Learning Benefits of Sand Play

• Discuss and describe ideas with peers
• Learn to negotiate with peers on sharing tools
• Learn to listen to other’s ideas
• Describe the properties of sand e.g. rough, smooth, sticky, wet
• Extend vocabulary associated with sand play e.g. pour, fill, empty, full, soft, bucket, sand wheel, sieve, mould dig, tunnel, rake, smooth, names of sand toys
• Describe their actions and the actions of others e.g. pushing, pulling, scooping
• Ask and answer questions
• Recall and report back at group times

• Develop fine motor skills through manipulating tools, pouring, filling, stirring,
• Pushing, pulling, digging, patting, moulding, drawing etc.
• Develop hand/eye co-ordination e.g. pouring sand into containers, making sand shapes using moulds
• Use a range of equipment with increasing skill e.g. balance, sand wheel, sieves
• Be aware of the space in the sand pit and be able to share it with others

Maths
• Explore various mathematical concepts e.g. capacity, size, weight
• Understand and use mathematical language e.g. full, empty, need
• More/less, heavy, light, straight/curved lines, names of common shapes
• Make shapes and patterns in the sand
• Solve problems associated with sand e.g. how much will a specific container hold? Pouring dry sand into a variety of different sizes of containers

Literacy
• Develop pre-writing skills e.g. making patterns, marks. Letter writing in the sand with fingers, sticks or sand pit tools

Understanding the World
• Talk about their local environment eg. beach, building site
• Relate feature of their play environment to features of their own environment with the addition of suitable resources
• Make physical features such as hills, tunnels, roads
• Change the sensory nature of sand e.g. change dry to wet/very wet sand

Expressive Arts
• Explore 3D forms using a range of moulds
• Explore shapes and textures associated with wet/dry sand
• Experience different colours and textures of wet/dry sand
• Use sand for line drawing and pattern making
• Create and explore sound using shakers of sand, gravel, pasta