If there is one toddler activity I really love, it’s sensory bins! Sensory bins offer so many benefits to growing minds. Not only are they a great screene free activity to keep your little one busy, but they also make it easy for you to easily introduce different educational topics to your little ones in a creative way. Making your own sensory bins is really easy to do at home. Today, I am sharing a round up of sensory bins that you can easily make throughout the year!
10 Sensory Bin Ideas
Below are different sensory bin ideas each easy to make at home with items you might already have. Since I have so much fun setting up different sensory bins at home for my toddler, I wanted to share some that I have made to help inspire other parents to do the same! I also have an Etsy shop, Shop Wanderbloom, that has some sensory bin printables that you can also print out to make your own sensory bin.
What are sensory bins
Sensory bins are bins filled with a sensory item (rice, water, play doh, etc.) with other themed elements that is a creative way to keep littles busy while still being educational. These can be any theme or idea and are easy to create. There are no rules when creating a sensory bin, just as long as it is something that is fun for your little one! Below I am sharing some easy ideas of what to put into sensory bins, as well as some already created ones you could duplicate at home.
What to put in a sensory bin
There is no rules as to what you can put in a sensory bin, but ideally you should put things that are safe for toddlers and preschoolers to play with as well as fun! Still don’t know what to include? I wrote a blog post about sensory bin must haves here: Sensory Bin Must Haves. Some items to consider including when creating a sensory bin are below:
- Rice
- Water
- Play Doh
- Small items that are themed (think small farm animals for a farm themed sensory bin, flower pots and flowers for a flower planting sensory bin, etc.)
- Small shovels & funnels to use for pouring
- Cups and small bowls to create movement
How to make sensory bins
Below are easy sensory bin ideas, each easy to recreate at home. Remember, there is no wrong way to make a sensory bin. The most important things are that elements included are safe for your little one to play with and also fun for them too!
Butterfly counting sensory bin
I liked the butterfly sensory bin I made for my little so much that I added it to my Etsy shop! With this sensory bin your toddler or preschooler can practice counting the butterflies. You can help them too, as the toddler printable comes with counting flash cards numbers 1-10. This is probably one of my favorite sensory bins that I rotate throughout the year.
Alphabet sensory bin
One of my favorite ones to make, an alphabet sensory bin is a great activity for a little who is currently learning or practicing the alphabet! This one can easily be made by using rice and alphabet puzzle pieces, just put the puzzle pieces in the rice and encourage your toddler to take them out and complete the ABC puzzle. I have a great set of ABC flash card printables on my Etsy shop that would be a great sensory bin activity.
Color matching sensory bin
Another great educational sensory bin, this one can be created by using anything colorful that you have at home. For this one, I got colorful bowls from the dollar tree , a color matching printable that I created and added in other colorful things such as tissue paper, etc and encouraged color matching. I also got a color matching sensory bin insert on Etsy that I highly recommend. Don’t want to buy or make your own insert? I have a printable on my Etsy shop for this one too!
Flower Bouquet Sensory bin
I got a sensory bin insert for this one to, and it’s always an easy one to put together when I need a quick activity on a rainy day. For this one, I got faux flowers from the dollar store so my little one could make all different flower bouquets. I rotate this one quote frequently, especially around valentines day and spring.
Valentines day sensory bin
Speaking of Valentines day, another easy sensory bin that I made with things from the dollar store was a valentines themed one! I got a lot of different pink, red and heart inspired items, added some colored rice and let my little have a sensory experience dumping the rice into different things. Although rice is an easy option, there are other sensory bin fillers you can use, such as cut up tissue paper to create a variety of textures.
Easter sensory bin
Another holiday themed sensory bin, an Easter sensory bin is also very easy to create with things from the dollar store. You can do many things for an Easter sensory bin, such as use small carrots to encourage counting practice or colored eggs to encourage matching and sorting. Both of these ideas are great for growing fine motor skills.
Counting sensory Bin
Creating a counting sensory bin is a great way to make an activity that is not only fun, but educational also. You can do this by simple adding things into the sensory bin that your little one can count- bowls, little figures, etc. anything will work!
Ice cream sensory bin
Making an ice cream sensory bin is easy to do with any ice cream pretend play toy. Something we really like to do is challenge our little one to make us a certain “ice cream” combination, encouraging problems solving by having to find the right pieces.
Science experiment sensory bin
Use water to create a science experiment sensory bin with your little one. Grab plastic cups, droppers and a little food coloring to let your little explore making and mixing colors.
Lemonade stand sensory bin
Let your toddler or preschooler explore pretend play by creating a lemonade sensory bin. Use kitchen pretend play items such as a pitcher, cups and fake lemons. Add in some colored rice for an even more sensory experience.
Water sensory bin
When you run out of ideas, adding water to anything is always a guarantee to be fun for a little one! You can add dirty play cars to make a car wash sensory bin, or even just add bubbles.
Spring sensory bin
Spring sensory bins can be anything spring inspired: garden planting, bright colors (color matching) and learning the weather are all great spring sensory bin ideas.
Whether you make a sensory bin inspired by one of the play ideas above or create your own, I hope this post encouraged hours of fun & sensory bin play!
XO,
B
