Children need little encouragement to get their imaginations rolling, but there are some things as parents we can do to help them have even more fun. Besides the obvious necessary toys in the sandbox, such as toy buckets, shovels, rakes etc. try letting them play with other toys such as their little rubber dinosaurs, or their toy kitchen stuff. One fun idea is to fill a small bucket with water and then burry it right up to the rim and let the kids pretend it’s a pond or a sink even a great ocean or pit of lava. Another fun thing to do is to create a game such as find the treasure, where one kid turns around while the other hides the treasure then acting as an angry pirate the other kid tries to find the lost treasure. Perhaps you can watch a video on archeology then go outside and carefully unveil some ancient pottery from the sandbox using small shovels and paintbrushes.
A Children’s Sandbox can be instrumental in early childhood development. It offers them an environment in which they are in control. Acting as king of the castle, Salton of the Sandbox or a powerful digger or whatever they play they control the environment and their characters. This is one place in their world where even mommy and daddy do what they say. Its important for a kids early childhood development to experience several types of interaction during play. That is, playing by their self, playing with an adult and playing with other children.
When a child plays by their self they stretch their imagination greatly, creating characters, story lines, voices, and entire worlds that can appear out of nowhere and can just as easily be destroyed by the very wave of their little magic all powerful hand. This free play gives a child a place to express their self while feeling total secure and in control. This type of play can really be a delight and joy to watch as your child will say the cutest stuff, such as taking his Optimus Prime and T-Rex and making them shake hands saying, “peace be with you.” But be careful not to be caught smiling or laughing as this level of playing can be intense for them and seeing you see them may make them mad.

Recent Comments