From the author: I have been doing sand therapy since 2011. Not that long ago. But during this time I became imbued with this work and want to share my generalized experience. To write this article, we used some information from open Internet sources. Sand therapy Which children especially need this type of therapy? Children with difficulties in mental development, conflicts in relationships, fears, etc. especially need the Sandbox. Studies have shown that the Sandbox has a psychotherapeutic effect, helping a child get rid of fears, shyness, conflict in communication and many other problems. The sandbox not only develops the child’s creative potential, activates spatial imagination, figurative and logical thinking, trains fine motor skills, but unobtrusively, gradually, sets children up to comprehend the moral truths of good and evil, and builds a harmonious image of the world. Sand often acts like a magnet on children. Before they even realize what they are doing, their hands themselves begin to sift sand, build tunnels, mountains, etc. And if you add miniature figures and toys to this, then a whole world appears, dramas play out, and the child is completely immersed in the game. Sand has the property of allowing water to pass through. In this regard, experts claim that it absorbs negative mental energy, interaction with it cleanses a person’s energy and stabilizes the emotional state. One way or another, observations and experience show that playing with sand has a positive effect on the emotional well-being of children and adults; this makes it an excellent means of “care for the soul,” which is exactly how the term “psychotherapy” is translated. The fundamental idea of ​​sand therapy is formulated as follows: “Playing with sand provides the child with the opportunity to get rid of psychological trauma by transferring fantasies outward, onto the plane of the sandbox, and creating a sense of connection and control over his internal impulses. Establishing a connection with unconscious impulses, especially with the archetype of the self, and their expression in symbolic form greatly facilitates. healthy functioning of the psyche." During sand play, a child has the opportunity to express his deepest emotional experiences, he is freed from fears and the experience does not develop into mental trauma. The tasks of sand therapy are consistent with the child’s internal desire for self-actualization. In this sand therapy is aimed at helping a small child: - develop a more positive self-concept; - become more responsible in his actions and actions; - develop a greater ability for self-acceptance; - rely more on himself; - master feelings control; - develop sensitivity to the process of overcoming difficulties; - develop self-esteem and gain faith in oneself. The goal of such therapy is not to change and remake the child, not to teach him any special behavioral skills, but to give the child the opportunity to be himself. The child’s play is a symbolic language for self-expression. By manipulating toys, a child can show more adequately than express in words how he relates to himself, to significant adults, to events in his life, to the people around him. Playing in the sand provides a means for resolving conflicts and conveying feelings. Toys equip the child with appropriate tools, since they are, without a doubt, the environment in which the child can express himself. In free play he can express what he wants to do. When he plays freely, and not at the direction of someone else, he performs a number of independent actions. Feelings and attitudes that the child may be afraid to express openly can be safely projected onto a toy of his own choosing. Instead of expressing feelings and thoughts in words, a child may bury this or that toy in the sand, hit it, drown it, etc. The child’s feelings often cannot be expressed verbally (words). Forms and options for sand therapy are determined.