Sand is naturally intriguing to children. Digging, sifting, building, pouring, pretening, and just feeling and smelling it can mean hours of exploration. Sand is one of the most versitle and imaginative children's toys around. Sand is completely open ended. There is no right way to use it. At TBSCC we build large blocks of time for open ended exploration into our schedules. At first, children get to know the materials, then as the play continues, they become more deeply involved and begin to develop skills they can later apply to new situations. This extended play time allows a practice time during which the child develops useful physical, cognitive, and social skills in an environment where mistakes and errors are inconsequential. Those skills are then available to the child as a resource for future use.
At age two this group play around the sand table is an ideal parallel play experience. The children are close together, so have to negotiate the sharing of space and materials. Yet the table also provides a structure, giving them each their own work area. As they are ready for more interactive play, the sand table becomes a platform for problem solving, coopertation, and partner play.
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