The Chaos and the Clutter

Cinnamon Playdough

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Whether you are welcoming fall or celebrating the holidays, nothing says “home” or “love” quite like the smell of cinnamon in the air. Combining a fabulous scent like cinnamon with a sensory favorite like play dough is a smart play, if I do say so myself. Great nostalgic elements here.
At the top of the image, cinnamon is spelled out using cookie cutouts, and cookie cutters and cinnamon sticks are in the background. At the bottom, playdough rests on a baking sheet. In the center, appear the words "Cinnamon playdough".

Pulling out the play dough during your next baking spree is the perfect way to occupy your younger crowd who aren’t quite ready to help measure the cream of tartar for snickerdoodles, but will surely love being a part of the kitchen camaraderie. Give them a table nearby or a spot at the kitchen island, some cookie cutters, and a few cinnamon sticks and let them “make cookies” to their hearts content!

It’s brilliant really. Cinnamon playdough isn’t the only option, either. We have more fantastic holiday doughs like this Peppermint Play Dough for instance. Your kids will also love this Chai Tea Playdough and as an added bonus, both of these smell fantastic! 

Supplies Needed for Cinnamon Playdough

  • 1 cup flour
  • 1⁄2 cup salt
  • 1 Tbsp cornstarch
  • 3 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 2 Tbsp cream of tartar
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
  • Brown food coloring (optional)
  • Medium saucepan
  • Spoon or spatula
  • Parchment paper

How to Make Cinnamon Playdough

  1. Gather all the ingredients needed.
  2. Add the dry ingredients to the saucepan and stir to combine.
  3. Add the water and oil to the dry mixture.
  4. Place the saucepan over medium heat and stir to combine.
  5. Stir frequently for 4-5 minutes until it starts to pull away from the sides and a dough ball forms.
  6. Take off the heat and place on a piece of parchment paper to begin cooling.
  7. If you want to add food coloring, wait until the play dough is cool enough to handle. Add 8-10 drops of food coloring, then knead the dough to combine.
  8. Once the dough is completely cooled, the dough is ready for play.
  9. Store in a container with a tight fitting lid in the refrigerator.

Collage image shows all of the ingredients in one square, and then three squares show the various steps of the cooking process.

Tips for Awesome Playdough Play

Making this homemade playdough is super easy. A few things can derail the recipe. Old cream of tartar is one of the fastest ways to ruin a batch of new playdough on the stove. Another way it goes south fast is if you use to high of heat or cook it too long after the ball of dough starts to form. 

Make sure the playdough is completely cooled. Pockets of heat can hide in the dough, so knead it a few times yourself before passing it on to a child. 

You’ll need playdough tools, but they don’t have to be expensive. A few cookie cutters and a dough roller from the dollar store or your kitchen cabinets should do the trick. Those cookie stamps you’ve never known what to do with are a great idea to use with this dough to make designs.

Given the smell and the theme of this playdough, it makes sense to add kitchen toys like little saucers and cups for pretend milk. Maybe we are making “cookie for Santa” or maybe just cookies for Grandma, but either way the plates add to the fun and festivity. 

Add cinnamon sticks or star anise to the play table. Or both. They can be used to make imprints in the dough, decorate the “cookies” act as a stick for lollipops, or even function as a dough roller. 

Portion the playdough into small bags, tie with a ribbon and a gingerbread man cookie cutter and give it as gifts to small friends. Perfect for a class party, Sunday School, or besties. 

Cinnamon play dough has been used to make shapes and letters on a countertop. Cookie cutters or cinnamon sticks are seen in the background.

What Else Can You Do With Cinnmaon?

Cook with your kid! Make Snickerdoodles. Or Cinnamon Buns. Or both! 

Make this Autumn sensory bin with birdseed and cinnamon.

Read great books! Who knew you could find kid’s books about cinnamon? You can find Cinnamon from Sri Lanka by by Erandi Hettipola at the library or on Amazon. Timber The Little Cinnamon Tree by Marcy Patterson is another fun choice. If you are in the mood for a slightly longer read-aloud, check out Cinnamon Ben By Macio Selby.

Have a little stem fun with cinnamon sticks! Build small towers or buy them in bulk and see how high you can go.

What’s Important about Sensory Play that Smells Good?

Our sense of smell can bring back the past in a single breath – Grandma’s sweater, a plateful of cookies, or a pan of chili – all can instantly take you back.

For kids, smells can remind them of the love, happiness, and joy associated with holidays or special days in the past and create a sense of familiarity that carries over from year to year and becomes ingrained in traditions. Joyful play is powerful play! One of the benefits of sensory play is that way it empowers kids to separate from big emotions and gain control. When this is combined with the power of scent to evoke emotions of joy, and love and safety – it’s a winning combination.

Smells also engage your child’s imagination, and create opportunities for pretend play – making playdough cookies for instance, or picking pretend flowers, or whatever comes to mind as the smell is experienced. The power of activating the olfactory nerves is a way to practice and strengthen awareness of all the senses. Plus, it’s just flat-out fun! 

Taste Safe Hot Cocoa Sensory Bin

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Isn’t this the most adorable sensory bin ever? Your kids are going to love this one. When the weather gets cold and hot chocolate is the order of the day, be sure to make this Taste Safe Hot Cocoa Sensory Bin for quietly happy indoor play. That’s a big thing right? It’s one thing to be quiet and another thing entirely to be happy and those two things don’t always co-exist with children. Playing with this sensory bin is one of those times. 

This image shows a top down view of the bin, with the words "Hot Cocoa Sensory Bin" at the bottom.

If you’ve never used a sensory bin with your children before, this is the perfect one to start with! Not only is it fun, full of different textures, and perfectly themed, it’s also taste-safe. Taste-safe bins are always the most popular around here. It’s that time of year so I’m guessing your family will also want to make this Snowflake Sensory Bag or this Winter Sensory Tray.

Taste Safe Hot Cocoa Sensory Bin Supplies

  • Mini Marshmallows. I buy these at my local grocery store or dollar store
  • Cocoa Puffs Cereal. Purchased from the grocery store.
  • Mini Tea Cups Set. These I purchased at the Dollar Tree.
  • Silicone Muffin Cups.
  • Trays. If you have more than one child, I recommend making a different tray for each so that you aren’t sharing germs.
  • Sprinkles. If the jar is partially used, that’s even better because it will be fun to shake. 

How to Make the Hot Cocoa Sensory Bin

Start by covering the bottom of the bin with cocoa pebbles. Then add mini marshmallows until it looks right. Finish with the accessories. The only variable here is really how much of each thing you put in the bin or tray and there is no right answer. 

This collage image shows the supplies used to make the Hot Cocoa Sensory Bin plus various closeups of the bin with a child playing.

What else can I add to the Hot Cocoa Sensory Bin? 

Different Marshmallows. The larger sizes of marshmallows might be fun if you want to include a variety. I’ve also seen special bags of “just the marshmallows” from cereal, which are dried marshmallows and I think those would be fun. 

Peppermints. You can get soft peppermints, or peppermint sticks, or even peppermint marshmallows. If you do this, I recommend one per tray. 

Tips and Tricks for the Best Sensory Bin Experience

Only leave a specific sensory bin out for one or two days. Then take a break and introduce a new one a couple of days later. This keeps them fresh and fun. 

Throw out the edible contents of a Taste-Safe sensory bin and start fresh each time so you don’t keep or harbor germs or invite unwanted guests. 

Tie your sensory bins into other themes or activities happening in your child’s world like holidays, events, school themes, favorite books, etc. 

Add different scooping and measuring and sorting tools on day two. Keep things interesting by changing up the tools you add to the tray the second time your child uses it. 

Stop any sensory activity before it gets frustrating. Limit the amount of time your child has access to the sensory bin if you can tell the textures, tastes, or smells are overstimulating. 

Close up of a child's hand playing in the hot cocoa sensory bin.

Perfect Moments for a Hot Cocoa Sensory Bin

  • Little kids stuck inside while big kids play in the snow.
  • After the kids all come in from playing in the snow and have hot chocolate. 
  • When it’s cold outside. 
  • For holidays.
  • Snow Days when kids are stuck at home all day. 
  • During a polar vortex.
  • When you are doing a snow-themed unit in your preschool or homeschool. 
  • When the adults are having “fancy” hot chocolate and you need something simple to do for your kids. 

What are Kids Getting Out of Sensory Bin Play?

If you are wondering about the money or the mess, here are reasons why sensory play is essential for childhood development. 

This particular sensory bin helps with pincer grip (picking up anything between the thumb and index finger) which is a very important developmental milestone. 

Hand-eye coordination. Picking up, eating, sorting, and moving the contents of the bin. 

Fine Motor Skills. Using the muscles of the hand to scoop, pick up, etc. 

Sensory Feedback. Learning to interpret and understand sensory experiences like taste, touch, and smell. 

Nervous System Regulation. Sensory play is known to have a calming effect and help kids move out of “fight or flight” or stressful states. It’s not just a distraction, it’s actually stimulating the vagus nerve in a positive way. 

Close up of a child's hand getting marshmallows out of a silicone muffin cup while playing with the hot chocolate sensory bin.

Books About Chocolate to Read with Kids 

 
 
 
 
 

Arctic Animals Sensory Bin

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Take advantage of your child’s natural love of animals and create an incredible sensory experience with this Arctic Animals Sensory Bin. Filled with different textures and ample opportunity for pretend play, this could keep your little one happy for hours. Bonus: Sensory play helps kid regulate emotions. It’s a win for everyone! 
A white tray with white beans, blue and clear glass beads, cotton balls, and plastic arctic animals arranged with words that say "Arctic Animals Sensory Bin".We are huge fans of sensory bins around here because they help with so many different areas of childhood development. From encouraging fine motor skill improvement, to encouraging verbal expression and communication sensory play can be the springboard for growth. Be sure to check out our huge and growing list of sensory bin ideas for a huge number of themes and special occasions. While you are poking around, you’ll also want to check out the Arctic Animals Sensory Bag and Bottle, both of which are more portable and serve different functions.

Supplies for your Arctic Animals Sensory Bin

Supplies needed for your sensory bin: glass beads, cotton balls, white beans, and a tube of arctic animals.

How to Make an Arctic Animals Sensory Bin

Set up a tray in a central location or a spot near where you will be working. One of the things that makes sensory bins so handy for moms with small kids is that you can move them anywhere you need to make your life easier! Working in the kitchen on dinner, set one up at the table or island. Need to finish work for a client on the computer? Set up a bin in your office on the floor. Ready to relax with your favorite cooking show? A sensory bin on the coffee table is perfect! Once you have the tray in your desired location, simply fill it with the various supplies and invite your kids to play. It’s that simple.

As a special note, if your child is young enough to put things in their mouths all the time, they cannot play with this or any other sensory bin without direct supervision.

Collage image with four different closeups of the arctic animal sensory bin.

How to Direct Sensory Bin Play

If your child is struggling to know what to do with a sensory bin, you can ask leading questions to encourage play. Depending on the child, you can either focus on the textures of the bin with questions like “Describe how the cotton balls feel on your hand?” or “Do you think the cotton balls feel like real snow?. If focusing on textures is a bad idea, focus on the animals instead. “What do you think polar bear wants to do today? Show me!” or “What is the sea lion’s favorite part of the day?” Once your child starts playing with the sensory bin they aren’t going to want to stop. Sometimes, encouraging that first step is the hardest part! 

Ways to Change up the Arctic Animals Sensory Bin

A simple change that can be fun for some kids is adding fake snow. Insta-snow expands with water, and if you use cold water it will be cold! It has a fluffy texture, but can be off putting to some kids. If you do this, leave out the beans and cotton balls.

Blue kinetic sand (also called moon sand) can be a fun way to simulate water in place of or in addition to the glass beads. 

Adding a couple of ice cubes can be a fun way to talk about the temperatures in the arctic. Remove the ice cubes after a few minutes of play to prevent messes.

If safe (and your child won’t throw them) add a couple of very large rocks to the sensory bin. Not only does it add a new texture to the bin, it also adds a touch of real nature and gives the animals new places to perch or congregate.

What are the Arctic Animals

The list of animals who’ve adapted to life in the Arctic is actually quite long, and if you want to expand your sensory experiences into preschool learning, these are just some of the animals you could study or find to include in your sensory bin!

  • Polar Bear
  • Arctic Fox
  • Caribou
  • Musk Ox
  • Arctic Wolf
  • Walrus
  • Narwhal
  • Orca
  • Beluga Whale
  • Grizzly Bear
  • Arctic Ground Squirrel
  • Arctic Hare
  • Arctic Tern
  • Dall Sheep
  • Bald Eagle
  • Ermine
  • Harp Seals

If you want to take your sensory bin in a new direction, gather up any stuffed animals you have from the list above (or you can find the full list of arctic animals here). Have one or two of the stuffed animals join your child at the sensory bin. Engage with your child and pretend that the animals are participating in sensory play. After a few minutes, step back and see what happens. 

Close up of a child's hand playing in the arctic animals sensory bin.

Arctic Animals Books to Read

Helping Children Become More Aware of their Bodies and Emotions

  • If you want to help your child connect with their emotions or sensory input, sensory play is a great time to ask open ended questions like these.
  • How do you feel when running your hands through the beans (or glass beads, etc.)
  • Can you remember how you felt when you were crying earlier? What has happened to those feelings?
  • If you pull apart a cotton ball, what do your fingers think about that? 
  • Scoop beans into your hand and let them fall out slowly. What does that make you think about?

Seal and polar bear resting on white beans and glass beads and cotton balls.

Hot Cocoa Playdough

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While we do love a good snow day and spending as much time as possible out in the cold, fluffy crystals, the cold temperatures usually brings us back inside where we want to cozy up in warm clothing and sip hot chocolate. And too much time cooped up inside in the winter months makes everyone a little stir crazy! Keep fun projects like this Hot Cocoa Playdough up your sleeve for those cold weather moments when you need something special for the kids to keep them happy and warm inside.

A wooden table has Hot Cocoa playdough cut into trees, stockings, and the letters to spell it out spread out. A cup of hot chocolate is on the side, and marshmallows are scattered about.

Not only does this play dough smell amazing, it can be used just like the store-bought version to roll out, cut, press, shape, and mold to your heart’s content. All children need a sensory-rich play environment in order to to develop neural pathways and improve hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills. And all of that pushing and pulling and pressing is fantastic sensory feedback if your child is struggling with emotional regulation today. In addition, proprioceptive feedback is so important and helps kids with sensory integration struggles understand their place in space and feel safe. This kind of feedback is basically just pressure on the joints, bones, and tendons which is communicated to the brain and helps the brain process position and motion information to improve balance, coordination, and comfort.  So not only is play dough fun play time it’s also powerful occupational therapy from the comfort of your dining room table!

Ingredients for Hot Cocoa Playdough

  • 1 cup flour
  • 1⁄2 cup salt
  • 1 Tbsp cornstarch
  • 1 Tbsp cocoa powder
  • 2 Tbsp cream of tartar
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 Tbsp vegetable oil

Supplies Needed to Make Play Dough

  • medium saucepan
  • spoon or spatula
  • parchment paper

How to Make Hot Cocoa Playdough

  1. Gather all the ingredients needed.
  2. Add the dry ingredients to the saucepan and stir to combine.
  3. Add the water and oil to the dry mixture.
  4. Place saucepan over medium heat and stir to combine.
  5. Stir frequently for 4-5 minutes until it’s pulling away from the sides and a dough ball forms.
  6. Take the pan off the heat and place the dough on a piece of parchment paper to begin cooling.
  7. Once the dough is completely cooled, it’s time to play.

The steps to make your own hot cocoa playdough are shown in a collage image, form gathering the ingredients to making the dough.

Frequently Asked Questions

How should homemade play dough be stored?

Store in a container with a tight-fitting lid in the refrigerator. Using a plastic zipper bag (the easy choice) will cause the playdough to dry out since it is not airtight.

How long will homemade playdough keep?

Properly stored, homemade play dough will keep for at a least a couple of weeks and may keep for up to three months. You’ll want to keep an eye on it for dryness or signs of spoilage such as mold. 

Is the Hot Cocoa Play Dough Taste Safe?

While it is not toxic, it does have a high ratio of salt and shouldn’t be consumed. It also isn’t likely to taste that great, so a small bite taken in spite of parental warnings should be off-putting enough for most kids to end the behavior. If your child just cannot resist, maybe use our taste-safe Cool Whip Playdough recipe instead.

Hot Cocoa Playdough rolled flat, with a spoonful of cocoa on the side.

What to Add to your Hot Cocoa Playdough for Maximum Fun

  • Cookie Cutters. Snowflakes, stockings, trees, mugs or teacups, and wintery things would be perfect.
  • Rolling Pin. Every good playdough bin needs a rolling pin to roll the dough flat. I’m actually a fan of this full playdough tool set because it seems to hold up well.
  • Marshmallows. I know it’s a recipe for messy play, but every good cup of hot chocolate has a marshmallow or two. Add the jumbo size to your playtime with playdough, and just know you might have to throw some of it out when it all gets mushed together. 
  • The cups from a Play Tea Set. This is fun because your kids can make “cups of hot chocolate” and serve them. It encourages pretend play, which is so valuable for language development and imagination.

How to Keep the Mess Minimal

I have heard many parents say they just don’t get out the play dough or the sensory bins because they can’t handle the mess. I can relate to that. Some days messes are just adding to the hard! However, if we never provide our kids with sensory rich play, that’s a problem too. Here are some tips to help minimize your mess and maximize the benefits.

Use a vinyl tablecloth. These are easy to clean up. Just take them off the table by folding them up into a ball, and then go outside and shake them off. Or, just wipe them up with a damp papertowel and throw away any leftover playdough bits. These are actually handy for all kinds of crafts! 

Teach kids how to collect playdough bits easily. Just take a small ball of play dough and smush it onto the little bits scattered about and it sticks together and makes clean up fast! I have seen three and four year olds do this voluntarily after classroom playdough play because Mom or Dad made it a routine game everytime the play dough came out. Little kids can do this!

Expect your kids to help with clean up and be responsible. Have them look around the floor after play time to see if any small bits of dough have escaped the table.

Make group clean-up a routine, not a random event that only happens when you’re stressed. Every single time the messy play activities happen (crafts, playdough, slime, etc.), clean-up is a team effort. If you always clean up after your child they never learn and this teamwork encourages responsibility over sloppiness. My mom always taught me that “many hands make light work” and it’s something I passed along to my own kids too.

Hot Cocoa playdough cut into trees, stockings, and the letters to spell it out. Cup of hot chocolate on the side, and marshmallows scattered about. Cookie cutters nearby.

Hot Cocoa Extension Activities

If you love this theme and want to go all in with your preschool or elementary age children, we have more ideas for you! Here are some things you can do to carry over the hot chocolate theme into more learning and activities.

Be sure to check out our Hot Cocoa Sensory Bin as well. Kids love these connections between food and play things. 

Read books about hot chocolate! Do Frogs Drink Hot Chocolate by Etta Kaner and The Sweet Story of Hot Chocolate by Stephen Krenksy are both great choices. 

Make this Hot Chocolate Bombs recipe from Steam Powered Family.

Explore states of matter with this fun Hot Chocolate Science Experiment from Little Bins for Little Hands.

Dollar Store Pumpkin Patch Sensory Bin

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Pumpkins, pumpkins, everywhere! It’s that time of year again, and I have to admit — I love it! With Autumn gathering momentum and our favorite PSL drink back in the coffee shop, it’s time to pull out the Pumpkin Patch Sensory Bin for playtime. Watch your child light up when a new sensory bin comes out to play!

The text on this image reads "Pumpkin Patch Sensory Bin, and The top and bottom half have different images focusing on the sensory bin close up so that you can see what it looks like.

I don’t know about your kids, but sensory bins are something we get excited about around here. They provide just the right amount of sensory stimulation, without overwhelming. The mess is contained, and the exploration is fun. When we are done, it’s so easy to put away! Most of the supplies for this sensory bin were purchased at Dollar Tree so it’s a very affordable project. 

Dollar Store Pumpkin Patch Sensory Bin Supplies

  • Brown Decorative Shred (Dollar Store) 
  • Mini Pumpkins (Dollar Store) – I got mine in orange and white
  • Pumpkin Seeds (bulk store or grocery store)
  • Silicon muffin tins from Amazon
  • Mini Hay Bales (Dollar Store)
  • Plastic Trays (Amazon)
    This collage image has all of the supplies for the pumpkin patch sensory bin plus close up views of different angles of the finished bin.

What Else Can I Add to A Pumpkin Patch Sensory Bin?

If you want more volume or more variety, consider adding one or more of these things:

  • Cinnamon Sticks – will add an olfactory (smell) sensory component
  • Small Green Leaves like the leaves on a pumpkin
  • Put Pumpkin Patch related stickers on the bottom of the plastic tray for your child to discover.
  • Honestly sometimes just walking through the Dollar Store, you will find something that is perfect to add that I completely missed on my shopping trip! If you find the perfect add, be sure to mention it in the comments. 

How to Make Your Pumpkin Patch Sensory Bin

Set out the tray and add the various supplies, adjusting the quantity of each as needed to get a nice blend of content. Add child-friendly scoops, cups, spoons, and tongs to encourage fine motor work. It’s that simple! 

Why Kids Need Sensory Bins

Having sensory feedback allows a child’s nervous system to settle down and reset. If your child is sensory-seeking, this kind of activity can be a life-saver for the family, giving your child some much needed quiet, focused play-work and bringing more calm to your evenings. 

These bins also give your child a chance to learn more about their world. They explore textures and shapes, talk about seasons and colors and themes, and more! 

As your child uses tongs, scoops, spoons, and cups to move and sort and organize the contents of a sensory bin, they are also problem solving, organizing, and improving fine motor skills. 

Add encouragement for your child to count, sort, and discuss the various components of the sensory bin and now you’ve brought even more value to the activity.

What to do with the Pumpkin Patch Sensory Bin

Ask questions like these:

  • How many white pumpkins are in there?
  • How many orange pumpkins are there?
  • Which are there more of – orange pumpkins or white pumpkins?
  • How many hay bales can you stack before they tumble? 
  • How many pumpkins or pumpkin seeds fit in a silicone cup?

Rotate it out with other Fall-themed sensory bins to keep the interest high. We also have a Taste-Safe Pumpkin Pie Sensory Bin and a Pumpkin Spice Latte Sensory Bin.

Add other pumpkin-related activities to keep the learning momentum going! 

Close up of a child's hand working plastic tongs to move mini haybales around in the bin.

Pumpkin Patch Extension Activities

Since you already have the supplies, make up a pumpkin patch sensory bottle to take on the go! 

Help your kids make pumpkin muffins or pumpkin bread or cookies as a special treat.

Visit a pumpkin patch and bring home a pumpkin. If you can, add in a hayride while you are there! 

Play this Pumpkins Emotions Game.

Have fun making Pumpkin Slime.

Watch It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown with your family. If you do this, you might add some Peanuts related items into your sensory bin for a day or two. We thought these Charlie Brown Stress Balls were a cute choice.

Read Pumpkin Related Books. We’ve highlighted a few books below, but I do highly recommend asking your local kid’s librarian — they love to help! Sometimes you can also find seasonal puzzles and other activities to check out at the library. 

Pumpkin Theme Books For Kids

The Pumpkin Book by Gail Gibbons. Mrs. Gibbons always has the most interesting books, and you can usually read just the first sentence or two to your small child and as your children get older add more and more of the detail on each page. 

Too Many Pumpkins by Linda White

How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin by Margaret McNamera. Delve into STEM and actually take a pumpkin apart to explore it’s parts! 

Five Little Pumpkins by Lucy Barnard. A fun version of the classic counting book. 
 
 

Candy Corn Construction Sensory Bin

hands playing with candy corn and tiny construction vehicles

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When it comes to Fall, one thing that brings out childhood nostalgia for me is a new, fresh, colorful bag of candy corn. Simple, adorable, and tiny, this sweet Halloween candy is the perfect treat. Turns out it also makes a good plaything.

Create this quick and easy Candy Corn Construction Sensory bin and watch as your child spends hours occupied with driving and dumping, snacking and shovelling for all it’s worth. If you have a little one into construction toys of all kinds, this activity is a no-brainer! 

This image shows a child playing with the sensory bin, and has text that says "Candy Corn Construction Sensory Bin."

Sensory bins are easy to put together and so much fun for kids. If you haven’t tried one yet, now is the time. Your kids will appreciate the novelty of it, and love exploring the textures and smells and sometimes tastes of the sensory bin and you will enjoy the quiet, focused play.

It’s a great tool to use when you need to get dinner on the table, work sent to a client, or that last bit done before your deadline. When you can work just a few feet from your kids without stress, that’s a win for everyone! 

Supplies for the Candy Corn Construction Sensory Bin

  • One bag of candy corn
  • Construction toys

Tips to Make It Awesome

  • Use mini construction toys. They are the right size for candy corn.
  • Don’t cover the bottom of the container completely. Allow room for kids to push and scoop the candy corn with the toys.
  • Have them see how many different machines they can transfer the candy corn to without touching the bin.
  • See if transferring multiple pieces at once is more difficult than just one piece.
  • Play Supervisor, and request the kids pick up a specific number of candy corn to fulfill an order.
  • A dedicated sensory table can be used over and over again for easy play time. I highly recommend this one.

A collage image shows all of the supplies needed, and then various close-ups of a child playing with the Candy Corn Construction Sensory Bin.

How to Change it Up for Day Two

I like to only leave each sensory bin out for a day or two and then have a day or two break and switch it our for another one. Sometimes, boredom sets in on day two though, and adding just one or two ingredients can re-engage your child. It’s also a great way to keep the sensory bin fresh when you plan to use it more than once in the same season.

Any easy way to change up this particular bin could be changed by adding different colors of candy corn or the mini pumpkins. If you want to get a little fancier, hiding these matching stickers in the bottom under candy corn would be a fun add!

One or two of these candy corn stress balls might also be fun. Miniature construction cones are the perfect addition! Did you find the perfect add-on? Be sure to let us know in the comments! 

Close up of little hands exploring the candy corn sensory bin.

Why Making Time for Sensory Play Matters

Sensory play is important for all children, not just those who are extra sensory-seeking. Exploring the senses is a classic way to calm down the nervous system, process stress, and calm down anxiety. It actually has a direct impact on vagus nerve health and regulation.

I know sometimes it just seems like one more thing added to your plate, but I have found over and over again that starting with sensory play or including sensory play in our consistent daily routine pays me back in spades – because as my child’s anxiety drops and behavior improves, I have more time to focus on the things I need to get done, and that helps reduce my stress.

If you aren’t sure if you can “waste” the time it takes to source and set up sensory play activities for your kids, I encourage you to try it for just two weeks. Once you observe the benefits, I think you’ll find it worth the effort. 

Besides helping with emotional regulation, sensory processing, and anxiety, playing with one of our sensory bins also helps your child develop fine motor skills, work on hand-eye coordination, practice number sense and verbal expression. It’s a win-win for everyone! 

Books about Candy Corn or Construction to Read with your Kids

Reading with your kids takes something ordinary and turns it into something extraordinary – stories spark the imagination, teach your kids to create imagery in their heads when they hear stories (an important skill that starts developing as soon as you start reading to your kids!) and creates new neural pathways between different experiences like the sensory bin, the construction site you watched for an hour after that appointment, and the information in the books you read. So much goodness happens when you read a book to your kids, and even more when those books are connected to the other things you’ve been doing.

Count Candy Corn by Ruth Brügger