Sand therapy for preschool children. Drawing with sand

A small child, once on the beach, immediately begins to play with sand. Yes, and adults like to build sandcastles. And this is not surprising. According to psychologists, playing with sand has a beneficial effect on our psyche, relieve negative emotions, anxiety, sometimes even help in solving problems.

Children who like to play in the sandbox, build castles, paint with sand, grow confident and more often succeed. In addition, joint activities with sand help parents learn the characteristics of the behavior and development of the child.

The essence of the method

Sandbox is a good diagnostic tool that helps to effectively overcome a variety of personal problems, relieve internal tension. Sand therapy helps to release and understand your true self, helps to restore your mental integrity.

A child often does not know how to express his anxieties and fears with words. Sand therapy for preschool children helps to do this . The child loses an exciting situation with the help of toy characters, creates a picture of his own world from the sand, thereby freeing himself from stress.

Playing in the sand with various figures, the child has the opportunity to change the uncomfortable for him situation or condition in a game form, thus gaining experience in solving problems of his own both internally and externally. The experience brings the child to reality.

In addition, it is necessary to note the unique properties of sand, which is capable of "grounding" negative emotions, bringing harmony to a person's state.

Short story

The method of sand therapy was applied at the end of 1920 by psychotherapists Anna Freud, Eric Erickson and others. W. Jung developed a technique of active imagination, which is considered the theoretical foundation of therapy.

In 1930, Margaret Lovenfeld invented the technique "Building the World", which was used to work with sick children and children with psychological problems.

After studying the methodology of "Constructing the World" by Dora Kalf, the Jungian "Sand Therapy" was developed, which was applied in work with both children and adults. It uses a tray filled with sand, and many small items. The program "Sand therapy" complements other types of psychotherapy.

It is very relevant in the modern world. We are increasingly moving away from nature, forgetting our natural origin. Classes with sand help to return to primitive feelings and sensations.

Objectives

Why do I need sand therapy? Classes with sand help determine the personality of the child, understand yourself and your self, contribute to the development of thinking, fantasy, fine motor skills of the fingers.

They teach children to create models of their fantasies, to understand and explain them. Classes help to overcome difficulties in communication, learn to express their thoughts in words, be responsible for their own actions and deeds, rely more on themselves, promote the development of self-esteem, getting rid of fears and the consequences of psychological trauma and gaining faith in oneself.

Sand therapy for preschool children is not used to change or alter a child, it gives him the opportunity to be himself. Such games are a symbolic language for self-expression. Manipulations with toys help the child express an attitude to himself and other people, to the events taking place.

What problems help to eliminate the occupation with sand

Children's sand therapy helps to cope with various behavioral disorders, to establish relationships with other children and adults, to get rid of psychosomatic diseases, increased anxiety, fear, neuroses, to survive the difficulties that are associated with various family and social situations. It is useful for children with special needs.

Sand therapy in kindergarten

In kindergartens and schools only began to use the influence that sand therapy has on the mental development of children. In the future, it is planned to make such studies mandatory.

Trying to draw with sand, children learn letters and numbers faster, learn to distinguish between "right" and "left", to distinguish between day and night, seasons. Therefore, games with sand can be used not only by a psychologist, teachers such classes help to teach children much more effectively. Sand therapy in kindergarten promotes the development of visual-figurative thinking, perception and memory, tactile sensitivity and fine motor skills of the hands.

The stages of playing with sand in children

The general stages of this game was singled out by John Allan in 1986:

1. Chaos . At this stage the child selects many figures, dumping them in a container with sand. Figures have different sizes, belong to different categories, among them there are no plants and animals. This behavior of the baby speaks of the anxieties, fears and confusion that prevail in his life. This stage can last for several sessions.

2. Fighting . At this stage, among the figures appear good and bad heroes, predatory and herbivores, earthmen and aliens, etc., which means confrontation, military actions, conflicts. The stage can last a long time. At this stage, you can not rush a baby, offering to enter a positive character. It is necessary to enable the child to overcome the internal conflict independently, at the pace necessary for him. The completion of the stage can be judged by the concluded peace treaties, pardoning the enemy and preserving his life.

3. Exodus . This stage means harmony and balance. At this stage, all objects are related, among the figures appears greens and fruits, animals are arranged in pairs.

Sand Games at home

For home lessons you will need a box (65 × 75 × 8), a blue paint, a container of water, many small toys. Make sure that the game box is not rough and has no sharp edges. The inner surface of the box is painted in blue, which has a beneficial effect on the psyche.

Sand for sand therapy is better to take yellow. But in order to create accents in the game, the sand of dark color will do. To a child can sculpt figurines from sand, you need a container of water. Figures for the game should be no more than 10 cm in height. Toys of plastic and metal are suitable.

Base Games

Games for sand therapy are many, to begin with you can try the most popular:

1. The game "Guessing." In the sand, several figures are buried and they offer the baby to recognize them without taking them out of the sand.

2. The game "Funny stories." Letters of the alphabet are laid out on the sand simple words. Then you need to read them together with the child. After that, the kid closes his eyes, and the letters hide in the sand. The task of the child is to find letters and restore the word.

3. The game "My City". The kid should display on the sand his town or even a magical land. You need to come up with a story that shows what is happening in the sandbox. All character-participants can be given names.

Group Games

Sand therapy for preschool children is conducted in groups of 4-6 people. In the event that participants are aggressive or hyperactive, the group should not have more than 3 people. Group classes develop the ability to play in a team, communicate with other children, play certain roles, listen to oneself, your feelings and worries and express your thoughts.

The tasks of group classes with sand is to improve the skills and skills of practical communication through verbal and non-verbal means, the development of imagination and imaginative thinking, the ability to concentrate, increase the activity of children.

The game is as follows. Children become wizards who must create a fabulous country on uninhabited land. Children are allowed to take whatever they think is necessary. The country is created all together or in turn, without interfering with each other, until it is built.

In this case, it is necessary to monitor the behavior of children, the way they contact each other. Sand therapy for preschool children is useful in that when children play, they learn how to solve conflicts on their own, overcome difficulties together, listen and hear others.

Contraindications

It is contraindicated to deal with sand therapy for children who are hyperactive and have attention deficit disorder, epileptic children, kids who have allergic reactions to dust and small particles, as well as pulmonary and skin diseases.

Sand therapy for preschool children under the guidance of a psychologist is a wonderful kind of classes that helps parents to get answers to questions that concern the inner world of their baby, which helps to understand the causes of conflicts, fears and anxieties and successfully correct such conditions.