Sand tray interviews:

Developing a method to explore the grief and support needs of 4- to 8-year-old parentally bereaved children

Abstract

This article presents the “sand tray interview” as a method developed to help researchers interview young children on sensitive topics. Earlier studies have often refrained from interviewing young children on sensitive matters due to their difficulties in such research. This article details how sand tray interviews can be a safe and engaging way for young children to explore painful topics, such as parental bereavement. Based on our application, we discuss the development of the method and debate the applications, strengths, and limitations.