sensory play
Dive into a world of textures, colors and fun!
Today, we’re exploring the wonderful world of sensory play. A wild, colorful, and textured experience we love in all its messy and not so messy variations!
Sensory play is not just a buzzword; it’s a magical realm where kids (and adults, let’s be honest) get to explore, learn, and have a blast using their senses. Whether it’s squishing, splashing, or simply feeling different textures, sensory play is where the fun truly begins.
Before we unleash our creativity, let’s gather the essentials for our sensory bins:
Base Material:
Start with a base material that’s tactile and interesting. Water, rice, dried beans, and sand are classics, but you can experiment with oats, pasta, chia seeds, tapioca or even shredded paper. You can make oobleck or different doughs. The possibilities are endless.
Containers:
Any container works. Clear plastic bins are great for observing the magic inside. A baking tray sometimes makes it easier to play on with the lower side walls.
Tools:
Provide scoops, spoons, funnels, cups, tweezers and pipettes. Let’s not forget those little hands that love to explore!
Use the stuff you have in your kitchen cabinets. Remember, it doesn’t have to be pretty, it only has to be fun!
Objects & fillers:
These are your secret weapons for creating a sensory wonderland. Again, chances are you already have a lot of those somewhere in your house. Think little plastic figures like Bluey, Peppa Pig, Paw Patrol, superheroes, all kinds of animals. Cars and trucks that are easy to wash (Legos by the way are easy to wash and always a good combination). All the plastic stuff from the last 10 goodie bags. Pom poms, yarn….
Now, looking for some sensory bin ideas?
Here you go:
Ocean adventure bin
Fill your bin with blue-dyed water (a drop of food coloring will do the trick), add some ocean animal figurines, seashells, and small pebbles. This aquatic adventure is perfect for even the littlest marine biologists!
If you’re planning ahead, freeze some of the water with or without the animals in it. Different temperatures are fun to feel and melting the ice cubes is a great way to experiment for your little scientist.
Dino dig bin
Dinosaurs are always a hit! Fill your bin with sand, kinetic sand or moon sand, bury some dino toys, and let your little archaeologists unearth the past.
Anytime you’re using sand, add some paint brushes to to tools. It’s a great way to practice their pencil grip.
Moon sand:
4 cups of flour, 1/2 cup of oil. It takes quite some time to mix and depending on your flour and oil you might have to add a bit of one or the other to achieve the consistency you want.
If you want it taste safe, spread the flour on a baking tray first and bake at 350 degrees for about 5 minutes.
Winter wonderland
Fill your bin with cotton balls, white foam sheets, and little plastic penguins, bears or elves. It’s a snowy adventure, even on the hottest days!
Or even make fake snow with equal parts corn starch and shaving foam (foam, not gel!) or conditioner. It’s one of my daughter’s favorites and so quick to set up!
Put it in a container or Ziploc bag when you are done playing and you can reuse it many times.
Cloud dough fun
Combine flour and baby oil to create a cloud dough base (2:1 ratio). If you want, use food coloring to make it even more exciting. Add cookie cutters, molds and figures for endless molding and squishing fun.
Garden of sensations
Give your little ones buckets and let them collect leaves and flowers. In the bin they can cut them into tiny pieces with scissors, sort them, stuff them in bottles or whatever they come up with.
Or fill your bin with potting soil and hide some faux bugs or small gardening tools.
Let your kids explore the wonders of nature without leaving home!
Rainbow rice delight
Dye rice in vibrant colors and mix them in your bin. Add small toys or objects with different shapes and sizes. It’s a feast for the eyes and hands!
You can also dye chickpeas or beans, but if you want to start with something, I would recommend rice.
Dye rice:
1 cup rice, 1 teaspoon vinegar, a couple of drops of food coloring. Mix well and spread out to dry. Once it’s dry the fun can begin!
The amazing Oobleck
Oobleck is a non-Newtonian substance, which means it’s kind of a liquid and kind of a solid. And it’s soo fun! Put some in your hand and it’s going to spill through your fingers, push it with a spoon and it’s solid. It’s magic how it changes while your kids are playing with it or it can be a great science experiment.
Oobleck:
2 cups of cornstarch and 1 cup of water. That’s it! Mix it with your hands or you will have to mix it very, very slowly with a spoon. You’ll see!
The olfactory delight of Jello playdough
Dough in all its forms is so amazing to play with!
This one here is not only fun to knead and mold, it also smells great!
1 cup flour, 1 cup water, ¼ cup salt, 2 tbsp vegetable oil, 2 tbsp cream of tartar, 1 pack of jello
Mix it in a saucepan and cook for about 5 minutes. Use a spoon to keep it moving. Once you can turn it into a ball, you’ll know the dough is ready. Place on a baking tray or cutting board to cool for a little bit and knead with hands until it’s cool enough for those little hands.
Bubble foam blast
Bubble foam is so much fun!
And it’s easy to make and clean up!
Just mix 2 parts water and 1 part bubble bath and if you want to make it more colorful, a drop of food coloring. Whip it with a hand mixer for 1-2 minutes, et voilá!
Just put some spoons and bowls in the bin or let some animals play in the foam.
Word of advice, use tear free kids bubble bath. You can make the foam with dish soap, but the fun didn’t last too long in our house once my daughter wiped some hair out of her face.
Taste-safe sensory play
For younger children, consider taste-safe options like cooked spaghetti, jelly, or pudding in the sensory bin. Let them explore textures while enjoying a yummy treat.
Sensory science lab
Create a bin filled with baking soda and vinegar for fizzy, bubbly fun.
Use a mini muffin tray, add a couple of drops of food coloring, cover it with baking soda and let the kids discover the hidden colors when they add the vinegar and watch the mini eruptions!
Remember, sensory play isn’t just about fun; it’s a powerful way for kids to develop their fine motor skills, creativity, and sensory awareness. Plus, it’s a great stress reliever for kids and parents alike!
So, grab those bins and let your imagination run wild. Whether it’s a rainy day or you’re just looking for some quality family time, these sensory bins are bound to provide hours of laughter, learning, and fun.
And while I obviously love a good bin, don’t forget that sensory play is also running barefoot over grass and sand, jumping in puddles, playing in the mud, letting the rain splash your face, having a good snowball fight and so, so much more!
Happy sensory exploring, adventurers!
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