3 satisfying kinetic sand activities for pre-K and elementary school students

Yes, it can be messy, but we promise it’s better than slime! And, there are learning and skill-building components!

Whether your kiddos are learning from home or just looking for a fun activity to do on the weekend, these satisfying kinetic sand activities will have your kiddo’s full attention!

Hunt for Buried Treasure

1. Get a large tub or storage organizer (the ones that are used for under-the-bed storage work great) and fill it with as much kinetic sand as you feel appropriate.
2. Bury a variety of items under the sand. Things like magnets, Hotwheels, barbie shoes, etc.
3. Let your younger kids just start digging and see what they find. For the older ones, consider creating a scavenger hunt list and encourage them to check off, or write down what they find as they find it.
4. Oh, and bonus points for upcycling a plastic wipes container with gold spray paint to act like your treasure chest!

Go on an Alphabet Hunt

1. Follow step one from the ‘Hunt for Buried Treasure’ activity.
2. Instead of random items, bury letter magnets, or even small letter beads (note any choking hazards for our littlest ones) in the sand.
3. Write the letters on a sheet of paper.
4. Have our kiddos find the letters and match them up by laying them next to the letters you’ve written on the paper.

Practice Writing Letters & Numbers

1. Dump the kinetic sand into a shallow container. One that is long, preferably square or rectangle, but the sides, while still keeping the kinetic sand contained, are short.
2. Next, layout objects that start with each letter of the alphabet and encourage your child to go through from A-Z and write the letter each object starts with in the sand.
3. Simply put, kinetic sand is just more fun than a dry-erase board. It’s also an easy, reusable way for kids to practice basic writing skills.

If you give this one a try we want to know how it goes for you! Send your feedback, photos, etc. to contributor@newsymom.com. 

Have fun!