For the first time sand therapy was mentioned by the famous science fiction writer Herbert Wells. Margaret Lovenfeld is the English psychologist connected the figures described in the book by Wells to water and sand. In the separate psychotherapeutic direction the sand therapy was issued in the fifties the 20th century thanks to the children's psychotherapist Dora Kalff.
Sand therapy proved the efficiency in work with psychosomatic frustration, traumatic experiences, in situations when there are difficulties in communication and internal contradictions. For children the tray with sand becomes the reliable friend in fight against passivity, uneasiness, feeling of isolation, school difficulties of emotional character.
Structure of occupation
Before going to a construction of sand castles and palaces, explain to the child that on sand it is possible to draw something or to construct. If it is demanded by a plan, it is possible to add water to sand. Offer the child a set of figures of the small size, allow it to choose necessary elements independently. It is possible to find room for all instruction in several words "Build the City of the Future" or "Build the Fantastic World".
Unlike adults, pictures of children seldom have static character. In the course of creation of the fantastic world the child will not only construct necessary buildings, but also to play scenes, to sound heroes. Sand therapy is capable "get to talking" even the most silent kids who have difficulties in registration of the thoughts. Having completed the construction, suggest the child to give the name to the received masterpiece and to tell a little about it. If on the first classes the child hesitates or finds it difficult to tell – do not insist. Upon termination of ask the child to sort independently a design as on next time it will be absolute other picture of the world. It is possible to speak about the first results after carrying out a course from ten classes regularity 1–2 times a week.
Materials for sand therapy
For individual classes use a wooden waterproof box of 50х70х8 cm in size. Dimensions are chosen not casually and correspond to the field of visual perception of the child, allow to capture entirely it a look. The internal surface needs to be painted in blue color which creates resistant associations with infinity and continuation. Fill 2/3 volumes of the box called in language of psychologists "tray" with the calcinated and sifted sand. For training use figures which meet in the world around, no more than 8 cm high. The main groups form of human characters, animals, buildings, cars, plants, natural material (shells, branches, stones), fantastic heroes, house utensils and religious objects.