Sensory activities for kids are one of the best ways to explore textures and the beginning of science for little ones. One of our favorite sensory recipes for kids is DIY kinetic sand!
This play sand recipe is a fun textural experience for kids and it is also non-toxic and completely safe for kids of all ages to play with (as long as they are past the putting everything in their mouths stage).
Keep reading to find out how to make your very own homemade play sand! Don’t forget to check out our recipe on how to make Easy Confetti Moon Dough, too!
DIY Kinetic Sand Recipe- How to Make Moldable Play Sand
You don’t need many ingredients to make fun kinetic sand at home. Kids will love squishing and molding the sand to transform it into something that is imaginative and creative! This is such a fun texture to have them play with!
This play sand recipe makes a wonderful sensory activity for kids of all ages, from toddlers to upper elementary kids! (and even adults can join in on the fun!)
It also makes a wonderful stocking stuffer! You can easily make this up recipe to share and give to others.
How to make homemade play sand at home:
Follow along with this tutorial to find out how you can make your own kinetic sand at home. You’ll be surprised at how easy it is!
You can use this sand in place of pricey kinetic sand found at stores, and we found that we like the texture of this sand much better than the store-bought version!
Homemade Play Sand Ingredients
You will need these ingredients to make your homemade play sand:
- Corn starch
- Play tray
- Dish soap
- Craft sand (you can also use playground sand)
- Small toys (we used dinosaurs)
- Assorted cookie cutters
How to make DIY Kinetic Sand
You will mix your cornstarch and sand in a ratio of 1 part sand and 2 parts corn starch.
You may need to adjust these amounts based on how much water you put in and the humidity of your area.
Squeeze a few drops of dish soap into a cup of water.
Mix the sand and cornstarch in a container.
Slowly add water, mixing as you go, until moldable paste forms. Don’t add too much water or you will get sandy soup.
If you do get sandy soup, you can keep adding more corn starch and the mixture will stabilize.
Once the homemade kinetic sand is moldable to your liking, give it to your child to play with.
They can form shapes, use cookie cutters, play with small plastic toys, and build fun structures using sand molds!
What is the best way to store this Kinetic Sand recipe?
To store the sand, put the sand in an airtight container. If you leave it out, it will start to dry out.
If the sand starts to dry out, add a few sprinkles of water to get it moist again. Since there are no chemicals in this version of kinetic sand, the sand will eventually dry out as kids play with it. Just adding a bit more water will get things working properly again!
Fun Play Ideas to do with this Kinetic Sand recipe
Let the kids have fun with this recipe. Not only is it great for building, but it’s also great for sensory play, too. Have them spread it out and use their finger to draw a shape or work on their letters.
This is just proof that you can easily combine play with learning.
More Sensory Activities for Kids:
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