What is Kinetic Sensory Sand?

UPDATED 2022: This post was a sponsored post for Lakeshore in 2018. However, it’s worth noting that my children still play with this same kinetic sand set (4 years later).

You’ve got to jump on this bandwagon.

I am all about jumping on a good bandwagon, and I’m telling you: kinetic sand is the one you need to jump on. Kinetic sand is, well, pretty amazing and it makes for one quick and easy kids activity.

I tell everyone how amazing this stuff is – because it really is – but the question I always get back is the say, “How do you play with it?”

Obviously, I’ve got you covered.

Playing with kinetic sand is so easy!

Kinetic sand is fun to play with just on its own – no “activity set up” needed.

I love (yes, I said I, as in me – a 35-year-old mom of 3) running my hands through it. You never get over how cool it feels.

Kinetic sand moves and molds, bends and cuts in a way that is completely different from other sensory bases. It has a velvety smooth texture – it isn’t gritty like sand. This isn’t going to get in your toddler’s eye like traditional sand will.

But what else can you do with kinetic sand other than just run your hands through it?!

There are so many great ways to play with kinetic sand!

The following products link to Lakeshore Learning.

Mold & Play Sensory Sand Set

This is an EASY way to introduce kinetic sensory sand to your family – it’s actually exactly how this obsession started at our house.

My kids got this set from Grandma after we saw it in a Lakeshore Learning store in 2017. Now it’s 2022 and these tools, sand, and buildings are still with us.

Thank goodness Grandma bought this set way back then.

The Mold & Play Sensory Sand Set comes with a little bit of everything to start you on your kinetic sensory sand adventure. I’m a huge fan of the building molds – there’s nothing more satisfying than pretending you’ve made the world’s most intricate tiny sand castle.

There are also great little blocks that make perfect cubes.

My kids love the roller – making the sand smooth is a big deal. They love making “parking lots” and “lawns” in their sensory sand.

Between the building, rolling, and scraping, my whole family plays with this set for hours. It never gets old (literally and figuratively: one of my favorite parts of kinetic sand is that it doesn’t get old / go bad.).

Sensory Sand Ice Cream Set

What’s better than just sensory play? Sensory play and imaginative play combined.

My kids (3 and 5) think they run their own Dairy Queen with this Sensory Sand Ice Cream Set.

Those same kids are now 7 and 9, and still have this ice cream set. They make “sundaes” often.

The kinetic sensory sand works perfectly to make little ice cream scoops; it even has tiny cones and bowls for them to serve their creations in.

But even when they’ve finished playing ice cream shop, they have loads of open ended opportunities with the set.

Little Hands Fine Motor Tools

Technically, these aren’t specifically made for sensory sand but trust me, these are the best. My kids have so much fun working with these tools in their kinetic sensory sand bins.

Here’s what we do with the Little Hands Fine Motor Tools:

• The tweezers make for perfect grabbers to move sections of sand around
• The scissor scoop makes the coolest egg-shaped sand mounds
• The squeeze and scoop tool is perfect for making sand balls.

There is also a wavy water dropper that comes with this set which is so much fun for liquid activities.

These tools come in handy all the time for my family, and especially with sensory sand. They just work so perfectly together.

Kinetic sand is that cool

Trust me – kinetic sand is amazing. It’s also amazing what an easy, low key sensory activity it is for kids. Just grab your bag of sand, dump it out, add a few toys and viola. You’ve got happy playing kids, totally engaging with their sensory sand.

Update 2022: We still love Kinetic Sand!

It’s been four years since I wrote this post and let me share the “update:” My kids are more committed to kinetic sand than ever before.

Kinetic sand is the most consistently played with “toy” at our house (we keep it out and available for the kids every day). I truly can’t imagine how life would have been without it as the center piece of play. It’s used for hiding treasure, elaborate shops, making “cakes,” and creating worlds.