It seems you can’t go into any home, or early childhood centre and find a sandpit that doesn’t have a digger or dump truck half buried in sand. They hold a special fascination with children and Dana Villamagna from Toca Magazine explains in her article entitled ‘Why Kids Dig Trucks’ a possible theory as to why;
“Trucks are big, their colors are bold, and they make awesome loud noises. Big trucks in motion shout “Important Work In Progress,” and kids love seeing amazing work happening in the grown-up world. So much of what we adults no longer pay attention to in the background of everyday life is still new and exciting to kids. Maybe the question isn’t why are kids so excited about trucks, but rather why aren’t we just as excited as they are?”
It’s not just about the fascination the child has with the awesome and noisy trucks they see out in the wider world that draws children to grab a digger and start playing, but wider benefits are at play too.
In Nathan Makiere-Wallis’s seminar on 'Brain Development and Learning' at Albany Senior High School in 2009 he explains that the three things that release the most endorphins are (in order): singing, laughter and physical exercise.
Having children out and about and playing doesn’t just teach them valuable skills but taps into a chemical release of feel good hormones.
The mid brain is responsible for controlling movement, but it also controls the function of the frontal cortex. Therefore having kids moving around the sandbox pushing trucks and diggers on important missions to clear and move sand stimulates the brain in ways that may not seem obvious at the time.
You may be exploring the idea of getting children outside by giving them a digger or truck to play with ( but you’ll be rewarding them with so much more. We found 8 amazing reasons why playing in the sand or mud is great for kids and have summarised them here for you.
- Playing in sand/dirt is the gift that keeps on giving.
From tracing a finger in the sand to make a pretty pattern to moving half the sandpit from one end to the other in an hour children have the freedom to enjoy it in whichever way they like.
- It adapts as they grow.
Younger children may be content with tipping sand into and out of a bucket but as they grow so can the complexity of play. Who hasn’t been to a beach and seen a grown-up try and build a work of art or some Games of Thrones inspired castle?
- It’s a workout!
Lifting, sifting, digging all require large amounts of physical activity and this helps young bones and muscles develop in functional ways. The muscles they test and use in the sandpit will be great foundations of strength in later life.
- Social scene
Sharing a space like a sandpit forces children to learn about sharing, moving around each other and working together. Waiting your turn for the toy you want to use and developing communication skills can all stem from digging around in the sand.
- A great teacher
Seeing how sand moves from the digger to the truck is not just fascinating but it helps hand-eye coordination. Watch how a child moves more carefully with a digger full of sand, or watch out for the child that loves to see it spill everywhere!
- It’s rocket science - kind of
The digger’s smaller scoop helps children see that more loads are required to fill the dump truck so they begin to get the hang of greater than and less than. They’ll start to get better at finding the right containers for the job and maybe start to explore efficiency.
- Even more science
Mixing sand and water can encourage kids to dig trenches for the water to flow down. Creating blockages that stop the water show them flow, paths of resistance and gravity. All with the scoop of a digger arm!
- Art over science
For children that are more creative the sand can be a great place to write their name with the digger arm, or for them to become fascinated by the tracks the truck makes with its tyres.
Could it be that such a simple toy combo as a truck and a digger can really be such a great tool for childhood development? We certainly think so, but take a look at our truck and digger set yourself.