A picture of sand works wonders

In the world there is nothing more simple and accessible than a sand game. It was played many thousands of years ago, without thinking about the benefits of such a lesson. The picture of sand reflects the emotional state experienced by a person at a certain moment, his inner world.

The opinion that this game is a child's play is not exactly right. Not only kids, but also adults often do not mind playing it, whether on the beach or in a specially equipped place.

Sand therapy is one of the directions of art therapy. Its essence lies in the effect of self-healing in the process of manipulating this material. A picture of sand as if projecting a person's state of mind, as he builds it spontaneously, without thinking. The author of this method of therapy, Dora Kalff, said that all the unconscious is reflected in the sand. In the course of the lesson, a story, history, characters are arranged, locks and obstacles are built. In the course of corrective work, obstacles gradually disappear from the picture of sand, assistants appear, this world seems to "calm down," and the patient, whether child or adult, finds a solution to his problem.

Such therapy in work with preschool children helps to reduce the level of aggression and anxiety, because this material calms. Immersing his hands in it, passing between his fingers, the child feels his cool, feels the warmth of his hands. A preschool child who does not know how to draw well, playing in the sand, can tell about his feelings and experiences. It is no accident, if you observe how the children behave in the sandbox, you can see that someone is working peacefully on the "kulichik", enthusiastically building slides and castles. And someone is ruining everything in its path, scattering sand everywhere and destroying buildings. So the children try to interact, yet they do not know how to speak.

A picture from sand helps to form communication skills, learn to negotiate and cede. In the process of joint construction, children learn to interact with each other, cooperate. Having learned all this in the sandbox, they then transfer the acquired knowledge and skills into real life.

The possibilities of this type of therapy are great. Drawing sand for children has a psychotherapeutic effect, it allows deep study of the situation. In the course of correctional work, the child's attitude to himself, to the situations of the past, the future and the present is gradually changing. Elements of these exercises can be used by other narrow specialists: speech therapists and defectologists.

This type of correction has several limitations: it should not be used when working with children with ADHD, if the child has allergic reactions to dust and small particles, lung diseases, as well as in case of skin diseases and cuts.

In other cases, a picture of sand helps in solving a number of problems inherent in the preschooler. In crisis moments, the emotional background stabilizes, the mood rises, anxiety decreases. A good assistant is the sandbox when the child adapts to new conditions: a kindergarten, a school, a move.