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 'magic' sand, because it has magical properties.

It is different from ordinary sand. You can make shapes with it, clay and build.

In addition to these benefits, kinetic sand also has a therapeutic effect. It stimulates your senses. Playing with sensory toys will not only calm you down, but it may 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 required during play therapy sessions.

What makes this sand so different from regular sand is that it does not dry out, is non-toxic and also does not make a mess because it only sticks to itself.

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

The toys are suitable for children from three years of age. Below that age, the sand can be dangerous.

The benefits of sand play therapy

The benefits of (kinetic) sand as a therapy to combat nervousness and anxiety.

Creative skills

By playing with sand you don't appeal to the brain parts that deal with logical and intellectual matters. When you play with sand, you don't have to talk or think hard.

Playing with sand allows you to connect more deeply with yourself and appeal to your creative abilities.

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

Express emotions and reduce stress

When we play with sand, we can reduce not only anxiety, but also inner conflicts and stress.

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

Just kneading and manipulating the sand, without using words, can reduce anxiety and nervousness. 

Being in the now

Working abstractly with sand can be incredibly relaxing.

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

It calms your mind and reduces feelings of stress.

Develop your own fantasy

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

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

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 to children, kinetic sand can also be very attractive to adults.

Playing with the sand will reduce this feeling in adults who have problems with anxiety. 

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

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

Conclusion

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

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

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

All of these factors make kinetic sand 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.