*Playvision provided samples for gift guide inclusion. All opinions are my own.
I have a large family and there were always younger kids around me while I was growing up. I knew that kids were drawn to certain materials like water, sand, mud, play dough, etc. I didn’t know that this type of play had a name until I took some early childhood development courses – it’s called “sensory play”. Kids have a natural desire to explore things with their hands – especially things that have a unique feeling to them. I remember my mom kept birdseed in a 5 gallon bucket on our enclosed porch and every kid that came over had to dig both hands deep into the birdseed and then let it sift through their hands each time they came over.
When I worked in a preschool, we intentionally set up sensory play projects during the winter because we knew the kids weren’t able to spend as much time outside in the sandbox or playing with water. We were always looking for indoor sensory play options to help the kids get their sensory needs met inside without making a disastrous mess.
Sands Alive! is a brand that makes indoor play sets that include a special type of sand that is often referred to as kinetic sand. It’s designed to stick to itself instead of scattering like traditional sand would. While it sticks to itself, it doesn’t stick to your hands or the surface that the kids are playing with. It makes for a more ideal way to play with sand inside. It also “behaves” differently than traditional sand – it almost appears to “move” which is why it is given the name kinetic sand.
Ryan’s 4.5 year old nephew absolutely loved the sandbox all summer and I know he’s been sad to stop playing with his sand box since the cold weather hit. I know that the Sands Alive! play set will be the perfect Christmas gift for him.
Sands Alive! kits come in fun themes like a dinosaur set, sea-life set, and mermaid set. You can also order additional sand if yours runs out or if you just have a bucket or sand table of your own that you want to fill. The sets come with additional tools for play. For example, the Sands Alive 3-D sealife Adventure set includes 4 “molds” a roller with interchangeable handle and a pair of 3D glasses.
Do your kids love sensory play? Have you tried kinetic sand?
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Hi there! I am Emily Evert, the owner of Emily Reviews. I am 28 and live in a small town in Michigan with my boyfriend Ryan and our two pugs. I have a large family and I adore my nieces and nephews. I love reading memoirs, and learning about child development and psychology. I love watching The Game of Thrones, Teen Mom, Sister Wives and Veep. I like listening to Jason Isbell, John Prine, and other alt-country or Americana music. I created Emily Reviews as a creative outlet to share my life and the products that I love with others.
This post currently has one response.
I’m lucky enough to live near beaches but I have never built sand castles and always wanted to! This is a great way to bring the beach indoors and to little ones that have no way of personally visiting a beach. Great for tactile learning as you said.