Crafting a Sensory Bin

My kids love them a sensory bin. So much so that Tallulah will ask me to Google them and she was just sit and look at the pictures. She is always dreaming up new sensory bins we should make. Today she requested water, pom poms and horses. I said no. Instead we opted for excavating dinosaurs from stale Rice Crispies cereal.

Did you happen to see the Thinking Outside the Crayon Box article I wrote for Issue #2 of Kids Crafts 1-2-3 about Crafting a Sensory Bin? Don't worry you can still order back issues.

Looking back on it I was making sensory bins for Tallulah before I knew what a sensory bin was or had Pinterest to use as inspiration. This is a very early version when Tallulah was obsessed with pom poms. She called them sugarplums.

No Halloween party at my house is complete without a sensory bin. Fill a giant tupperware bin with rice, pumpkins, plastic bugs and scoops presto happy toddlers!

With my kids if water is involved it is going to be a hit. That goes for sensory bins too. At any given time my daughter has a sensory bin in the backyard filled with sea creatures, gravel and mermaids. A few Playmobil pirates have recently joined the party. Don't feel like you need to race out and buy supplies for a themed bin. Left over plastic Easter eggs, dishwashing soap and water in a bin entertained my kids for a whole afternoon this past fall. No rhyme or reason to the bin, just fun.

Last year for my kids lumberjack themed party we had an Earthy sensory bin made with birdseed, toy saws, ball moss, pieces of wood and more.

Sensory bins are super easy to make and can be as elaborate or bare bones as you want them to be. Use what you have on hand like stale cereal. The idea is to give kids something to explore with their senses. Make it colorful and textual and something they can interact with and explore. Do you make sensory bins for your kids? What are some of your favorite bins?