We are big fans of sensory play in our house, and since Winter is upon most of us, it’s only appropriate that we put together a Winter Sensory Bin. This DIY guide will show you just how easy and inexpensive it can be to put together your own Winter Wonderland sensory bin.
Sensory play is important for developing the senses: touch, hearing, sight, sometimes smell (think: flowers, dirt, or coffee grounds). These small bins enhance and engage the cognitive part of the child’s brain by providing an open-ended, creative, imaginative experience through play. Sensory play also supports fine motor skills, language development, and social development.
However, sensory bins do not have to be elaborate, or even expensive, and most of the items are regular household items that you probably have in your pantry or cabinets. Think cotton balls, pipe cleaners, rice, oatmeal, cornmeal, flour, wooden blocks, and more!
Here’s a very inexpensive sensory bin I put together for my 7 year old. Since we have been having a lot of cold days and stuck indoors, a sensory bin is the perfect way to provide an open invitation to play. We thought a Winter Sensory Bin would be the perfect way to have the cold inside of our warm house.
What You Need:
- Bin, Tupperware Bowls, or Small Sandbox. We purchased one of these My Little Sandboxes a year ago and ever since then we’ve changed the theme millions of times. The little sandboxes are the perfect size to create a sensory bin and don’t take too many materials to fill up.
- Arctic Toob or Penguin Toob or any other small arctic animals.
- Blue Sand (If you want to create an arctic sensory bin). Otherwise, skip this step and just use the other items to create a winter-y bin.
- White pom-poms (craft store)
- Blue beads (craft store) (Used to emulate water droplets; in case the snow melts)
- Clear table scatter (craft store)
- Styrofoam (can be cut into blocks to create ‘ice blocks’ or ‘glaciers’)
That’s it! Add these items (or anything else you can think of) to a small bin and let your child explore, engage, and create! **For extra fun with an arctic bin, don’t add sand and instead add ice cubes for a truly cold, wet experience or add white play dough for an extra element of snow**
Here are some pictures of our Winter sensory bin in action:
I found a plastic mirror to stick under the sand to mimic a sheet of ice.
Erica Leggiero, M.S. Ed.
Erica Leggiero, M.S. Ed. has been working and teaching in the field of early childhood education for over 7 years. Erica is currently the director and teacher at a Preschool Enrichment Program in her area. Erica believes that young children learn best through play and exploration, and she is constantly looking for new and creative ways to incorporate learning through play. She embraces this belief in all of the activities she creates in her preschool classroom, and loves sharing them here on her blog. Erica has also co-authored the book, "Learn With Play" with other kid bloggers in the preschool field.
Latest posts by Erica Leggiero, M.S. Ed. (see all)
- Preschool at Home-May Lesson Plans - April 26, 2022
- Hottest Prime Day Deals for Preschoolers - June 21, 2021
- Camp Play at Home-Lego Week - June 1, 2021
Leave a Reply