Children are naturally curious and love exploring different sensations, but some get stuck due to difficulties with tactile stimulation. They might dislike the feeling of things like sand or grass, which can get in the way of many activities. On the other end of the spectrum, there are kids with poor tactile discrimination– they struggle to identify the difference between various textures. Exposure to a variety of textures is important so that they can learn to differentiate between them.
Sensory bins are a great way to encourage kids to explore tactile input. Our occupational therapists are sharing sensory bin basics and ideas to create your own.
What Are Sensory Bins?
Sensory bins are a vessel filled with a base and other small items. They can be filled with any number of base mediums– wet or dry, slimy or smooth. Sensory bin play can encourage fine motor skills and even use of tools, depending on the materials you add to the bin.
Here are the basic components:
- A plastic bin that is at least large enough to hold a few different items
- A base material
- Small toys to enhance the fun
Great Sensory Bin Ideas For Toddlers
Toddlers are in the stage of oral exploration and seem to put everything in their mouths. The mouth is rich in nerve endings so it is easier for them to “feel” textures with their mouths. Therefore, it is important to make sure that what you put in the bins is edible and not a choking hazard.
Use these ideas for inspiration to create a toddler-friendly sensory bin.
- Avoid the Iceberg– fill a bin with ice cubes and ‘float’ toy boats in it
- Dino Dig– use a scooper to find hidden dinosaurs in a bin full of puff cereal
- Grand Prix– crush up cookies as a base and ‘drive’ a toy car through them
- Treasure Hunt– make a batch of jello and put items inside it before it sets, for kids to hunt for
Top Sensory Bin Ideas For Preschoolers
Preschoolers have better fine motor skills and can understand what might not be for eating. You can experiment with different textures in addition to the ones above.
- At the Beach– a simple combo of sand and beach tools, seashells and toy starfish
- Bean There, Done That– use dried beans or rice to hide little pieces. Scoop up pom poms from rice ‘snow’, push around bean ‘boulders’ with toy plows, or hook magnetic fish from a rocky bean ‘beach’
- Snow Day– hide plastic snowflakes in shaving cream for some wet sensory play
Sensory Bin Ideas For Kindergarten Kids
At this age you can include even more fine motor challenges to the sensory bin. Add tongs, sorting trays and strings for beads to your bins.
- SnowScape– dig through shredded office paper for pom-pom ‘snowballs’ and pick them up with tongs. White pom-poms create a greater visual perceptual challenge. Hide small colorful items in the paper too, then sort them by color into a nearby ice cube tray.
- Bead Bonanza– hide beads in rice or gravel. Pick them out and lace onto a string or pipe cleaner for some bilateral coordination practice.
- Food For Thought– cooked spaghetti, quinoa or chia seeds soaked overnight in water are a really interesting textural base, and a great way to begin exploring these foods for picky eaters.
- Super Suds– fill a tub with soapy water and have kids scrub toys or doll clothes! Wringing out washcloths and squeezing the sponges are great for hand strengthening. Using clothespins to hang the doll clothes promotes bilateral coordination skill development.
No matter what age your kids are, sensory bins can be a fun and easy activity to incorporate into your schedule. Let your kids guide the theme you create or choose items to add to the bin. You can use them outdoors or indoors, and even fill a sealable container with items to bring your sensory bin on the go! Share your favorite sensory bin ideas with us in the comments and tag us @funandfunction on social media to share your sensory bin creations.
Get started with our sensory bin kit!
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