Best Beach and Sand Toys

When we walk along the beach and feel the sand beneath our toes and then the surf sends small waves to gently caress our feet; then we smell the saltiness upon the wind; that is when we know that we have come home from whence we came. ― Anthony Hincks

This page contains affiliate links meaning I may earn a commission if you use them. I only recommend products I use and honestly trust. For more info read the full disclosure.

The beach is for me my escape, in a good way! We all need one thing that calms us, gives us inspiration, allows us to deeply breath…for me definitely the beach!

I even have a sticker on my office door that says “Gone to the beach!”

So for those of us who are starting to get out from homes and live nearby the beach, here is a post recommending best beach and sand toys, but also explaining the importance of playing in the sand.

I have a girlfriend who hates bringing her kids to the beach as this requires lots of cleaning after it…but I always believed her kids are missing a unique experience! And here is why:

How Beach toys play a role in development?

Playing with sand at the beach helps and stimulates your child spending time away from the screens and gets kids involved in outdoor activities, which is always an advantage.

Playing on the beach with your little one can have positive effects on health. Allowing kids to play in the sand keeps children healthy and encourages development.

Beach toys are vital for helping your baby develop their imagination. Your child will build a castle with buckets and other beach toys, or spend his time making a “lake” or a “sand bridge”.
Filling a bucket with ocean water or filling it with sand using a toy scoop would certainly help the child develop motor skills and aid in hand-eye coordination. This is basic concept of learn through fun! While she is enjoying and playing, she is working on few skills and improving important aspects in her development.
There are chances your kids will share their beach toys with other kids. This helps promoting social interaction. Children playing at the beach together will learn a lot, from waiting for their turn to play with the only bucket available to interact with other children of the same age.
Beach toys help your child develop focus and concentration and playing in the sand helps develop healthy immune systems. When your child plays in clean or healthy sand, a simple day at the beach can be an opportunity for your child to develop a stronger immune system.

Why sand toys help tactile exposure and sensory play?

Many parents panic at the mere idea of their baby playing in wet sand, but studies have shown that children who spend more time in outdoors playing activities are healthier than those raised entirely in an indoor environment.

Opportunity to have unstructured play – Playing in the sand will give children a great opportunity to have unstructured playtime, whether it is built-in castles, dripped, sifted, or buried, sand can take many forms. It provides excellent opportunities for fun and learning.

Develop language skills – Writing words in the sand provides a chance to improve language skills.

Improve sense of texture – Sand play is especially useful in developing a sense of textures. Sand is not only a new and different texture for children to feel on their bodies, but the difference it produces with concrete, grass, dirt, and wood will highlight each surface’s sensation.

Develop social skills – Playing can also help kids develop social skills such as problem-solving, sharing, and communication. Sand play provides the opportunity for children to achieve the goals together, they set for themselves as building a castle together.

Improve fine motor skills – Allowing your child to play alone and with others in the sand helps them to develop fine motor skills such as those needed to use a small trowel, pull a truck and build a castle or moat. By covering themselves in the sand and feeling their body in the sand, children activate their proprioception sense, or the sensation of their body relative to space.

Independent playing experience – One of the advantages of a confined space like a sandbox is that depending on the kid’s age, parents can give instructions to children from a short distance and create an independent playing experience. As long as children tend to feel secure and are not under the illusion that they have been left behind, brief independent opportunities for play will reduce anxiety regarding separation and encourage healthy parent-child attachments.

For beach lovers, here are 22 interesting facts about beaches.

Until we can all fly to other countries, here is a list of 50 most beautiful beaches in America.

Once the sky opens up again after the COVID-19 and we can fly again, here is list of most unusual beaches around the world.

Did you know?

(source: https://oceanislebeach.com/fun-facts-beaches/)

The ocean covers 71% of the earth’s surface.
According to the Guinness World Records, the tallest sandcastle ever made was constructed in Connecticut, USA, in May 2011. It was 11.53 m (37 ft 10 in) tall.
More than twice the number of people visit America’s coasts and beaches than people visiting all state and national parks combined
Polls reveal that at least 44% of all Americans were planning a beach vacation.
Depending on the type of sediment that makes up the sand, beaches can come in many different colors such as: white, gray, gold-yellow, brown, red and black.