Sand Scooper
Sponsored by the Mayers
Sensory Integration
- Go barefoot
- Sit your child directly in the sand or place them on hands and knees If your child is very sensitive, sit them outside of the box and bring a small container of sand to them
Motor Skills
- Walking in the sand helps improve lower body strengths and endurance
- Practice using two hands together by having child hold a bucket and use a shovel to scoop sand into it with the other hand
- Practice balance by walking along the seat of the sand box
- Scooping with the digger allows children to practice visual motor control
- Offers arm and hand strengthening
Child-Adult Interaction
- Sit in the sand with your child
- Take turns scooping into a bucket
- Help your child scoop a full shovel of sand to offer more weight to it
- Model scooping and transferring it back and forth between containers
- Play in the sand with your child, asking for “more” sand in your bucket, ask for “help” to dump out your bucket, then encourage your child to use words to direct you through activities
- Build a sand tower and model words like “up, up, up.” Knock it down, “boom.”
Speech and Language
- Allows child to practice talking about directions and concepts: “dig more, lift the scooper up, empty the scooper please.”
- Talk about the sand: is it wet or dry?
Soft or scratchy?
- Encourages child to interact with other children by asking them to take turns, to share toys
- Hide objects in the sand and dig for them. Label what you find
List of benefits provided by Ozaukee Therapy