Sand Play

What is this?

In sand-play, children and young people create scenes of miniature worlds. using figures, sand and water to communicate their inner world, namely their thoughts, feelings, memories, worries, hopes, fantasies, perceptions, inner voices. Many children and young people are totally unused to talking about their inner world, so being offered sand-play can be a lifeline and far more effective than everyday words.

Moreover, in the context of an ongoing therapeutic relationship with an emotionally available adult, children and young people feel safe to address painful life experiences in this way, because it’s ‘out there’ in a miniature world, instead of swirling round their heads as often unnamed pain and anguish.

After the sand-play is completed, the child/young person and practitioner undertake collaborative sense-making. By making changes in their sand-play world, they often feel empowered to make similar changes in their real world.

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