Sandtray Miniature Paralysis? Check Out The Top 10 Figures Used In My Practice

Are you having figure paralysis?  In this post here I offered 1,000+ ideas for miniatures you could use in your sandtray. 
 
Sometimes when you are starting your collection it can feel like too much or like you’re never going to make it where you have “all the figures”.  And the good news?  You will never have everything!  
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One of my good friends shared some wisdom after she participated in a sandtray intensive that the trainer stated you can have “everything and anything that was ever created” in a sandtray.  So…if that feels overwhelming - my hope is that it can also be freeing too! Havin everything and anything in your collection would be so overwhelming for clients, so as sandtray therapists we try out best to have the "just right" amount and variety without the pressure of perfection! 
 
Your miniature collection should be carefully curated for the ages you see, your geographical area, the populations you serve, etc.  Each sandtray therapist’s collection will be like a finger print.  My collection where I see mostly kids 3-18 would be different from a therapistswho only sees adults OR someone with a unique specialty. 
 
So…using this as a jumping off point I wanted to share with you the top 10 figures that are used from my sandtray collection with the kids and teens that I see!  I am hoping that this will help decrease the figure paralysis and help you figure out the most important figures to start with!
 
First is a big scary character.  These come out a lot.  They are sometimes used as the “bad guys” or villains but sometimes they are also used as helper and saving characters.  Next that naturally follows is some sort of a hero character.  This is a character with some sort of powers, strengths, or abilities and is usually aligned with the “good side”.  However it is of much clinical value and interest when heroes go rouge! 
 
Next would be the princess characters.  A character that might have a dress on or maybe is a princess from a favorite movie. Aligned with this character can also be played out good vs. evil and saving themes but in a slightly different way. 
 
Another playroom favorite? A vehicle.  For boys oftentimes a self object can be a car or a truck.  Some sort of a vehicle is likely to come out of my miniatures every day. 
 
Next on the list is animals.  And for these I would specify an animal related to nurturing.  Maybe a cow or a sheep.  Maybe a dog.  On the other hand the larger tiger I have is another figure that makes an appearance on the regular. When this figure comes out there is usually an element of safety or protection. 
 
For the final four items that are most popular in my sandtray work with kids and teens, these are all objects!  The first of these are trees.  Some sort of greenery to make things seem alive. Sometimes they can be used to hide or signify change in setting.
 
Fences are also pretty popular and are used to display boundaries, keeping things out, keeping things in.  
 
The last two are the treasure chest and plastic gems I have.  The treasure chest can be used for containment or signify worth and value.  The gems can also signify something that is special, unique, or has value!
 
And that rounds up the top 10 miniatures that are used in my playroom!  What are the favorite miniatures your kids and teens like to use?  

If you are interested in getting trained in sandtray you HAVE to check out my training Creating Worlds: An Introduction To Sandtray Play Therapy! This training will prepare you from start to finish to start using Sandtray in your practice with kids and teens.  Say hello to your step-by-step guide to sandtray HERE! ​

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