The Real Reason People Are Putting Cheerios In A Blender
TikTok user (and awesome mom) @elleannachristine recently caught the attention of parents worldwide when she shared a video on the social media platform explaining how she makes edible sand for her young child using Cheerios. Buzzfeed reported on the sensory play hack, stating that the video received over 2.6 million views and has been making the rounds in online parent groups across the globe.
In her short video, Elle shows viewers how to crush up Cheerios in a blender to mimic the consistency of sand. She then dumps her "sand" into a small tray and adds beach toys for her baby to play with. The toy was a hit, with her child immediately playing in the tray and putting the plastic beach toys in her mouth. TikTok users quickly began liking and commenting on the video, praising it as a genius way to prevent their kids from eating real sand, which isn't exactly the healthiest thing to do (via The Sun).
Sensory play is so important for healthy brain development
According to Educational Playcare, sensory play is vital to healthy brain development in children, helping to build nerve connections in the brain's pathways. These strong nerve connections help children become able to complete more complex tasks and support cognitive growth, language development, and healthy social interactions, among other skills. Sensory play combines a variety of activities that encourage children to use their senses to explore and learn while they play, and is a great way to calm upset children and teach them different types of sensations (hot, cold, wet, dry, etc.) in a safe environment.
Buzzfeed stated that Elle's video even inspired other parents to share their own attempts at making edible sand using her Cheerio method, as well as videos of their children playing in the "sandboxes" they created. If you're searching for other ways to incorporate sensory play in your child's life, Elle has created other edible craft videos for TikTok using foods like jello to encourage her child to safely explore texture and taste while playing.