Specifics of using sand therapy in speech therapy classes

Sand therapy for preschool children

For babies, this therapy is a fun way to touch soft-touch material. It helps children develop mentally and physically, giving them the opportunity to prepare for school.

For children, playing in the sand helps:

• learn numbers and letters;
• distinguish between left and right sides;
• correctly navigate the seasons;
• train memory, vision and hearing;
• develop imagination.

It is better to start such therapy at the age of 3, but it can be done earlier, when the child stops putting everything in his mouth.

How does sand therapy work?

The main effect of sand therapy is that it helps fight psychological trauma by transferring it to the sand. Feelings of control and interconnection over one’s internal sensations and desires begin to form. A child, playing in the sand, expresses all his experiences and fears, frees himself from traumas that do not develop into psychological trauma.

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Stages of sand therapy

There are three main stages of sand play:

1. “Chaos” - there are no differences between the figures, that is, it is not clear who they are: animals, heroes, plants, fairy-tale characters. This means that the baby is anxious and restless.
2. “Struggle” - the child clearly divides toys into good and bad, and there are many more evil ones. This period is called the child’s internal struggle; in this case, good characters should be added to his game’s plot.
3. “Exodus” is the stage that means complete calm and harmony of the child.

Sand therapy fully develops the child and eliminates neurological problems. It is also just a pleasant and useful time spent with your own child.

Stages of organizing sand therapy in kindergarten

Sand therapy is organized by teachers in kindergartens, psychologists and speech therapists. They use sand games for activities with children. At home, parents can organize a place where the child can play in the sandbox for his own benefit.

The main stages of organizing therapy include:

1. Preparing a child for sand therapy. He must have a desire to participate in the game.
2. The teacher must be able to conduct sand therapy, have a creative approach and potential.
3. Children must be healthy at the time of play. They should not have an allergic reaction to sand.
4. Preparing the play area: a box of sand, an animation table and toys.
5. Carrying out the game.

There are many options for sand games. A competent specialist will select the necessary methods that are necessary for the development of a particular child.

Sand can fascinate with its amazing possibilities. Notice how many different fantasies can be realized in a sand drawing. It’s safe to say that not only children, but also adults can enjoy spending time with sand.

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Features of sand therapy for children

Sand therapy is also suitable for adults, but the use of sand therapy has its own characteristics in games:

1. Does the teacher understand the child’s psychological problem?
2. It is important to set communication boundaries with children.
3. A more natural game, which is unusual for adults.
4. Children are engaged in more dynamic and active games.
5. The main stages of the game: chaos, struggle, outcome.
6. Complete absence of abstract paintings.
7. The preferred predominance of fairy-tale characters, animals, and cartoon characters in the game.

Actions of the teacher when organizing sand therapy

When organizing sand therapy, the teacher should:

• prepare a place for sand therapy. This should be a quiet corner where there is no noise and fuss;
• purchase a box that needs to be painted blue or light blue. This coloring has a beneficial effect and calms the psyche. Pure white sand is poured into it;
• A box of toys is placed near the box. They should be small in size so that the child can create a model of the game. The set must include figures of people and animals;

Note! During sand therapy, the child chooses exactly those figures that symbolize his internal state at the moment.

• create comfortable conditions for gaming activities;
• support children's play, help them experience various situations;
• evaluate children's behavior during play and draw conclusions.

To practice sand animation you need:

1. Buy a table with a glass top and add lighting from below. Install low edges along the edge of the table.
2. Pour clean river sand onto the surface in such quantity that you can draw pictures on it.

During therapy sessions there should be a calm environment conducive to therapy. You can turn on calm music. The teacher observes the progress of the game and, if necessary, prompts the child with a scenario.

The benefits of sand therapy for children

The advantages of working with sand are undeniable:

1. Fine motor skills develop in preschool children.
2. Extensive scope for imagination and mental activity.
3. The thinking mechanism is regulated.

In speech therapy classes, doing exercises with sand helps:

• express your thoughts logically;
• formation of dialogical speech of preschoolers;
• bear responsibility for your actions in the game;
• rely only on your own strength;
• erase psychological traumas and problems from your head.

Sand therapy methods in speech development

Speech disorders often occur in preschool children. Sand therapy is an effective tool for children's speech development. This method is novel and increasingly gaining popularity.

A speech therapist uses sand games in classes with children:

• "Sounds on the Sand"

The teacher draws an animal or object in the sand and asks the child its name. Then he asks to draw other objects whose names begin with the first sound of the word. Thanks to this game, the speech therapist helps the child automate a specific sound.

• "Remove the unnecessary"

The teacher draws 3 objects, one of them does not fit the logical chain. For example, circle, square and apple. The child must erase the excess and add the necessary drawing. Sand play promotes speech development.

• "Turn the letter"

The teacher draws a letter, the child must turn it into another.

• “Draw a letter, a word”

The preschooler draws with his finger the letters or words that the teacher pronounces. In the game you can use sticks or string with knots to write.

Important! The speech therapist will select sand therapy individually for each child, which is necessary for him to produce sound and automate it.

The role of sand therapy for children with disabilities

For healthy children, such games are simply useful and entertaining. The situation is different with children with developmental disabilities. Sand exercises are used to correct behavior, relieve tension and develop sensory skills.

Games in the sandbox are effective for kids with:

• ZPR;
• HIA;
• ONR.

Such children form their own character in the sandbox; the characters communicate with each other and carry on a conversation. This is how kids with developmental disabilities form their own character.

The sand literacy game is suitable for children with speech delays. It improves the correct perception of words, forms correct pronunciation, develops reading and writing.

Children with intellectual deficiencies should play with sand for about an hour.

This therapy treats neurological problems and is an active prevention of developmental disorders. Frequent play in the sandbox charges the child with positive emotions and frees him from negative manifestations of the outside world.

Sand therapy in child development

Thanks to sand therapy, you can develop the following skills in your child:

1. Motor. The child learns to pour sand into a bucket, jar or bottle with a narrow neck.
2. Descriptive. Preschoolers draw animals, plants, equipment, etc. in the sand.
3. Develop speech functions and phonemic hearing. Children draw letters in the sand, which helps teach them how to pronounce and automate sounds.
4. Development of mental abilities, memory and attention.
5. Development of fine motor skills of the hands. Every finger is involved in the game, which will have a beneficial effect on the overall development of the child.
6. To correct breathing. Sand acts as a means for breathing exercises.

Playing in the sandbox helps the child perform actions with sand: dry and wet. He learns its properties and learns to establish a cause-and-effect relationship. In the process, creative abilities also develop - the child comes up with new images and makes them out of sand.