{"id":1850,"date":"2014-01-08T13:54:29","date_gmt":"2014-01-08T13:54:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.theparentsocial.com\/?p=1850"},"modified":"2022-04-03T18:11:15","modified_gmt":"2022-04-03T18:11:15","slug":"the-benefits-of-sand-play-for-toddlers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.theparentsocial.com\/the-benefits-of-sand-play-for-toddlers\/","title":{"rendered":"The Benefits of Sand Play for Toddlers"},"content":{"rendered":"

A great guest post from Simon Staton<\/a> about how sand play can aid your child\u2019s development in lots of different ways.<\/i><\/p>\n

Sand play is fantastic in aiding a toddler\u2019s development and it\u2019s such a fun activity to boot.<\/p>\n

\"sand<\/a><\/p>\n

Outdoor play is a natural and fun way to keep busy and it helps in all aspects of a child’s growth and education. It is something that comes naturally to all children and they love it, so we need to keep encouraging it in as many ways as possible. A great way to do this is through sand play. It is a fun and unique activity that can be enjoyed by everyone… parents included! Amongst its many therapeutic benefits, sand play has a very beneficial influence on the coordinative, interactional and creative aspects of your child’s brain.<\/p>\n

Sand play benefits coordination<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

Playing with sand develops and teaches bilateral and hand-eye coordination. These are the two critical coordination skills that you use every day; it’s something we learn in the first few years of our life. When your little one is first learning the ropes you will notice how clumsy they can be and how over time they learn, improving with every step.<\/p>\n

So how can sand play help? When playing with sand, the basic activities usually revolve around creating. This can either be filling buckets and making castles or drawing and writing in the sand with sticks. Doing these activities will train and encourage the use of hand-eye coordination otherwise known as visual-motor integration. In the long run this helps your child to read and write, play sport and even tie their shoelaces.<\/p>\n