Now that my oldest is back in school, I often find myself with my littlest for hours at a time. We love to head out and explore our local area, but sometimes we're stuck at home finishing chores or waiting out some rainy weather. Enter... sensory bins! I was first introduced to the idea of sensory bins while perusing Pinterest, and was immediately intimidated by what I saw. It looked like so much work and materials. I soon learned that by following a few steps, I could easily throw together a sensory bin using things I already had around the house!
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1. Large, Shallow Container
Sensory bins can be messy if you don't give your kiddos enough room. I find the best containers are shallow enough for your child to reach into and long enough for them to be able to really manipulate the contents. The type of plastic containers that they sell for sweater storage work great!
2. Filler
This is where you can start go get creative. I've made sensory bins with kinetic sand, dried beans, Easter grass, water beads, fake snow, pompoms, rice, and even leaves that I collected from outside. You want to choose something that is easy for your little one to manipulate. Smaller objects are fun to pour into different containers, while larger objects might be more fun to make into "mountains" or feel slipping through little fingers.
3. Small Toys/ Figurines/ Trinkets
This is the step where you can focus on a theme. Look around your house and see what you can find. Small animals figurines, super heroes, My Little Ponies, princesses, toy cars, Etc. all make engaging themes. Around the holidays, look for small trinkets or ornaments to make your sensory bins extra festive!
4. Cups/ Ladles/ Small Containers/ Plastic Cookie Cutters
To encourage gross and fine motor skills, find instruments around the house that your little one can play with in the sensory bin. When my children were very young, I would give them cups and ladles to pour the contents into. As they got older, I purchased a small pack of instruments for fine motor development. A set like these are great for preschool aged children!
That's it! Change out the materials from time to time to keep your sensory bins exciting and engaging!
