Outdoors toys are a fantastic investment for the kids and make an excellent joint Christmas gift for siblings. If you’ve been considering a kids’ sandpit for your home, here are our top tips to maintaining one and keeping the joy in the gift all year round.
Cover it up
If your sandpit comes with a cover, that’s great. If it doesn’t, you’ll need to invest in some tarpaulin and some pegs or bricks to bunker it down. A cover ensures that no leaves fall into your sand, or that your sand doesn’t blow away in strong winds. It will also keep it dry during rainfall. But perhaps most importantly, it will keep animals from using it as a litter tray. We can’t emphasise enough that covering the sand after the kids have used it will keep your sandpit enjoyable for longer.
Pick a versatile sandpit design
What could be better than a sandpit that doubles as a picnic table? It’s a great space-saver so even if you have a small backyard, this versatile design gives you double the value. With two removable tubs that can be filled with sand and/or water, you can easily clean this table and use it as a play space, craft table, dinner table or even get the kids to do their homework outdoors for a change of scenery. Or if you want something a little more traditional, the wooden sandpit with chalkboard and storage combines sand play with art – the bench seats double as concealed storage compartments for other yard toys. Brilliant!
Keeping clean
The one thing I think we can all agree on is how annoying it is when the kids bring half the sandpit inside with them, so here are a few simple rules to set in place to keep the sand in the pit where it belongs.
No shoes in the sandpit
Little shoes are notorious for bringing in clumps of sand. Make a rule to remove shoes for sandpit play to preserve both your sandpit and your house.
No throwing sand
Seems kind of obvious but if you tell the kids not to throw fistfuls of sand around, you’ll have less sand to wash out of hair and more sand in the sandpit where it belongs.
Sandpit only toys
It can be oh-so-tempting to bring dolls, teddies and other toys from the play room into the sandpit, but if you can keep sand play to the sandpit toys only, you’ll have less to clean up after a play.
No food or drinks
Kids can sometimes forget to bring their food rubbish with them when they finish eating. The last thing you want is packet rubbish or sandwich crusts in the sandpit. Not to mention spilled water from a water bottle – keep the snacks away from the sandpit at all costs.
Sandpit sun safety
If your sandpit is in the yard and not under an area that provides shade, remember to keep the kids sun safe while playing in their sandpit. Hats and sunscreen are a great way to ensure they’re safe from the sun’s rays while playing. You can also find other accessories like an umbrella to cast some shade over the kids or splash out and get some kids deckchairs which come with their own personal umbrellas, too. Who needs the beach when you can have sand and deck chairs in your own backyard?
