Play & Sand Tray Therapy
Play and Sand Tray Therapy
Children don’t always have the words to tell us what is happening inside them. Their emotions and experiences often show up through their behaviour, relationships and play.Play
therapy meets children where they are developmentally. Through play, movement, creativity and connection, we can first help a child feel safe and regulated—creating the foundation for emotional expression, problem-solving and healing.
Sand tray offers another way for children, teens and adults to express and explore experiences that may be difficult to put into words.
How can Play and Sand Tray Therapy Help?
Feel Safe & Regulated
- Help calm an overwhelmed nervous system
- Build safety and trust through connection
- Support children who become easily overwhelmed or shut down
- Develop greater capacity to manage big emotions
Express What’s Happening Inside
- Communicate feelings through play, stories and symbols
- Express experiences that are difficult to put into words
- Explore worries, fears and confusing emotions
- Help us understand what may be underneath a behaviour
Build Skills & Connection
- Develop emotional awareness and expression
- Build confidence and problem-solving skills
- Practise healthier ways of coping
- Strengthen relationship skills and connection with others
What can play and sand tray therapy help with?
Play and sand tray therapy are helpful for younger children and pre teens who struggle with the following:
- Anxiety, fears and worries
- Big emotions and emotional outbursts
- Trauma and difficult experiences
- Grief and loss
- Family separation, divorce or other major changes
- Behavioural difficulties
- Attachment and relationship difficulties
- Self-esteem and confidence
- Difficulty talking about feelings
The Science
Before children can reason, problem-solve or talk through difficult feelings, their brains need to feel safe enough to do so.
Our work is informed by Dr. Bruce Perry’s Neurosequential Model, which helps us understand behaviour in the context of a child’s development, relationships and experiences.
Rather than asking only “How do we stop this behaviour?” we become curious about what the child’s nervous system may be communicating through that behaviour.
Play helps us meet children at their developmental level. Through safe relationships, movement, sensory experiences and play, we can support regulation first—making thinking, learning, emotional expression and connection more accessible.
What can I expect during sessions?
Your child’s therapy may include toys, games, movement, stories, sensory activities, creative expression or sand tray work. It may look like play from the outside, but the activities are thoughtfully chosen or followed by the therapist to support your child’s individual needs.
Sometimes the first goal is simply connection and regulation. As your child feels safer, we can gradually work with emotions, experiences, relationships and new coping skills.
Sand tray may be used with children or pre teens. By choosing miniature objects and creating scenes in the sand, you can explore feelings, relationships or experiences without needing to find all the words first.