Sand and water play is an important part of early childhood development. It allows children to develop fine motor skills, social skills, and learn scientific concepts like sinking and floating. Close supervision is needed as sand and water play can present health and safety risks if not properly managed. Appropriate materials for sand and water play include measuring cups, scoops, sand, water, and toys relevant to the activities. The teacher's role is to incorporate sand and water play into learning across multiple domains and help children problem solve through shared use of materials.

1. Sand & Water Play
By: Robin Mondesire & Brianna Hai
CHD 120
Jeanne Hopkins
September 27, 2017

2. Health and Safety Concerns
There are so many concerns with sand and water play that close supervision is required for all age. Health
and safety issues that can be addressed are:
Issues Addressed
Children in the any childcare facilities enjoy
experiences of sand play outdoor.
Be should to covered the sandbox. Left uncovered,
there may be animal contamination.
Sand substitutes: sawdust or baby powder. Consider inappropriate, avoided using substitutes
which can be breathed in.
Beans and styrofoam Inappropriate and hazardous for toddlers who may
swallow,stuff into any opening on the body.
Children are left alone at the water play. Even with a few inches deep, poses a safety
threat, children can drown.

3. Materials
For Sand Play •Measuring cups
•Funnels
•Plastic tubes
•Scoops and Molds
•Sand
•Pails and Shovels, Rakes and Sifters
•Dramatic Play toys: animals, sea
creatures, dolls and boats.

4. Materials
For Water Play
•Measuring cups
•Funnels
•Plastic tubes
•Scoops and Molds
•Water
•Pails and Water-wheels, Pipes
•Dramatic Play toys: animals, sea
creatures, small toy people and boats
•Unbreakable cooking props: pots,
pans, pitches, dishes, bowls, cups and
spoons

5. Quality Counts
ECERS Provisions for Learning (Page 46)
Arrangement and use for early age children:
• Provide sand and water play for both indoors and outdoors when weather permitting.
• Different activities done with sand and water (i.e. adding bubbles to water, adding rice to
the sand play).
• Both should available at least 2 hours and 40 minutes in an 8 hour program.
ITERS Provisions for Learning (Page 42)
Arrangement and use for infants:
• Sand or water play provided daily.
• Different activities done with sand and water (i.e. on different days water used for washing
the dolls. Floating toys and pouring).

6. Notations
Ages/ability/ and cultural
diversity among children
● Toddlers are able to discover and have
the opportunity to use their senses.
● Sand and water is not required for
infants under the age of 18 months.
Therefore should be scored with a NA.
● A child over the age of 18 months with
a disability or special needs indicator is
based on the child’s ability.
● For culturally diverse, teach children
how to match their behavior to the
setting.

7. Diversity in Sand and Water Activities
In representing diversity in the center
sand and water:
• There will be a variety of diverse
and multicultural toys available
for the children to play with in the
sand and water.

8. Skills and Ability
Daily interaction of sand and water play help children
develop the following:
● Eye-hand Coordination
● Self-restraint
● Fine motor skill
● Emotional and social skills

9. Learning Connection
Sand and water play connects with:
• Math- measuring, balancing, counting,
comparing, texture/pattern
• Science- observation, sinking/floating,
repelling and absorbing, mixing, water
action
• Creative- experiment, cause and effect,
testing, discovering
• Language- describe quantity
(more/heavy/less/few), action, or events

10. Teacher’s Role The teacher role is demonstrate how sand and water is
incorporated with multiple learning content:problem
solving, perspective taking, and consideration of feelings
and others…
Example:
• Giving a child a variety of items onto the side and a
container of water. Then asking a child to sort the items
from whether or not it will float or sink in the water. Then
allow the child to test out their theory.
• Encouraging children to share shovel, buckets and water
cans with others who did not have a turn.

11. Domain: Social and Emotional Development with Others
Strand 1: Relationships with others
Milestones of Early Child Development, A11 (page 50). Cooperate with others.
Strategies:
• Creating opportunities for successful group interactions by providing adequate supplies, and
expectations for working together.
• Helping child cooperate by staging a common goal such as making music together or getting
something done so they can enjoy the result together (e.g., all work together to make a big hole in
sand so they can fill it with water).

12. Domain: Approach to Learning
Strand 4: Reasoning and Problem Solving
Milestones of Early Child Development, D14 (Page 67). Work with others to find a solution, using
problem solving strategies.
Strategies:
• Applying problem-solving process to social problems at child’s level (e.g., “Enrique and you both
want to paint at the easel. What needs to happen for you to share the easel and paint together?”).
• Leading small group discussions to solve problems related to social interactions, science, math,
etc., or to plan for a special occasion

13. Domain: Coordinate Smaller Muscles
Stand 2: Fine motor development
Milestones of Early Child Development, B1 (page 42). Develop some ability to grasp and hold a
variety of objects.
Milestones of Early Child Development, B4 (page 42). Demonstrate growing strength, dexterity,
and control needed to perform a variety of fine motor tasks.
Strategies:
• Providing toys that make noises as infants move, such as rattles, as well as soft toys that they can
squeeze and/or bath toys (B1).
• Providing activities that strengthen hand grasp (e.g., molding play dough) and offer opportunities
for sensory experiences with mediums such as sand and clay (B4).

14. Domain: Cognition and General Knowledge
Stand 2: Sub-Strand B. Scientific Inquiry and Exploration
Milestones of Early Child Development, B6 (page 29). Use senses to observe and explore materials
and natural phenomena.
Milestones of Early Child Development, B4 (page 29). Realize ability to make things happen.
Strategies:
• Providing materials for a variety of sensory experiences (e.g.,sand and water)and asking open-
ended questions (B6).
• Providing toy sand objects that respond to actions of child (B4).