Is kinetic sand good for nervousness and anxiety? Soothing toys

by Joost Nusselder Updated on: December 19, 2022

Kinetic sand has become increasingly popular in recent years. It sand is also called 'magical sand called because it has magical properties.

It is different than usual sand. You can make shapes, clay and build with it.

Besides these advantages, it has kinetic sand also has a therapeutic effect. It stimulates your senses. Playing with sensory toys will not only calm you down, but it can even help create nerve connections in the brain. This makes it much easier for children to perform complex learning tasks later on. 

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Therapeutic effect of playing with kinetic sand

Kinetic sand therefore has a relaxing effect and can counteract feelings of stress. It also stimulates the creativitybecause you can build anything with it. 

Kinetic sand can be the perfect medium to encourage imaginative play while providing the necessary tactile feedback often needed during play therapy sessions.

What this sand makes it so different from ordinary sand, is that it doesn't dry out, isn't toxic, and doesn't make a mess because it only sticks to itself.

It consists of 98% pure sand, and the remaining 2% is non-toxic binding material. Moreover, it is kinetic sand dust and allergy free, anti-bacterial and also gluten free.

The toys are suitable for children from three years of age. It is possible under that age sand be dangerous.

The benefits of sand play therapy

The pro's of (kinetic) sand as therapy to combat nervousness and anxiety.

Creative skills

By playing with sand you do not appeal to the parts of the brain that deal with logical and intellectual matters. If you with sand plays, you don't have to talk or think hard.

Through with sand By playing you can connect more deeply with yourself and you can rely on your creative skills.

Because anxiety and nervousness cause us to think too much and over-analyze things, playing with sand significantly reduce feelings of anxiety.

Express emotions and reduce stress

If we with sand playing, we can reduce not only anxiety, but also inner conflict and stress.

With sand you can express yourself. Not verbally, because you don't talk, but rather you use a creative way to express your emotions.

Just because of it sand to mold and manipulate, without using words, can reduce anxiety and nervousness. 

Being in the now

Abstract work with sand can be extremely relaxing.

Play with sand works well to reduce anxiety and nervousness because you practice mindfulness: you focus on what is going on in the here and now, without worrying about what is yet to be, or what has already been.

It calms your mind and reduces feelings of stress.

Develop your own fantasy

You can while playing with sand also use small objects to create a situation or own 'world'.

You don't have to worry about whether you are doing it the right way or in a logical manner. Allow yourself to just relax with it sand to play.

This will reduce anxiety and nervous feelings, as you gain new insights that you might not have gained if you talked about your anxiety.

So it's a different way of dealing with those feelings.

Also for adults?

Just as it offers many benefits for children, it can kinetic sand are also very attractive for adults.

On with it sand playing, this feeling will decrease in adults who have problems with anxiety. 

Play therapy, such as playing with sand, is a therapeutic approach to treating many different mental health problems.

With sand playing is similar to using objects that feel familiar to the user because it is tangible and has unique benefits.

Conclusion

In short, play with kinetic sand can be a great therapeutic agent for children and adults.

It has a calming and relaxing effect by helping to reduce stress and increase creativity.

Play with kinetic sand has been proven to provide multiple benefits including improved coordination skills, increased concentration, reduced anxiety levels and improved sensory perception.

All these factors make kinetic sand into an effective therapeutic medium that can help improve overall well-being.

Also read: Hugging | Why it is necessary and good for your child

Joost Nusselder, the founder of Speelkeuze.nl is a content marketer, father and loves trying out new toys. As a child he came into contact with everything related to games when his mother started the Tinnen Soldaat in Ede. Now he and his team create helpful blog articles to help loyal readers with fun play ideas.