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DIY Beach Play Sand Sensory Activity for Kids

July 29, 2013 by Selena Robinson 9 Comments

We usually do a family vacation in the summer, but the funds were just not there for it this year. Boo.

So we had to find a way to bring the beach to us. And that’s how we ended up making  this DIY beach play sand!

Our kids are huge sensory seekers, so this soft and moldable play sand was a wonderful sensory experience for them.

Fun Play Beach Sand Sensory Activity for Kids

I will say that it can be rather…messy, so take my advice and lay a few towels down before you get started.

After that, it’s a snap to make and they’ll play with it for hours!

If your kids love this, try our fun Coffee Filter Beach Ball Craft or read some sandy stories with our list of Beach Books for Kids!

Make this simple DIY play beach sand recipe to share a summer sensory activity with the kids!

DIY Beach Play Sand Recipe

To make this beach play sand sensory activity, you’ll need the following: (This post contains affiliate links. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)

  • Whole wheat flour
  • Baby oil
  • Silicone baking molds
  • Large container for holding the “sand” (We just used our roasting pan.)

How to Make Play Beach Sand

We started off by reading the classic book Curious George Goes to the Beach.

In the story, George explores the water, builds sandcastles, and (of course) makes a mess by being curious.

Curious George Goes to the Beach
Then we looked at some pictures of professional sand castles. The things people can do with sand and spray bottles are just incredible.

A Proper Sand Castle on Jersey

C/O: Tim Jenkinson

Sleeping Beauty Castle

C/O: Jeroen Kransen

Naturally, the kids wanted to play around with some sand of their own.

To make our own “sand”, we used a classic play sand recipe featuring one part baby oil to eight parts flour.

I decided to use whole wheat flour, since it looked more like authentic sand than white flour.

DIY Play Sand Recipe

I had to work the baby oil in with my hands to get it to distribute evenly. It was actually quite therapeutic.

DIY Sensory Sand Play

Then we dropped in some silicone baking cups and a few bento molds and the kids got to work!

DIY Beach Play Sand

I just stuck our “sand” in a roasting pan, but you could easily make this on the driveway or in a sandbox.

How to Make Sensory Sand

See how well it sticks together?

It works beautifully with baking molds, but if you have buckets or sandcastle molds, this would be fun to use with those as well.

DIY Sensory Play Sand Recipe

The kids absolutely loved it! And it literally took five minutes. Beach fun without sand in your shorts!

Make this DIY play sand for some beach fun at home!

Love this activity? Don’t miss these other fun summer ideas!

Try some of these fun and easy summer crafts for kids with your children this year!

Super Easy Farm Shoebox Diorama Craft

The Best Beach Books for Kids

This post is part of the Summer Book and a Big Idea linkup from iHomeschool Network! Click on over to read more book-based learning ideas from my fellow bloggers!

Summer Book and Big Idea

Filed Under: Fun Activities for Kids, Sensory Activities Tagged With: beach play sand, diy beach play sand, diy play sand, summer, summer activities

Hi! I'm Selena, a veteran teacher and homeschool mom to four. I'm so glad you're here!
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