10 Sand & Water Activities for Early Years
Posted by EYR Team on 9th Jun 2025
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There's no better time to get outside and enjoy some sand and water activities than when the sun is shining in the summer! Children naturally love to explore and investigate – and sand and water play is a great way of inspiring children’s curiosity and keeping them engaged.
Not only does sand and water play provide children with endless hours of digging and splashing fun, but it also enhances the children’s learning and development in key areas – improving their social skills, language, motor skills and cognitive ability. Sand and water play expands the children’s creativity and imagination, stimulates their senses and introduces them to new textures and concepts that help them make sense of the world around them.
Read on for 10 sand and water activities to try with your little ones!
Water Activities
Splish, splash, splosh – let the little ones cool off with these wonderful water play activity ideas.
1. Foamy Fun
Add a tuff tray sponge to your tuff tray or rectangular tray and add soap and any food colouring. Children can then get involved by standing on the foam mat or squishing it with their hands to create a gloriously foamy mess! This is perfect for those hot summer days to cool your little ones down!
2. Bubble transfer
Lets create some art! Fill a tuff tray or tray with water and add soap and food colouring/paint. Then get your little ones to create bubbles using straws or pipettes and droppers. Then carefully lay a piece of paper on top and lift off to reveal your masterpiece.
3. Water Wall Dash
Enjoy a cascade of gushing water! Build your own Water Way or Water Wall with funnels, tubes, water runs, wooden water channels, water channel stands and containers to create the ultimate water obstacle course – then let the children race ping pong balls down the tubes, pouring and scooping as they go! For an easy set up make use of
You could even add Food Colouring for a beautiful multi-coloured effect.
4. Treasure Hunt Splash
Inspire the children’s curiosity by placing mirrors under the water! Add shiny and bright objects such as metal pots & pans to stimulate their senses even further – then bury Coins for a mesmerising reflective treasure hunt.
5. Doll Wash
Time to make those dolls squeaky clean! Add soap to the water to create a foamy madness of bubbles – then get the sponges out to let the children clean their favourite toy dolls to their hearts content. You could also sprinkle in some glitter for an added glistening effect!
Sand Activities
Scoop, sprinkle, shape – time to get messy with these sand play activity ideas!
1. Dinosaur Swamp Dig
Inspire the little one's imaginations! Create the ultimate swamp for your Dinosaurs by mixing in water and sand to make wet sand. Then just add in natural resources such as leaves, twigs and stones from your garden. You could also insert some Dinosaur Footprints for an added mysterious effect!
2. Sand Mark Making
Practice early literacy skills by encouraging children to make marks or practice letter formation in the sand. This could be with their fingers, utensils or paintbrushes!
3. Letter Treasure Hunt
Let’s go on an enticing treasure hunt! Bury letter pebbles and laminated keywords in the sand and a sandpit and task children with retrieving them. Once uncovered children can then be encouraged to form sentences or stories using the words and letters they have found!
4. Construction Spot
Children love construction! Pop on your Hard Hats on and use Diggers to transport and tip the sand into different zones on the table. You could also add crazy foam to the mix to create a new sensory experience and have children try and use the mixture to construct walls and towers from blocks
5. Sand Castle Competition
Everyone loves building a sand castle! So why not inspire the children’s creativity with a fun sand castle competition with our Sand Play Set! Make it easy for your children to create different shapes for their sand castles using sand moulds.
Looking to enhance your selection of sand and water play accessories? Then explore our exciting range of Sand & Water Tables, Equipment and Toys.
Don't forget to let us know how the children get on with these Sand & Water Activities this summer! You can send your photos to our Facebook or Instagram, tag us or use the hashtag #ExploreWithEYR!
