless; it is a truly open-ended medium. Sand and water play will always be appropriate - no matter the developmental level.

Why is Sand & Water Play Important for Toddlers?

Sand and Water play is an essential provision in all early year’s environments. Its open ended nature means that sand and water play can be used effectively to support children to reach the Early Learning Goals (ELGs) in the 7 areas of the EYFS:

Communication and language: different sand and water activities can be used to encourage children’s speaking skills as well as their listening, attention and understanding.
PSED: sand and water play offers children the opportunity to play independently or alongside others. This gives children an opportunity to not only build relationships with others but learn to practice self-regulation and self-management.
Physical Development: depending on the sand and water accessories provided, children can develop their gross motor skills through pouring and mixing and fine motor skills with more precise movements such as brushing sand or using pipettes in water play
Literacy: sand is a great medium with which children can practice writing. Using their hands or brushes children are able to make marks in the sand and brush it away once finished
Maths: the acts of pouring, measuring and scooping sand and water materials could be used to support recognition and understanding of numbers and numerical patterns.
Understanding the World: exploring the natural materials of sand and water can be used to spark discussions around the natural world, past and present and even different cultures and places
Expressive Arts and Design: sand and water mediums can be used to create art pieces or within various different imaginative play scenarios

Type of Sand and Water Activities

The options for sand and water play activities are endless, below you can discover a few. To read more about these activities listed then head to our dedicated blog: Top 10 Sand & Water Play Activities for Early Years

Water Play

Create foam
Make bubble art
Explore a water wall
Pirate treasure hunt
Wash your toys

Sand Play

Archaeology dig
Mark making
Sentence builder
Create a construction small world zone
Build a sandcastle!

Where to Buy Sand and Water Toys

Sand and water areas, either indoor or outdoor, can be as simple or extravagant as budgets allow! You will firstly need to consider how much space is available. If space is limited then perhaps consider dual purpose and smaller sand and water tables. However if space is not a concern then consider larger sand pits and separated sand tables and water tables to encourage group activities.

Resources which challenge and stimulate children's minds are recommended. Consider introducing versatile resources such as water towers and loose parts for children to explore freely, perhaps designing their own channelling systems and engaging in child-initiated play.

Finally, try thinking outside the box with water and sand play and introduce a variety of accessories. Water pumps, syringes, squeezy bottles and tubing make great addition to a water area. Alternatively, why not try hiding bones, fossils or gems in the sand, and having brushes and sieves available to reveal the treasures!

To explore our vast range of sand and water resources then head to our dedicated page here. We would also love to hear what your favourite sand and water activities are! Share your activities with us on social media by tagging us or using the hashtag #ExploreWithEYR