Good luck on your cloud journey.
AWS is introducing Exam Lab questions on all associate exams, so it is important to get experience with the AWS Console and AWS CLI.
I recommend after studying a topic in the console attempting to do everything from the CLI. You can do most of this from AWS CloudShell.
Sandboxes are great to help you get exposure to AWS services, its important to run scenarios on your own to gain experience when no guardrails in place. I will never forget to set billing alarms and budgets after my first billing mishap.
Remember to not leave too much time between your practice exams and the real exam.