Play Therapy: Sand Tray Miniatures and Techniques

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sand tray miniatures for play therapy are important because the miniatures represent a vocabulary for expression. As play therapists are well aware of, play is the way children express themselves.  It is important to provide miniatures that represent ordinary life including items that represent mythological and fiction. For example, ordinary representations would be people, foods, buildings, flags, planets, shapes, planets, things representing different feelings and culture. Fiction and mythological would be fairies, elves, cartoons, etc.

One thing I remember from grad school is not to label the miniatures. You, as the play therapist or if you are a parent conducting filial therapy, should not label the miniatures but allow the child to describe the item. Many times a child will pick a miniature that reminds him of something that is not actually what the miniature is suppose to be. Be sure to provide items that provide positive and negative imagery and positive and negative emotions, such as sorrow, pain, joy, happiness, peace, etc.

Here is a general list of items that should help you start your play therapy/sand tray collection:

• People of different race, hair colors, ethnicities, sizes, etc.
• Families, including babies, twins, etc. See the miniatures that are pictured above.
• Provide clothes and some dolls with no clothes. Children like to dress the dolls or undress dolls.
• Mythological figures.
• Monsters.
• People dressed in their work clothing including work items such as tools, miniature office desk, etc. Think doll house miniature furniture. See dollhouse furniture here.
• Animals, large and small.
• Plants, flowers, bushes, leaves, rocks, and other environmental items.
• Home furnishings.
• Vehicles.

Bookmark this page because I will be making detailed lists soon. You can also check out my other blog posts on play therapy.

Credit goes to Sand Tray World Play: A Comprehensive Guide to the Use of the Sand Tray in Psychotherapeutic and Transformational Settings

Sand Tray Therapy Supplies: Size and Shape of Sand Tray

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Many play therapists that get their own play room are excited about filling it up with all the basic supplies needed to conduct therapy sessions. One item that is important is purchasing a sand tray, which also seems to be the most difficult thing to buy. There are several options. First, do not feel like you can’t do sand tray therapy if you don’t own a professional sand tray. You can most certainly use a rubbermaid bin or even a child’s sand box to conduct a play session. I might be in the minority, but I don’t see anything wrong with using a child’s sand box like this one.

According to Sand Tray World Play: A Comprehensive Guide to the Use of the Sand Tray in Psychotherapeutic and Transformation Settings by Gisela Schubach, there are several sizes and shapes of sand trays that have been used in sand tray therapy.

• Dr. Margaret Lowenfeld used sand trays that were aluminum metat and measured 20 inches by 30 inches and were 3 inches deep.
• Dora Kalff’s trays were made of a wooden frame and measured 19.5 inches by 28.5 inches and are also 3 inches deep. Gisela Schubach recommends not using wet sand in a wooden frame tray.
• Goesta Harding provides a metal tray that measured 20.5 inches by 32 inches and are 2.2 inches deep.
• Gisela Schubach has found blue plastic trays that are 21.5 inches by 19.5 inches and 4 inches deep. She uses multiple trays.

Gisela advises against using a cat litter box as a sand tray because of the psychological imagery that could be raised.

If you don’t purchase a plastic box, you could get a custom tray made or even purchase a photographic tray. Make sure the tray has a flat surface on the bottom of the tray.

On Amazon, I found the Guidecraft Kid’s Sand Tray that doesn’t exactly match the sizes above, but it is an option.

The sand tray in the picture shown above can be be found here: Dynalon 107334 22 x 26 x 4 Inch Heavy Duty Polypropylene Rectangular Laboratory Tray / Storage Bin. The reason I like this tray is because it is 4 inches.

• 22 x 26 x 4 inch
• Heavy tray Fabricated with 1/4 inch thick
• Polypropylene
• All welded construction
• Can be customized with spigot and cover which are fabricated to order

Sand Tray Therapy Supplies

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you are interested in using a sand tray for play therapy, there is a basic list of supplies you will need. You can read more about play therapy here.

• First you will need a sand tray obviously. Many of them are painted blue on the inside. You can see a selection of sand trays here. You do not have to purchase a large sand tray, although it is better so a child has more room to express him or herself with the play therapy miniatures. If you can’t find or afford a large traditional sand therapy tray, you can always use a large rubbermaid bin.
• Fill the tray with either dry or wet sand about half way inside the sand tray.
• The sand tray is usually on top of a worktable, unless you purchase a sand tray that comes with a table.
• Play therapy miniatures, which usually include people, animals, and items that resemble something (such as a cross). Some play therapists buy a dollhouse family like these.
• Bowls and are also a good idea to have to help the child mold the sand.

If are interested in learning more techniques, check out the Sandtray Therapy: A Practical Manual, Second Edition.

Limit Setting in Toddlers and Preschoolers

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some of the best things I learned in grad school are things that I learned in play therapy. For example, limit setting. This is a technique used by play therapists and many counselors when disciplining or speaking to children in the play room. Limit setting is all about giving children choices when it comes to their behavior.

For example, let’s say that Levi is jumping up and down on his bed.

Me: Levi, please stop jumping on your bed. You fell off last time and hurt yourself. I don’t want you to fall again. You can either choose to sit on your bed or get off the bed.

Levi: continues to bounce…

Me: Levi you are choosing to jump on your bed, please choose whether to sit or get off the bed. If you continue to jump on the bed, you choose that mommy will take a toy away from you (or insert discipline here).

Levi: continues to bounce…

Me: Ok Levi, you have chosen for mommy to take a toy away.

This is just an example, and he usually does not choose the “discipline route”. Usually speaking to a child like this and giving them choices is very effective. Kids like to make choices and feel like they are in charge. The wording might sound funny at first, but after you use this discipline method frequently it makes sense and sounds normal. Think about…you are setting the limits and your child is choosing what action to take. I gave Levi two choices to make, which are the limits. I actually gave him three which would have been the route I would have taken if he completely disobeyed me.

A book I used in grad school that I recommend is Play Therapy: The Art of the Relationship. Yes, this book is geared for professionals; however, it is very understandable and is a great overview of play therapy. It’s amazing how much play therapy I used in my own daily parenting with my children.

Photo credit

Non Directive Play Therapy

Parents, has your child ever seen a child counselor? Play therapy is a common method play therapists use. Non directive play therapy is allowing the child to play in a play therapist’s setting with no direction by the play therapist. The play therapist does not make any direct intervention during the time the child is playing in session. The counselor allows the child to play with whatever toys he chooses to play with meaning the play therapist will not tell the child what toys to play with. For example, asking the child to draw a picture or telling the child to play with the dollhouse is not non directive play therapy. Allowing the child to roam the play room and decide for himself what to play with is truly non directive play therapy.

During my graduate study, I conducted a play therapy case study on a child using non directive play therapy techniques. It was up to us graduate students to decide whether we used non directive or directive techniques in our case study. The techniques I primarily used were tracking and reflection without intervention of direction. My case study was for 12 weeks. Although I enjoyed working with this child, it was not in a preferred setting. It was at the client’s house, so it did not provide the same atmosphere as it would if it were in a traditional play therapy setting.

Non directive play therapy is typically compared to directive play therapy. Many specialists want to know whether non directive play therapy is effective or not. Besides research and through my own experience, I believe non directive play therapy is very effective. It allows the counselor and child to build a relationship based on trust. I’m not saying a directive approach does not allow this either; however, using or at least starting a counseling relationship with a non directive approach provides the child time to get accustomed and acquainted with her counselor. Allowing the child to explore on his own gives him a “safe place” to explore. I found a play therapy case study that shows how non directive can help a child make progress. This case study demonstrates how “staying in the moment” can provide to be beneficial.

Play therapy is a counseling method used with children (and some adults too!). A child communicates through play, which makes perfect sense. For those of you who are not play therapists or counselors, try observing your own children play. You can learn a lot from watching them. Too see more information about using a sand play therapy, visit here.

Play Therapy for Children: Tracking

Part of my school counseling training was learning about using play therapy with children (yes play therapy can be used with adults too!). Part of my parenting style involves using play therapy techniques. I do a lot of tracking to show my children that I am observing, paying attention, and recognizing what they are doing (it also keeps me in practice with play therapy!).

So what is tracking? Tracking is when you follow your child’s action and generally repeat back what they are doing. You are not doing this to sound like a robot! Here are some examples:

• Levi is playing with his blocks. He moves a red block on top of the yellow block. A play therapist might say something like, “I see you moved the red block on top of the yellow block”.
• If Levi walks over to another play area and chooses not to play with the blocks anymore and now wants to play with the doll house, a play therapist might say “You are deciding not to play with those blocks anymore and you are curious about the doll house”.

Those are just some basic examples. There is a lot more behind play therapy techniques to use with children, but tracking is a very important component of play therapy. Most parents already do some kind of form of tracking at home and might not even know it. When your child is about to do something wrong, you might say “I have eyes on the back of my head and see what you are doing!” Although that is not exactly play therapy or a tracking technique, it shows that you are verbally tracking your child’s behavior.

Learning to track your children at home is a good parenting technique to use because it shows your children you are involved. Trust me, your children notice whether you pay attention to them or not at home! Tracking is a good way to become more involved in quality time with your child. Some children might be annoyed at first when you begin to track their movements; however, they eventually will appreciate it and might even track themselves before you do!

 

Independent Child and Play

Do you have an independent child that likes to play alone? Before my son turned 3, he loved to play by himself. Ever since he was born I could tell he liked his independence (unlike my daughter). I remember times I would feel guilty because I felt like I was not interacting with him enough. There were countless times I would sit next to him on the floor or sit at the table with him and try to play. However, he would usually tell me “no” or “stop playing with me”. The good news is this behavior is completely normal! Allowing your children to play by themselves encourages them to use their imagination. Don’t worry, an independent toddler is not going to result in a loner as a teenager! According to an interview in Parents Magazine, Maria Escolar states, “solo play encourages independence, self-confidence, creativity, and language skills”.

As your toddler gets older, usually between the ages of two and three, you will notice your child will want to interact more with other children. However, you might notice that your child does not interact much with the other child. This is called parallel play. Parallel play is when two or more children play together in the same area but do not engage or interact much in the other child’s play. This is also totally normal! The purpose of parallel play is to observe and imitate another child’s behavior. Has your child ever come home from school or the playground and said something off the wall that you did not teach your child? Remember, a child’s brain is like a sponge at this age.

It is very important at this stage to supervise what your child is exposed to and engage in active parenting. For example, little 3 year old Johnny is participating in parallel play with two other children. Johnny hits another child at the table for “stealing his crayons”. It is important to intervene and teach your child not to hit. Therefore, Johnny hopefully stops hitting the other child, and the other children at the table had the opportunity to hear an adult say it is wrong to hit other children.

Play Therapy: Sand Tray

Using a sand tray or box is a technique used in play therapy. Usually the counselor has a large collection of miniatures for the child to select from. A miniature can be a toy, a figure, or an item that represents something. Most counselors have a collection of small dolls that can stand or sit in a sand tray. The dolls usually represent a family, friends, or any person . The counselor will have dolls of various ethnicities. Animals, doll house like furniture, small flags or crosses are just a few examples of other figures. The counselor usually provides enough miniatures for a child to build a story. For example, at a sand conference I attended, I built a house depicting my family’s house and a grave for my dog. My dog had recently passed, so I depicted that in the sand tray.

Parents can easily use sand trays when implementing play therapy (filial therapy) at home. But first, let’s talk about the point of using a sand tray. A sand tray helps communication and not just verbal communication. Children will act out scenarios with their play, which is play therapy is so important during child counseling. A counselor, or in this case, a parent could use a sand tray to help their child express feelings or thoughs. This does not mean telling the child which toys to play with, how to play with the toys, or what to build in the sand tray. Being supportive and actively attentive while the child plays is key. Follow your childs’ play. You will be tracking every move your child makes and reflecting his movements back to the child. Watching what your child does and what story she creates in the sand tray will help you learn more about your child. For example, a child with angry outbursts might build a sand tray that depicts a disorganized setting with miniatures fighting. I will explain basic play therapy techniques in a future post.

Play Therapy: What is Filial Therapy?

Filial therapy is something a parent can do at home. Filial therapy is when the parents implement play therapy techniques at home with their child. This technique is also a good supplementation for children who have moderate to severe conduct disorders (Partners in Play).

Loss of a Pet

Yesterday my son asked me, “Where is nana’s white dog?” My son’s grandma showed him a picture of a dog she had for several years until his death. It was ironic that he asked me in the first place because he is only 3 and surprises me every day with his memory. I proceeded to tell him that nana’s dog went to doggy Heaven. “Doggy Heaven?” he asked. He did not ask any more questions about the dog or doggy Heaven. If he would have asked more questions, I would have answered honestly. Some of you may not believe in a doggy Heaven, which is fine. Answer your child honestly to the best of your knowledge.

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