Sand Play Area - EYFS / Early Years Activities, Displays and Ideas
Sections on this page:
Free Sample Resources
Featured Sand Play Continuous Provision
‘Sand Play’ Printable Provision Resources - including ‘Dino Dig’ theme and ‘Alphabet’ and ‘Number’ treasure hunt cards
Related Theme & Project Planning Support
General ‘Outdoor Area’ resources
Additional ‘Outdoor Area’ Pages
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Please note that both Editable (docx file) and non-editable (pdf file) versions are available for ‘Sand Play’ resources. (Editable files require Microsoft Word to work at optimum level and Non-Editable files require a pdf viewer.)
Free Sand Play Resources
(Click on the images below to find out more)
These cards are intended to be used to aid number formation practice in wet sand. The numbers could be attempted with a finger or a stick/pencil. A stone marks the spot where the writing of each number should begin.
N.B. The pack includes two different font types for the numbers: (p2-6) & (p7-11) (But don’t forget if you choose the editable docx file, you can change the font!)
Original artwork drawn by Sara Murphy and final digital resources created by Stuart Murphy. COPYRIGHT ON ALL OF THE RESOURCES HOUSED ON THIS WEBSITE IS HELD BY ‘LITTLE OWLS RESOURCES’. OUR RESOURCES (INCLUDING THE IMAGES WITHIN THEM), CANNOT BE SHARED OR SOLD COMMERCIALLY.
DOWNLOAD EDITABLE (DOCX)
DOWNLOAD NON-EDITABLE (PDF)
DOWNLOAD NON-EDITABLE (Zipped JPEGs)
The cards are intended to be cut and laminated before being buried in the sand pit/tray.
The children can then dig in the sand to find the five cards in a set and then order them by size.
Have fun!
Original artwork drawn by Sara Murphy and final digital resources created by Stuart Murphy. COPYRIGHT ON ALL OF THE RESOURCES HOUSED ON THIS WEBSITE IS HELD BY ‘LITTLE OWLS RESOURCES’. OUR RESOURCES (INCLUDING THE IMAGES WITHIN THEM), CANNOT BE SHARED OR SOLD COMMERCIALLY.
DOWNLOAD EDITABLE (DOCX)
DOWNLOAD NON-EDITABLE (PDF)
DOWNLOAD NON-EDITABLE (Zipped JPEGs)
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The cards are intended to be cut and laminated before being buried in the sand pit/tray.
The children can then dig in the sand to find and identify the shapes on the fossils.
Includes 4 sets of 6 shapes: triangle, square, circle, rectangle/oblong, pentagon and hexagon. Having 4 sets allows for matching the same shape and counting up to 4 of the same shape. If you would like less or more sets you may of course print as appropriate.
Have fun!
Original artwork drawn by Sara Murphy and final digital resources created by Stuart Murphy. COPYRIGHT ON ALL OF THE RESOURCES HOUSED ON THIS WEBSITE IS HELD BY ‘LITTLE OWLS RESOURCES’. OUR RESOURCES (INCLUDING THE IMAGES WITHIN THEM), CANNOT BE SHARED OR SOLD COMMERCIALLY.
DOWNLOAD EDITABLE (DOCX)
DOWNLOAD NON-EDITABLE (PDF)
DOWNLOAD NON-EDITABLE (Zipped JPEGs)
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Click on the thumbnail images below for further details…
Featured Sand Play Continuous Provision
‘Sand Play’ Printable Provision Resources
- General
Print the cards that match the items you have in your setting and then write a number in the white box if desired.
Hide the items in the sand and then the children can use the cards as a finding challenge.
The children could also set challenges for each other using a whiteboard open to write numbers on the laminated cards.
N.B. As ever please do risk assess the items you use within your setting for your particular children. For example smaller objects such as buttons may not be appropriate for your youngest children.
Original artwork drawn by Sara Murphy and final digital resources created by Stuart Murphy. COPYRIGHT ON ALL OF THE RESOURCES HOUSED ON THIS WEBSITE IS HELD BY ‘LITTLE OWLS RESOURCES’. OUR RESOURCES (INCLUDING THE IMAGES WITHIN THEM), CANNOT BE SHARED OR SOLD COMMERCIALLY.
DOWNLOAD EDITABLE (DOCX)
DOWNLOAD NON-EDITABLE (PDF)
DOWNLOAD NON-EDITABLE (Zipped JPEGs)
These maps have blank centres for children to draw the sand tray and mark where they have hidden their treasure.
They can then challenge a friend to find the treasure using the map to guide them!
You may also like o encourage the use of positional language such as next to, under, on top, beside, left, right, behind, etc.
Original artwork drawn by Sara Murphy and final digital resources created by Stuart Murphy. COPYRIGHT ON ALL OF THE RESOURCES HOUSED ON THIS WEBSITE IS HELD BY ‘LITTLE OWLS RESOURCES’. OUR RESOURCES (INCLUDING THE IMAGES WITHIN THEM), CANNOT BE SHARED OR SOLD COMMERCIALLY.
DOWNLOAD EDITABLE (DOCX)
DOWNLOAD NON-EDITABLE (PDF)
DOWNLOAD NON-EDITABLE (Zipped JPEGs)
These cards are intended to be used to aid letter formation practice in wet sand. The writing could be attempted with a finger or a stick/pencil. A stone marks the spot where the writing of each letter should begin.
N.B. The pack includes two different font types for the letters: (p2-14) & (p15-27) (But don’t forget if you choose the editable docx file, you can change the font!)
Original artwork drawn by Sara Murphy and final digital resources created by Stuart Murphy. COPYRIGHT ON ALL OF THE RESOURCES HOUSED ON THIS WEBSITE IS HELD BY ‘LITTLE OWLS RESOURCES’. OUR RESOURCES (INCLUDING THE IMAGES WITHIN THEM), CANNOT BE SHARED OR SOLD COMMERCIALLY.
DOWNLOAD EDITABLE (DOCX)
DOWNLOAD NON-EDITABLE (PDF)
DOWNLOAD NON-EDITABLE (Zipped JPEGs)
These cards are intended to be used to aid number formation practice in wet sand. The numbers could be attempted with a finger or a stick/pencil. A stone marks the spot where the writing of each number should begin.
N.B. The pack includes two different font types for the numbers: (p2-6) & (p7-11) (But don’t forget if you choose the editable docx file, you can change the font!)
Original artwork drawn by Sara Murphy and final digital resources created by Stuart Murphy. COPYRIGHT ON ALL OF THE RESOURCES HOUSED ON THIS WEBSITE IS HELD BY ‘LITTLE OWLS RESOURCES’. OUR RESOURCES (INCLUDING THE IMAGES WITHIN THEM), CANNOT BE SHARED OR SOLD COMMERCIALLY.
DOWNLOAD EDITABLE (DOCX)
DOWNLOAD NON-EDITABLE (PDF)
DOWNLOAD NON-EDITABLE (Zipped JPEGs)
These cards are intended to be used to aid shape formation in wet sand. The shapes could be attempted with a finger or a stick/pencil. They could also be used as part of a display by the sand area.
Original artwork drawn by Sara Murphy and final digital resources created by Stuart Murphy. COPYRIGHT ON ALL OF THE RESOURCES HOUSED ON THIS WEBSITE IS HELD BY ‘LITTLE OWLS RESOURCES’. OUR RESOURCES (INCLUDING THE IMAGES WITHIN THEM), CANNOT BE SHARED OR SOLD COMMERCIALLY.
DOWNLOAD EDITABLE (DOCX)
DOWNLOAD NON-EDITABLE (PDF)
DOWNLOAD NON-EDITABLE (Zipped JPEGs)
- ‘Dino Dig’ theme
Ideal banner to help transform your sand pit into a ‘Dino Dig’ area!
More ‘Dino Dig’ resources available here.
Have fun!
Original artwork drawn by Sara Murphy and final digital resources created by Stuart Murphy. COPYRIGHT ON ALL OF THE RESOURCES HOUSED ON THIS WEBSITE IS HELD BY ‘LITTLE OWLS RESOURCES’. OUR RESOURCES (INCLUDING THE IMAGES WITHIN THEM), CANNOT BE SHARED OR SOLD COMMERCIALLY.
DOWNLOAD EDITABLE (DOCX)
DOWNLOAD NON-EDITABLE (PDF)
DOWNLOAD NON-EDITABLE (Zipped JPEGs)
<<-BACK TO ‘OUTDOOR AREA’ MENU
Original artwork drawn by Sara Murphy and final digital resources created by Stuart Murphy. COPYRIGHT ON ALL OF THE RESOURCES HOUSED ON THIS WEBSITE IS HELD BY ‘LITTLE OWLS RESOURCES’. OUR RESOURCES (INCLUDING THE IMAGES WITHIN THEM), CANNOT BE SHARED OR SOLD COMMERCIALLY.
DOWNLOAD EDITABLE (DOCX)
DOWNLOAD NON-EDITABLE (PDF)
DOWNLOAD NON-EDITABLE (Zipped JPEGs)
<<-BACK TO ‘OUTDOOR AREA’ MENU
The cards are intended to be cut, folded and laminated before being buried in the sand pit/tray.
The silhouette or full picture cards can be used separately or a mixture of both.
The children can then dig in the sand to find the cards and then try to match up with the dinosaurs on the ‘Dino Dig Mat’ at the end of this pack.
Have fun!
Original artwork drawn by Sara Murphy and final digital resources created by Stuart Murphy. COPYRIGHT ON ALL OF THE RESOURCES HOUSED ON THIS WEBSITE IS HELD BY ‘LITTLE OWLS RESOURCES’. OUR RESOURCES (INCLUDING THE IMAGES WITHIN THEM), CANNOT BE SHARED OR SOLD COMMERCIALLY.
DOWNLOAD EDITABLE (DOCX)
DOWNLOAD NON-EDITABLE (PDF)
DOWNLOAD NON-EDITABLE (Zipped JPEGs)
<<-BACK TO ‘OUTDOOR AREA’ MENU
The cards are intended to be cut and laminated before being buried in the sand pit/tray.
The children can then dig in the sand to find and say the letters on the fossils.
(Don’t forget if you choose the editable docx file, you can change the font!)
Original artwork drawn by Sara Murphy and final digital resources created by Stuart Murphy. COPYRIGHT ON ALL OF THE RESOURCES HOUSED ON THIS WEBSITE IS HELD BY ‘LITTLE OWLS RESOURCES’. OUR RESOURCES (INCLUDING THE IMAGES WITHIN THEM), CANNOT BE SHARED OR SOLD COMMERCIALLY.
DOWNLOAD EDITABLE (DOCX)
DOWNLOAD NON-EDITABLE (PDF)
DOWNLOAD NON-EDITABLE (Zipped JPEGs)
<<-BACK TO ‘OUTDOOR AREA’ MENU
The cards are intended to be cut and laminated before being buried in the sand pit/tray.
The children can then dig in the sand to find and identify the shapes on the fossils.
Includes 4 sets of 6 shapes: triangle, square, circle, rectangle/oblong, pentagon and hexagon. Having 4 sets allows for matching the same shape and counting up to 4 of the same shape. If you would like less or more sets you may of course print as appropriate.
Have fun!
Original artwork drawn by Sara Murphy and final digital resources created by Stuart Murphy. COPYRIGHT ON ALL OF THE RESOURCES HOUSED ON THIS WEBSITE IS HELD BY ‘LITTLE OWLS RESOURCES’. OUR RESOURCES (INCLUDING THE IMAGES WITHIN THEM), CANNOT BE SHARED OR SOLD COMMERCIALLY.
DOWNLOAD EDITABLE (DOCX)
DOWNLOAD NON-EDITABLE (PDF)
DOWNLOAD NON-EDITABLE (Zipped JPEGs)
<<-BACK TO ‘OUTDOOR AREA’ MENU
The cards are intended to be cut and laminated before being buried in the sand pit/tray.
The children can then dig in the sand to find and say the numbers on the fossils.
(Don’t forget if you choose the editable docx file, you can change the font!)
Original artwork drawn by Sara Murphy and final digital resources created by Stuart Murphy. COPYRIGHT ON ALL OF THE RESOURCES HOUSED ON THIS WEBSITE IS HELD BY ‘LITTLE OWLS RESOURCES’. OUR RESOURCES (INCLUDING THE IMAGES WITHIN THEM), CANNOT BE SHARED OR SOLD COMMERCIALLY.
DOWNLOAD EDITABLE (DOCX)
DOWNLOAD NON-EDITABLE (PDF)
DOWNLOAD NON-EDITABLE (Zipped JPEGs)
<<-BACK TO ‘OUTDOOR AREA’ MENU
The puzzles are intended to be cut and laminated before being buried in the sand pit/tray.
The children can then dig in the sand to find the puzzle pieces and match them together.
Have fun!
Original artwork drawn by Sara Murphy and final digital resources created by Stuart Murphy. COPYRIGHT ON ALL OF THE RESOURCES HOUSED ON THIS WEBSITE IS HELD BY ‘LITTLE OWLS RESOURCES’. OUR RESOURCES (INCLUDING THE IMAGES WITHIN THEM), CANNOT BE SHARED OR SOLD COMMERCIALLY.
DOWNLOAD EDITABLE (DOCX)
DOWNLOAD NON-EDITABLE (PDF)
DOWNLOAD NON-EDITABLE (Zipped JPEGs)
<<-BACK TO ‘OUTDOOR AREA’ MENU
The cards are intended to be cut and laminated before being buried in the sand pit/tray.
The children can then dig in the sand to find the separate parts of the puzzle and cards and then try to match them together.
Have fun!
Original artwork drawn by Sara Murphy and final digital resources created by Stuart Murphy. COPYRIGHT ON ALL OF THE RESOURCES HOUSED ON THIS WEBSITE IS HELD BY ‘LITTLE OWLS RESOURCES’. OUR RESOURCES (INCLUDING THE IMAGES WITHIN THEM), CANNOT BE SHARED OR SOLD COMMERCIALLY.
DOWNLOAD EDITABLE (DOCX)
DOWNLOAD NON-EDITABLE (PDF)
DOWNLOAD NON-EDITABLE (Zipped JPEGs)
<<-BACK TO ‘OUTDOOR AREA’ MENU
The cards are intended to be cut and laminated before being buried in the sand pit/tray.
The children can then dig in the sand to find the five cards in a set and then order them by size.
Have fun!
Original artwork drawn by Sara Murphy and final digital resources created by Stuart Murphy. COPYRIGHT ON ALL OF THE RESOURCES HOUSED ON THIS WEBSITE IS HELD BY ‘LITTLE OWLS RESOURCES’. OUR RESOURCES (INCLUDING THE IMAGES WITHIN THEM), CANNOT BE SHARED OR SOLD COMMERCIALLY.
DOWNLOAD EDITABLE (DOCX)
DOWNLOAD NON-EDITABLE (PDF)
DOWNLOAD NON-EDITABLE (Zipped JPEGs)
<<-BACK TO ‘OUTDOOR AREA’ MENU
The bones are intended to be cut and laminated before being buried in the sand pit/tray.
The children can then dig in the sand to find and read the words on the bones.
Original artwork drawn by Sara Murphy and final digital resources created by Stuart Murphy. COPYRIGHT ON ALL OF THE RESOURCES HOUSED ON THIS WEBSITE IS HELD BY ‘LITTLE OWLS RESOURCES’. OUR RESOURCES (INCLUDING THE IMAGES WITHIN THEM), CANNOT BE SHARED OR SOLD COMMERCIALLY.
DOWNLOAD EDITABLE (DOCX)
DOWNLOAD NON-EDITABLE (PDF)
DOWNLOAD NON-EDITABLE (Zipped JPEGs)
<<-BACK TO ‘OUTDOOR AREA’ MENU
The bones are intended to be cut and laminated before being buried in the sand pit/tray.
The children can then dig in the sand to find and read the words on the bones.
Original artwork drawn by Sara Murphy and final digital resources created by Stuart Murphy. COPYRIGHT ON ALL OF THE RESOURCES HOUSED ON THIS WEBSITE IS HELD BY ‘LITTLE OWLS RESOURCES’. OUR RESOURCES (INCLUDING THE IMAGES WITHIN THEM), CANNOT BE SHARED OR SOLD COMMERCIALLY.
DOWNLOAD EDITABLE (DOCX)
DOWNLOAD NON-EDITABLE (PDF)
DOWNLOAD NON-EDITABLE (Zipped JPEGs)
<<-BACK TO ‘OUTDOOR AREA’ MENU
More ‘Alphabet’ cards you may like to hide in your sand tray for children to discover here.
(Remember, when printing you can usually choose to print for example 2 pages on 1 sheet, which will make smaller versions of any cards/posters/puzzles etc on our site!)
‘Dinosaur’ themed alphabet cards
Why not cut and laminate one of our number slice puzzles and hide it in your sand tray? Children will love to explore to find the pieces and problem solve to put the puzzle back together again. What have they found? Why not add an additional challenge by adding pieces to more than one puzzle?
Animal Number Slice Puzzles (1-5 & 1-10)
Equally, children can search for parts of our number & counting puzzle pairs. Can they find the correct matches? If your children require a further challenge, encourage them place the puzzles in order to create a number line on the ground.
‘Butterfly’ themed Minibeasts counting Puzzles
Related Theme & Project Planning Support
A high-impact, play-rich mini-project that uses water as the vehicle for developing physical control, early maths (capacity), schema play and simple scientific thinking.
A toddler project planner supporting sensory, physical and schema-rich learning through summer play.
A two-week, low-prep mini theme designed to spark curiosity, investigation and imaginative thinking through play.
A six-week, sensory-rich curriculum theme exploring water, movement and environmental care (Commonly used in Summer 2)
A two-week, low-prep mini theme designed to enrich provision and respond to children’s emerging interests.
General ‘Outdoor Area’ resources you may be interested in…
Pack of 19 area signs you may like to use in your outdoor area or garden.
Original artwork drawn by Sara Murphy and final digital resources created by Stuart Murphy. COPYRIGHT ON ALL OF THE RESOURCES HOUSED ON THIS WEBSITE IS HELD BY ‘LITTLE OWLS RESOURCES’. OUR RESOURCES (INCLUDING THE IMAGES WITHIN THEM), CANNOT BE SHARED OR SOLD COMMERCIALLY.
DOWNLOAD EDITABLE (DOCX)
DOWNLOAD NON-EDITABLE (PDF)
DOWNLOAD NON-EDITABLE (Zipped JPEGs)
Pack of 19 thin area signs you may like to use in your outdoor area or garden.
Original artwork drawn by Sara Murphy and final digital resources created by Stuart Murphy. COPYRIGHT ON ALL OF THE RESOURCES HOUSED ON THIS WEBSITE IS HELD BY ‘LITTLE OWLS RESOURCES’. OUR RESOURCES (INCLUDING THE IMAGES WITHIN THEM), CANNOT BE SHARED OR SOLD COMMERCIALLY.
DOWNLOAD EDITABLE (DOCX)
DOWNLOAD NON-EDITABLE (PDF)
DOWNLOAD NON-EDITABLE (Zipped JPEGs)
Pack of 19 A4 ‘How many can play’ area signs you may like to use in your outdoor area or garden.
Original artwork drawn by Sara Murphy and final digital resources created by Stuart Murphy. COPYRIGHT ON ALL OF THE RESOURCES HOUSED ON THIS WEBSITE IS HELD BY ‘LITTLE OWLS RESOURCES’. OUR RESOURCES (INCLUDING THE IMAGES WITHIN THEM), CANNOT BE SHARED OR SOLD COMMERCIALLY.
DOWNLOAD EDITABLE (DOCX)
DOWNLOAD NON-EDITABLE (PDF)
DOWNLOAD NON-EDITABLE (Zipped JPEGs)
Pack of general outdoor area signs you may like to use in your outdoor area or garden.
Original artwork drawn by Sara Murphy and final digital resources created by Stuart Murphy. COPYRIGHT ON ALL OF THE RESOURCES HOUSED ON THIS WEBSITE IS HELD BY ‘LITTLE OWLS RESOURCES’. OUR RESOURCES (INCLUDING THE IMAGES WITHIN THEM), CANNOT BE SHARED OR SOLD COMMERCIALLY.
DOWNLOAD EDITABLE (DOCX)
DOWNLOAD NON-EDITABLE (PDF)
DOWNLOAD NON-EDITABLE (Zipped JPEGs)
Additional ‘Outdoor Area’ pages…
(More coming soon!)
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Click here to visit our ‘Special Dates Calendar’ page for an entire year of key EYFS & KS1 events, festivals & celebrations.
Encourage curiosity, creativity and problem-solving with our wonderful Outdoor Sand Play Challenge Cards!
These engaging printable challenge cards help transform your outdoor sand area into a rich environment for exploration, investigation and imaginative play. Each…