I absolutely LOVE making sensory bins for my kids – both for the baby and the toddler. It is great for both sensory play and for independent play. I also love it as a tool to buy me a bit of time if I quickly need to clean the kitchen or mop the floors. I find the KEY to successful sensory play is to have a little sensory kit that allows you to make endless different sensory bins within minutes. I find a lot of the ideas online take a lot of prep to put it together and you need to buy special items. Below I am going to give you a peak into my sensory bin kit so you can see how to use household items and toys your kids already have to make hours of endless play!
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Why a sensory bin kit?
There are a lot of posts that show you how to make one specific sensory bin but this is not that type of post. This is how to put together a small box that has the base to create endless different sensory bins that you can put together in minutes. I don’t spend more than 3-5 minutes creating a bin. Typically the kids will play for anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour. I usually keep a bin around for a few days and then put the items back in the kit and the toys back in their home for the next time!
What do you need to create a sensory bin?
- A clear shallow bin to use (this is similar to the one I have)
- Cotton balls
- Colourful pom poms
- Food colouring (i just add to my grocery order!)
- Bead strings
- Pipe cleaners
- A sponge
- Fabric scraps
- Note: This kids art kit actually has a lot of great stuff and you would be a great base to only add in household items
Things I grab around the house to add:
- Stacking cups (to pour things into)
- Plastic spoons/ladle (to scoop)
- Plastic mega blocks
- Animal figures
- Small cars
- Small trucks
Note: I personally do not use any food products (pasta, rice, beans etc). These are quite popular and probably quite fun. I just personally worry that the food will end up out of the bin and then it’s a potential choking hazard for the baby/more of a cleanup than I wanted.
How do you create a sensory bin?
How do you create a sensory bin?
- Are you doing water or no water?
- Decide on a theme (construction, winter, etc.)
- Choose a base texture (this is what the child typically moves around), it could be water/cotton balls etc.
- Raid your child’s toy bin to get toys that go with the theme (cars, animals, etc.)
- Add things for your child’s to move the toys around (cups/spoons etc.)
- Any seasonal or occasion items you want to add?
Ideas of sensory bins to make:
- Fishing bin: Slotted spoon and fish toys work great!
- Car/truck wash: Grab a few cars/trucks and a sponge
- Water pouring: Add some cups/spoons to pour from one cup to another (consider food colouring!)
- Animal washing station: Grab some animal figures and a sponge!
- Fabric: Grab fabric scraps such as faux fur, satin, peek-a-boo scarves, etc (this is great for infants too!)
- Seasonal: Create a bin for the season (such as as snow flake decorations, fake snow, cotton balls etc. for winter)
- Construction: Coloured pom poms, small trucks, small figures, etc.
- Blooming flowers: Watch flowers bloom
- Sort coloured pom poms into bowls using a spoon
TIP: Write a list (or print this one off!) and tape to the inside of the lid of your sensory bin for quick ideas
Have you made sensory bins for your kids? What is their favourite type of bin?? I have recently started experimenting with “Messy” bins by adding foam that the kids can scoop and play in. It is such a HIT!
Jo
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