Duration: 50mins
The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss
Step 1: Creating a Sand Tray
The creation of a sand tray is
the most important step towards achieving a successful therapy. The teachers
should check if the trays have enough sand for the children to play and enjoy
themselves. Each child in the sand play therapy course should be given a
personal tray each measuring 500 X 350 mm.
Step 2: Choosing the Toys or Objects
Choose appropriate toys or
objects to be kept in the sand tray. The objects or toys should be chosen in a
manner that can be easily associated with the characters of the story. This
would enable the children to identify the characters easily and make their own
adaptations of the story while they play.
Step 3: Placing the toys or Objects
The placement of the toys or
objects should be done in a sequence. The preferred placement is putting the
toys or objects in a straight line. In this way, children would later place
them accordingly as per their adapted version of the story.
Step 4: Narrate the Story
The teachers should narrate the
story of ‘The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss’. The narration of the story would
help the children to associate with the toys or objects placed in the sand
tray. The teacher can narrate the story by means of a video projector and
identifying objects such as sun, fish amidst others. This step would allow the
children to understand and acquaint them with the basic fabric of the story.
The teachers should be open to any questions that might arise by the children
in regard to the moral of the story. At this point, the children should be
encouraged by the teacher to make their own versions in accordance to their
understanding.
Step 5: Write down the Observations for Each Child
Each child is likely to make
their own adaptations to the story in accordance to preferences and factors
affecting him or her such as family background, creativity amidst others. These
adaptations made by each child consciously or unconsciously reflect their
particular behavioral pattern. It is crucial to note down the observations for each
child involved in the sand play therapy course. These remarks or notes would be
beneficial to draw conclusion with regard to any disrupting behavior of child. This
in turn would help to point out ideal solutions or treatments to deal with a
specific behavioral pattern.
Step 6: Feedback
The teacher should give feedback to
each child in regard to his or her narration. This would allow the children to
rectify any misinterpretation. The teacher is advised to give a positive feedback,
as it would build the confidence of the child and allow him or her to modify behavioral
pattern, as the level o comfort is established.
