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The Empowered Educator

Inspiring ideas, training and resources for early learning.

Sensory Sand Art for the Whole Family!

by The Empowered Educator 25 Comments

We absolutely love the sensory appeal of sand play but it doesn’t need to just stay in the sandpit! 

Try colouring your own sand and having fun creating colourful patterns and designs with just a few simple materials…..
 
Sensory Sand Art for the Whole Family!

I particularly wanted to try this one with Ruby as she is very wary of both glue and also wet sand. This challenged her sensory texture and touch aversions but she did enjoy it as long as she could wash her hands at regular intervals and go back and forth to the activity as though she needed to process what she was feeling and experiencing each time. I always ensure I have water and cloths close by for those children that need to wash their hands regularly to feel confident with the activity.

 
This one is so easy to set up…. I gave the children some plastic containers and asked them to collect some sand from the sandpit…. (have always used dry sand before but on this day it was a mix of wet and dry as it had rained the night before)….it all added to the sensory experience though!
 
I sprinkled some edicol dye colour powders onto the sand and asked the children to mix it through their sand with some craft sticks. Fun for colour recognition as the sand took on the colour of the dye as they mixed harder and it, therefore, proved to be a workout for those fine motor muscles too!
 

When the colour was mixed through the sand tubs I added a shallow container of watered down wood glue, a few different sized brushes and some cardboard offcuts also of various sizes.

Toddler Sensory Sand Art & Play

There really are no rules to this activity… I just sat back and watched them get creative in their own ways….they challenged their fine motor skills as they used the sticks to spread the glue as well as mix the sand and even to carry the sand to the cardboard! You will find that it is a fantastic activity for a multi-age group and easily modified when you are having fun with school age children too.

The idea is to paint some glue onto the cardboard and then sprinkle the coloured sand on top to make art happen! Tara decided she would use the brushes to paint the sand and this provided another avenue of exploration…
 
When they are happy with their picture design show them how to gently shake the excess sand off to reveal their art. My children decided on a few occasions that they needed to do some ‘touchups’ so more sand and glue was added before being shaken off again!
 

Shaking the sand off onto the ground provided a whole new way to play! It was also lots of fun to make patterns and roads in the sand containers……

 

The colours take on such a stunning quality when mixed with the sand and when dry the pictures provide a whole different sensory experience to explore.

They will go rock hard if left in the sun for a day and the children love to explore them every now and then with their fingers as they walk past their masterpieces which I have displayed on our wall for all to see. Take photos though as eventually the sand and glue will dampen the cardboard and they become heavy and break apart. They last for awhile though!

 
 
 

Miss Teen really enjoyed mixing her colours and creating patterns by layering the sand and glue…

 
Tara decided to extend the activity by using the wood blocks I had on the table as paperweights to form the base of her next creation. She first explored how the sand looked on the wood as she sprinkled it on and then added some glue as she remembered it wouldn’t stick to the wood otherwise….got to love watching that toddler problem-solving in action!
 
Miss Teen used wood to create a unique and colourful name plaque for her door….a fun activity for after-school care or holiday/camp care.
 
Coloured Sand Name Plaque
 
 

We left the masterpieces to dry for the rest of the day in the sun before coming back to marvel at the rough texture and the sand not falling off the cardboard and wood anymore!

It really is a favourite activity of mine and one I have shared in every toddler room I have worked in over the years! As a bonus it kept them all busy for a whole morning of colourful sensory exploration… each working in their own little creative zone.

I do recommend that this is one best done outside though as they need to be able to shake off the excess sand and have the freedom to make a mess without you stressing about the sand and colour on the floor! (And trust me….you never seem to be able to sweep up every bit of sand…have you noticed that?)

It’s a great way to have a little extra fun with the sandpit and explore colour, texture and the process of creation rather than thinking about the end product. I hope you give it a try….if you completely dry out the leftover sand you can also use it again another day!

A Little About Me

Jodie Clarke is an early childhood professional supporting educators who want and need to stay passionate about the work they do! She has 30 years hands-on experience in the early childhood and human services sectors across many different roles.


Jodie is mum to 3 in Australia and has already helped thousands of educators with their work through her popular blog posts, activity ideas, online training and e-books.

Filed Under: Ideas for Outdoor Play, Ideas for Sensory Fun, Supporting Sensory Processing Tagged With: sensory

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Comments

  1. Catherine says

    28/05/2013 at 1:15 am

    Very cool. What a great activity to do outside and for the girls to create and problem solve. I just love how your teenager enjoyed doing the activity too. I should try and do a few more crafty things with Miss 9 and just maybe Miss 13 will join in although she is going through a bit of a faze at the moment…..:) Have a wonderful week Jodie. xxx

    Reply
    • Jodie Clarke says

      29/05/2013 at 12:25 pm

      Thanks Catherine….it’s funny, i let her know we are doing something if she is home and 9 times out of 10 she wanders out and wants to join in! The twins love watching how she creates in a different way to them to!

      Reply
  2. Katie @ Gift of Curiosity says

    28/05/2013 at 2:08 am

    We just bought some colored sand from Discount School Supply – this would be a great activity to try with it!

    Reply
    • Jodie Clarke says

      29/05/2013 at 12:24 pm

      Fantastic Katie…hope you have some fun with it!!

      Reply
  3. Pinkoddy says

    30/05/2013 at 4:34 pm

    What a really great idea. You should have got them to spell out Dad and give it him for Father’s day lol

    Reply
    • Jodie Clarke says

      02/06/2013 at 4:35 am

      Great idea…although our father’s day isn’t until September!

      Reply
    • Pinkoddy says

      02/06/2013 at 11:09 pm

      Oh you know I never knew that.

      Reply
  4. Fiona Martin says

    01/06/2013 at 8:40 am

    That looks a great activity – so much fun and one that I’m sure my 2 little ones would love.

    Reply
    • Jodie Clarke says

      02/06/2013 at 4:36 am

      Thanks Fiona…i’m sure they would have fun with it too!

      Reply
  5. Coombe Mill says

    01/06/2013 at 11:27 am

    This is a lovely activity for such a age range of children to have fun with. I’m a great believer that the more mess – the more fun! Thanks for sharing with Country Kids.

    Reply
    • Jodie Clarke says

      02/06/2013 at 4:36 am

      I feel the same about mess! Thanks for hosting such a great linky!

      Reply
  6. Sara Murray says

    01/06/2013 at 3:30 pm

    Oh, this looks fab! I’m going to have to try this with my boys! #CountryKids

    Reply
    • Jodie Clarke says

      02/06/2013 at 4:37 am

      Thanks for stopping by Sara…hope you have fun with it!

      Reply
  7. over40andamumtoone says

    01/06/2013 at 6:51 pm

    I really love this idea, am going to have to borrow it as we have a new sandpit too #CountryKids

    Reply
    • Jodie Clarke says

      02/06/2013 at 4:37 am

      Nothing like a new sandpit is there? Have fun!!

      Reply
  8. Shay says

    01/06/2013 at 8:49 pm

    Such a great idea! Will have to get my two outside with some colourful sand 🙂 x

    Reply
    • Jodie Clarke says

      02/06/2013 at 4:38 am

      Hope you enjoy Shay…thanks so much for stopping by!

      Reply
  9. Jenny Paulin says

    01/06/2013 at 9:18 pm

    ooooh this looks so much fun!i must try this i am going to pink your activity to remember for another day x

    Reply
    • Jodie Clarke says

      02/06/2013 at 4:38 am

      Thanks so much for pinning Jenny….or pinking hehe!!

      Reply
  10. Charly Dove says

    02/06/2013 at 7:52 pm

    What a great idea, it looks like you had the best time 🙂

    Reply
  11. sabrina montagnoli says

    04/06/2013 at 7:24 pm

    Awesome inspirational stuff and great fun too!

    Reply
  12. Mudpie Mama says

    04/06/2013 at 8:36 pm

    What a brilliant activity. My son loves sand so we’ll be doing lots of this 🙂

    Reply
  13. Mom to 2 Posh Lil Divas says

    08/06/2013 at 3:20 am

    This sand art is truly wonderful – love the finished product. I’m featuring this on this week’s Sunday Showcase – thanks for sharing with us.

    Reply
  14. Kristy says

    26/07/2013 at 1:08 am

    Where do you get the dye you used? Is it the same as RIT?

    Reply
  15. Hannah says

    29/01/2015 at 9:34 am

    Good job

    Reply

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Jodie
Hi, I'm Jode, Mum to 3 girls in Australia, and an early childhood educator, presenter and consultant.
I share ideas, inspiration & resources for play based, inquiry led learning
Find out more about me here...

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