Sandbox Fun

Kids love sand for some reason. I’m no child expert, but I know that kids will sit and play with sand for hours on end. Whether you’re at the beach or at home, sand will keep your kids going back for more fun for quite some time. There are so many things to do with sand, that it’s a lot of fun.

Not everyone lives on a beach, unfortunately, so your sand adventures likely won’t be had on the beach most days (if you live near the beach, then we’re all jealous of you). The benefit to not living on the beach is that you don’t have to worry about your kids running into the water while playing in the sand.

There are a lot of options for sandboxes out there. Once you have an idea of where you’re putting your sandbox, then you can figure out what you’re going to buy. For those of you who are feeling adventurous, you can always build your own sandbox. I’ve never built a sandbox before, but it would allow for having exactly what you want, and it’s easier to fill a larger space. A basic sand pit, where you put up a border around a section in the ground for your sand is another option as well.

In terms of buyable sandboxes, find something that will fit in the area that you’re planning on putting it. Also make sure that it’s large enough that your kids can play with it for several years. Our sandbox is still in use by our 9 year old.

In terms of placement, you’ll want to make sure that you don’t care if there’s sand around in the area. Kids are not going to be able to keep the sand in the box, and it will be all over the area. We have a great spot, just around a corner of our house that is out of site, and doesn’t get any foot traffic. That’s ideal, but as long as you don’t mind walking through the sand, you can place it wherever you want.

You can buy sand from your local hardware store for relatively cheap. If you’re putting in a huge sandpit, a delivery of sand may be the better option. Our local hardware store carries huge bags of sand for fairly cheap that work great for larger areas that we need sand in.

In terms of toys, there are so many options, that I’ll just lay out a few ideas. First and foremost, make sure you have a bucket and shovel. Moving sand around, building castles, and other activities can all be done with a basic pail and shovel.

If your kids are into trucks, a dump truck is also a lot of fun as well as an excavator to fill the dump truck. There are lots of other construction trucks that can be used for sand as well, and you don’t need huge trucks.

Think about other things that your kids like, and they will likely go well in a sandbox. We have plenty of little beach toys that the kids like to play with, and just several other toys that have found their way to the sandbox over the years.

Once your kids are done playing in the sandbox, turn them upside down and shake the sand out. They’ll have it everywhere, and it’s going to get all over the house. While you shouldn’t actually shake the sand out of them, teach them how to clean it off of their shirt, pants and body before dragging it all over the house.

Playing in a sandbox can be a lot of fun for your kids. It doesn’t have to be expensive, and your kids can play for hours in them. If you have space for one, I’d highly recommend you get one for your kids.