Building a sandtray collection can feel overwhelming, especially when you're first getting started. The goal isn't to collect every miniature you can find, but to develop enough variety that clients can find images and objects that allow them to represent the breadth of their inner and outer worlds.

When you're building a beginning collection, quantity and variety are more important than quality. A broad collection of inexpensive plastic figures gives clients more possibilities for expression than a small collection of beautiful, expensive miniatures. Start by filling the major categories and don't worry if many of your first figures come from dollar stores, thrift stores, toy bins, yard sales, or inexpensive sets. Over time, you can replace and supplement them with figures made from wood, metal, ceramic, glass, stone, and other materials that add richness and variety to the collection.

Learning to use a 3D printer can also greatly expand the possibilities for a collection, allowing you to create your own figures and fill niche or highly specific gaps when the images you need are difficult or impossible to find commercially.

A quality collection is never finished. It is a reflection of the psyche of the collector and the needs of the clients we work with, and it should continue to grow and develop over time.

This checklist is based largely on collection categories developed by Dr. Gisela Schubach DeDomenico, creator of Sandtray-Worldplay, with additional categories and items I've added through my own years of collecting and using sandtray clinically.

People
• Multicultural and racially diverse figures
• Infants, children, adolescents, adults, and older adults
• Different body types
• Different abilities and disabilities
• Different professions and occupations
• Different gender expressions
• Couples, families, and individuals
• Diverse sexual orientations and relationships

Animals
• Domestic animals and pets
• Wild animals
• Young and adult animals
• Birds
• Insects
• Reptiles
• Sea life

Plants & Natural Materials
• Trees in different stages—blossoming, leafy, bare, damaged
• Plants from different regions and climates
• Flowers
• Stones and rocks
• Shells
• Crystals
• Seed pods
• Bark
• Moss
• Feathers
• Bones
• Glass stones, marbles, and gems

Homes, Buildings & Everyday Life
• Furniture
• Houses and homes from different cultures
• Schools
• Hospitals and medical settings
• Community buildings
• Food
• Kitchen items
• Garden items
• Household objects

Transportation & Communication
• Cars and other vehicles
• Transportation from different cultures and time periods
• Communication devices
• Bridges
• Roads
• Traffic signs

Fantasy, Mythology & Imagination
• Dinosaurs
• Fantasy and mythical creatures
• Heroes and villains
• Magical figures
• Gods and goddesses
• Sorcerers
• Characters from popular culture, anime, stories, and mythology

Religion, Spirituality & the Universe
• Religious figures and symbols from a variety of cultures and beliefs
• Spiritual images and objects
• Earth
• Sun
• Moon
• Other planetary or celestial symbols

Landscape & Topography
• Arches
• Hills
• Ponds
• Caves
• Rocks
• Other objects that can alter or define the landscape

Boundaries & Barriers
• Fences
• Borders
• Walls
• Gates
• Bridges

Light, Reflection & Treasure
• Mirrors
• Reflective and shiny objects
• Lamps
• Tea lights
• Treasure
• Treasure boxes
• Gold coins
• Gems

Art & Creative Materials
• Fabric
• Clay
• Art materials
• Small sculptures
• Materials clients can use to create something that isn't already represented in the collection

Death, Injury, Conflict & Destruction
• Coffins
• Tombstones
• Injured figures
• Blood
• Soldiers
• War-related objects
• Weapons
• Broken and damaged objects

The Body, Sexuality & Gender
• Body parts
• Organs
• Bones
• Erotic images, when appropriate to the clinical setting
• Diverse sexual orientations
• Diverse gender identities and expressions

Substance Use, Addiction & Recovery
• Syringes
• Cigarettes and smoking-related objects
• Pill bottles
• Alcohol bottles
• Timer
• Miniature playing cards
• Gambling objects/miniature slot machine
• AA/recovery chips
• Other substance-use and recovery imagery

The Gross Stuff
• Poo
• Fake vomit
• Other objects representing bodily functions, disgust, messiness, or decay

Sandtray Tools & Materials
• Standard sandtray
• Round tray
• Deep tray
• Different colors and textures of sand
• Rakes and sand tools
• Water pitchers/containers
• Tools for digging, pouring, burying, and shaping

Don't Try to Build the Perfect Collection Before You Begin
Start with breadth. Your first collection doesn't need to be beautiful or expensive; it needs to provide enough possibilities for clients to represent their worlds.

Over time, pay attention to what is missing. Sometimes a client will reveal a gap. Sometimes another sandtray therapist will mention an object you've never considered. And sometimes you'll find yourself staring at a completely unrelated object and suddenly realize that it belongs in the sandtray.

Some of the most useful figures may be thrift-store finds, toys, natural objects, broken things, handmade pieces, and accidental discoveries.

The goal is not to own every miniature imaginable. It is to create a collection broad enough that clients have the freedom to find or create something that can speak for their world.