Sandbox Fun

Encourage tactile exploration in the sandbox.

What you need:

• clean play sand
• outdoor sandbox or large, portable plastic container
• spoons, shovels, scoops, pails

What to do together:
Fill a large outdoor sandbox or plastic container with several inches of sand. Sit your baby in the box or on your lap and encourage her to play in the sand. Talk to her about how it feels: "Sand is cool. Sand is rough." Put different materials in the sandbox to keep the play interesting. For the infant, start with spoons, shovels, pails, and cups. Help her put sand into the containers and then cheer as she dumps it out.

This activity was written by Eileen Hall, the early childhood field work supervisor at Dutchess Community College in Poughkeepsie, NY.