The Chaos and the Clutter

Chai Tea Playdough

Rolled out play dough with cinnamon sticks and star anise pressed into it.

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I love incorporated new and different ingredients into our playdough recipes! Embracing variety provides an ever changing sensory experience for sensory seeking kiddos of all ages. You might be surprised to know that even teenagers will come to the table to play when the playdough smells this good. Get your whole family involved in the making and playing with this Chai Tea Playdough recipe. 

The loose tea in the playdough adds texture and the aroma of the chai tea and spices smells amazing! Add cinnamon sticks and anise stars to your child’s play for a full sensory experience!

Chai Tea Playdough with cinnamon sticks and star anise for sensory play.

Chai Playdough Recipe

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup salt
  • 1 Tablespoon cream of tartar
  • 1/2 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 Tablespoon ground ginger
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 3-4 bags of chai tea

Step-By-Step Instructions

  1. Add the flour, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cream of tartar to a medium mixing bowl. Open 2 tea bags and sprinkle the contents into the flour mixture. Whisk to combine and set aside.
  2. Add the water to a medium saucepan and heat to boil. Remove from heat and add 1-2 tea bags and steep for 3-4 minutes.
  3. Add the vegetable oil to the hot tea mixture. Stir to mix.
  4. Gently pour the flour mixture into the saucepan and stir continuously until a large lump of dough forms.
  5. Allow the playdough to cool for 5 minutes before handling.
  6. Transfer the chai tea playdough to a flat working space and knead for 3-4 minutes or until soft and pliable.
  7. Store in an airtight container (or Ziploc bag) for up to 2 weeks.

Chai Tea Playdough with rolling pin, star anise, cinanmon sticks and other tools.

Chai Tea Play Dough Invitation to Play 

If you involved your children in the process of making the playdough (which I highly recommend) the invitation to play isn’t nearly as much about a verbal invitation as it is the provision of ingredients and supplies to encourage exploration and delight. Star anise and cinnamon sticks are the two items we already recommended having on hand. But it doesn’t have to stop there! A well-rounded collection of playdough tools and toys is an excellent investment.  Since we have a pretty large collection of these tools I like to rotate the selection to keep playdough play fresh and new. Here are a few of our favorites: 

In addition to store-bought and playdough specific tools you can also gather items you already have around the house for your children to use. Since this is taste-safe playdough, you can use standard kitchen items like rolling pins, cookie cutters or cookie stamps, and child-safe knives. 

Other items from around the house can be great additions to your invitation to play! Think of things that can make impressions in the dough: varying sizes of bubble wrap, brushes, buttons, coins, straws, plastic silverware, plastic magnet letters, dice, etc. 

Though not taste safe, found items in nature can also be fun! Pinecones, rocks, sticks, holly leaves, acorns, walnuts, shells, and fossils are all great examples of things you can bring inside for playdough play. Ask your kids what else they can find to use in the playdough. They always have the best ideas!

Rolled out play dough with cinnamon sticks and star anise pressed into it.

Chai Tea Playdough Extension Activities

If the pure sensory experience a a delicious smelling dough with a funky texture isn’t enough for your kiddo, you can always add extra activities to tie the play dough play into other subject areas. From tie ins with great literature to reinforcing math concepts, play dough is a great learning aid. Here are a couple of examples.

Demonstrate simple math concepts using LEGO® impressions in the playdough. Practice addition (adding or counting the dots), subtraction (smoothing out the dots to subtract them), or multiplication (lining up the rows of impressions and counting. the outside two rows to multiply, then physically counting the full total to show how that worked.)

Read books such as Have You Seen My Acorn. Make impressions in the playdough with an acorn to mark the squirrels progress as he quizzes all the animals and chases down clues. Provide your child with a bag of Chai Tea Plaudough with an acorn hidden inside as you finish reading the book and provide an invitation to play, talking about the book as you play together. 

Why Play with Play Dough? 

The sensory benefits alone make the mess of making and playing with play dough a worthwhile experience for children. The smells, the textures, and the proprioceptive feedback provided during playdough play will help a child feel more grounded and secure. As if the sensory benefits are not enough, your child will also be improving fine motor skills, developing cricital thinking skills (What will happen if I do it this way?) and practicing verbal skills (“Mommy, look at the cake I just made!”). If encouraged, playdough play can also lend itself toward pretend play, storytelling and more! Giving your child rich and enticing free play opportunities can only help in so many ways.

Chai Tea Sensory Playdough with chai tea on the side.

 

Bubble Painting Fish and Turtle

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If you are looking for a fun and easy ocean craft you can do with household supplies you already have, try bubble painting a fish and a turtle with your kids. This exciting process art activity engages your kids in a rich sensory experience that also inspires creativity. It’s simple to do and works for all ages, as long as the artist can blow through a straw. 

The top half of the image shows two cups filled with bubbles, overflowing onto the paper to create bubble art. A straw is coming out of one of the cups. The bottom half of the image shows the finished process art. In the middle, text reads "fish and turtle bubble painting".

A win-win activity, bubble painting provides gustatory (oral) sensory feedback, helps increase fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination, stimulates the imagination, while delighting your kids at the same time. When finished, your child will have a unique work of art to enjoy.

Supplies for the Bubble Painting Fish and Turtle

  • Small Cups. Disposable cups make clean-up easier.
  • Bubble Solution. You can use a store-bought mix or make homemade bubble solution (leave out the essential oils from this recipe for this activity.)
  • Green and Blue Food Coloring.
  • Straws.
  • Thick White Paper. The kind meant for watercolor or mixed media would be good.
  • Googly Eyes or Stickers. Googly eyes that have a sticker backing are just as great for fine motor skills as the type you have to glue, and are a little less aggravating.
  • Markers or Crayons.
  • Scissors. To cut out the fish after you are finished. You could then make it into a magnet, use it it as a gift tag, etc.
  • Art Tray. I love these handy trays to keep all the mess contained. You can also use a plastic tablecloth, old newspapers, etc.

Instructions to make a Bubble Painting Fish or Turtle

  1. Fill cups 1⁄2 way with bubble solution
  2. Add 3-5 drops food coloring into each cup
  3. Place cardstock into tray
  4. Hold cup with bubbles over the paper
  5. Blow into each cup through a straw, allowing bubbles to spill over the cup and onto the paper
  6. Immediately pat dry.
  7. Once dry, add googly eyes.
  8. Color the outlines of the animals using markers or crayons.

A collage image shows four equal squares containing a different step in the process of bubble painting a fish and turtle. First image shows the cup, paint, art tray and paper. Second image shows cups with bubbles and straws on top of paper. Third and fourth image show bubbles overflowing from the cup onto the paper to create art.

Tips for the Best Bubble Painting Experience

I’ve been doing bubble painting with my kiddos since my oldest were little, and I have some tips to make things easier and better all around.

Do not use paint with younger kids. Use food coloring, because it is taste safe in the event this mouth-centered activity goes a little awry.

Throw the mess away. I recommend using disposable straws, and not a reuseable straw since it will be tricky to get the paint washed out. 

Thin as needed. If the bubble solution is to thick to blow easily, just add a little water at a time till you get the perfect viscosity.

Wear old clothes. Because you need to use food coloring, getting stains out of clothing might be tricky. You probably will be able to get stains out, but it might be more trouble than it is worth if you can find paint clothes that don’t matter. 

Take it outside. The easiest way to contain the mess is to do the whole project outside where it can be washed away when you are finished. 

Poke a hole. If you make a hole or slit in the straw about one inch below the top, it will help prevent sucking the liquid up into the mouth. This is not foolproof, but it helps.

Important Note: Only do this activity with kids who are able to blow through a straw without sucking up the bubble mixture. 

Variations for this Activity

Experiment with paints and colors. If you have older kids with little to no risk, you can experiment with different types of non-toxic paints for a more intense color and different effects. You can combine different colors and see what happens if bubbles are dipped into two different colors. 

Different Tools. The size of the straw can change up the results. Your child might also enjoy using a bubble wand instead of a straw.  

Use different bubble solutions. Each bubble solution is different. Some make big bubbles and some make tiny bubbles. Some make super strong bubbles and some are just normal. You can find all kinds of recipes on the internet to try, or you can just buy a bottle at the local store.

Make it a print. Instead of overflowing bubbles onto the paper like we did, you can instead fill up your art tray with bubbles and then press paper down onto the bubbles to make a print.

Try the blowover method. Take the paper outside and blow the bubbles onto the paper using a bubble wand. 

Cups overflowing with bubbles rest on watercolor paper, and bubbles cover the paper as they leave the cup. Each cup contains a straw.

What to Do With Your Bubble Paintings

Once you have the little fishies or turtles painted and drawn, you can cut them out. Then, you can glue magnets on the back to make refrigerator magnets or a magnet fishing game. You can use them on notecards. They can be hung on a mobile or straight on a wall. Fish and turtles can be used to decorate containers, classrooms, posters, and more! They could even be turned into ornaments.

Frequently Asked Questions

I have a toddler. Can we enjoy bubble painting?

Yes. As long as your child can blow through a straw and isn’t likely to suck through the straw, you can have fun with this activity. Your toddler will be captivated by all of the swirling, poppable color. 

I have a tween. Is bubble painting worth it? 

Yes. Older kids and adults will enjoy experimenting with different techniques, effects, and ideas to come up with even more creative bubble art.

Why should I care about doing process art with my kids?

Process art is all about the experience. Its not about the end result at all — there is no judgement. Your child is free to explore and become captivated by the experience without fear. 

More Sensory Painting Activities

Exercise Bingo Game Free Printable

cartoon kids jumping on a mini trampoline with text in a grid beside them

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What if you know you need to get your kids moving more but aren’t sure how to make that happen? Maybe it’s raining outside, or maybe they are angry at their bikes or afraid of bees or something. Perhaps your child is just resistant to movement completely. Whether you need a complete change of pace or a fun way to get everyone warmed up, Exercise Bingo is the perfect choice. 

Words Exercise Bingo at the top, kids jumping on a trampoline on the left, and the printable game shown on the right.

If you’re looking for other interactive sensory Bingo experiences, our Yoga Bingo is a great option. While the suggestions in this Exercise Bingo are more alerting in terms of sensory input, the Yoga Bingo suggestions are perfect for calming.

The Benefits of Exercise Bingo

Wake up the brain. Have you seen what happens to the brain when you exercise? The heat map of the brain after exercise is incredible. All of those neural pathways light up and get ready to receive information. I like to tell my kids exercise is like magic for the brain. If your child is stuck on math, have them take a break. No matter how hard it is to put the pencil down, have the kids step away from math and gather for Exercise Bingo. Ten or fifteen minutes playing this game and you can reset your entire day and wrap your brain around math again. 

Resolve big emotions. Exercise releases endorphins, and endorphins can help calm those big emotions. So if Mom is having a grumpy day after the math struggle, she should join in Exercise Bingo too. 

Sensory Feedback. If a child has lost their place in space (proprioception), exercise is a grounding activity that will help your child get that sense of normalcy and security they crave. Pressure on muscles and joints through exercise is an invaluable sensory experience your kids will come to crave. 

The proof is in the pudding. I know for me, my kids did not believe the power of exercise until they experienced it for themselves. I showed them the pictures of the brain after exercise, and then had them try school work after cardio. Now when they are struggling, they voluntarily find a physical activity. This is something that happens over time, not overnight so don’t give up modeling Exercise Bingo with your kids. 

How to Play Exercise Bingo

Supplies

  • Printout of the sheet for each child.
  • Laminating the printouts will allow you to use them over and over with dry erase markers.
  • If you don’t want to laminate them, you could use stickers in the boxes, which is also fun.

Instructions

  1. Complete an exercise. 
  2. Mark off the box for that activity. 
  3. Complete a row to win.

Variations for Exercise Bingo

While at it’s core, the steps I described above are how to play, I love the fact that bingo gives you so much flexibility. Try any of these variations! 

Work in teams or as individuals.

Reward completion of rows, four corners, or the entire board with different levels of prizes.

You could also give a bingo award for learning four new skills, trying for arm exercises, etc. Get creative with the groupings!

Fun fact: Exercise Bingo is a great way to run off some energy at stops on long car trips! 

Exercise Bingo Printable form.

What Kids Practice During Exercise Bingo

Balance. Many of the exercises require balance and coordination to be completed correctly. Of course, they don’t have to be correct every time you play, but over time with consistency these skills will improve.

Following Directions. If they are uncertain what a specific exercise is, they will have to listen and follow instructions to get credit for the activity. 

Large Muscle Movement. Coordinating large muscle movement (gross motor skills) is an essential first step in developing small muscle movement (fine motor skills). If your child is struggling with fine motor skills, start with exercise.

Proprioception. Kids who struggle understanding where there body is in relation to the world (sensory perception) benefit so much from grounding activities that provide direct feedback about body position. That’s what exercise is – it’s proprioception practice. Yoga Bingo is another fantastic way to work on this type of feedback.

Names of Exercises. Knowing what a squat is or what tug of war is — these are actual concepts that kids should learn and recognize. It’s a whole new vocabulary. A shocking number of kids don’t know what it means to frog jump or crab walk and all of these exercises are so good for body development, but are also a part of the common shared experience — helping us relate to each other. 

Tips for Exercise Bingo Success

Keep it low key and low pressure. Turning exercise into something stressful is not a good idea, so take it easy at first, set minimal expectations, and keep everything as light and fun as possible.

Participate with your kids. Kids are amazing imitators and if they see you having fun with an activity, they are far more likely to join in. Conversely if they hear you grousing about an activity, they are far less likely to have a good attitude. Set the bar high by having a happy heart and enjoying the game.

Make sure you have plenty of useable space.  Whether inside or outside, everyone needs room to move around without bumping into each other so spread out, and clean up that toy room if necessary. 

Encourage positive participation. You don’t have to offer physical rewards like toys or candy or treats. Encouragement is so powerful! Use life-giving words to encourage your kids when you see them participating in something that stretches them, demonstrating a good attitude, or setting a good example for siblings.

Grab your free printable Exercise Bingo game here:

 

Harvest Sensory Bottle

A very close-up picture of the harvest sensory bottle with one of the sunflowers at the front.

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Do you have toddlers to teens at home and find yourself needing a handy way to calm someone down, keep a little someone occupied in a quiet setting, or fight boredom on a long trip? You are not alone! Our Harvest Sensory Bottle is the perfect tool to have on hand this Fall when the need for distraction arises. Your children will be enthralled. 

A plastic bottle filled with various items including mixed dry beans and sunflowers to represent the harvest or fall.

If you haven’t read about sensory strewing before, be sure to check out that article to learn how valuable it is to just leave things like sensory bottles laying around, waiting to be discovered. Implementing this concept in your home can be life changing! That’s why I do what I do.

How to Make a Harvest Sensory Bottle

Supplies

  • Sticks. Gather these from outside.
  • Acorns. Gather these from outside as well. 
  • Resin Pumpkins and Leaves. Found in the Halloween section at Dollar Tree or other dollar store
  • Sunflowers. Found in the fall section
  • Mini Fall Florals. Look for the tan spiky pieces.
  • Multi-Colored Beans. 
  • Plastic Bottle. I get mine from Amazon.

Supplies for Harvest Sensory Bottle: flowers, beans, bottle, stems.

Steps to Make Sensory Bottles

  1. Wash the jar with hot soapy water and dry it.
  2. Layer the beans with the other supplies on the list. 
  3. Depending on the child, you may want to super glue the lid in place. On the other hand you might want to re-use the bottle so it is up to you.

Large image of the harvest sensory bottle with smaller close-ups of different sections of the jar.

Tips to Make Your Harvest Sensory Bottle the Best It Can Be

Do not overfill the bottle. Ideally you want the items in the sensory jar or sensory bottle to be able to move around, make noise, disappear and reappear, etc.

Even young children can enjoy sensory bottles with small objects as long as the bottles are glued shut and the activity is supervised. But the cool thing is, big kids and adults enjoy them as well! 

Can’t find everything on our list? Other small items found at the Dollar store while you are there can be equally delightful. Small erasers, beads, flowers, or toys that fit with the harvest theme can be substituted! 

Clean it off first. As you gather sticks, acorns, or other small items from the outdoors, be sure to tap the sticks on the ground to shake off any loose bark or dirt that might make a mess in the bottle and rinse any dirt off of the acorns. Give everything time to dry before you make the bottle so you don’t invite moisture to the party either.

You will probably have enough supplies to make two bottles. Sharing the expense with another mom is a great idea!

How to Use a Sensory Bottle

This calming activity can quiet an over stimulated child, help someone regain focus and concentration, end tantrums or boredom, and inspire hours of quiet exploration. Here are just some of the ways one of these bottles can provide a valuable experience for your child.

Visual Perception Skill Building.

This refers to the ability to make visual connections between to options and develop an understanding of depth, spatial relationships, and positional concepts like above, below, under, and behind. 

Problem Solving

“I’m sure I just found a purple bean. I want to find it again. Let me see how to make that reappear.” These are the kinds of thoughts that come out of sensory bottle play. 

Auditory Sensory Feedback

The sound of the beans in the bottle can have a calming or stabilizing effect. It also helps exercise those auditory discrimination skills. 

Large Muscle Movement

The smaller the child, the more of a large muscle workout a sensory bottle will be, and as they shake it, move it, turn it and bang it around they will be getting all kinds of kinesthetic feedback to the central nervous system. Just remember you cannot allow free play with a sensory bottle unless you are present to supervise. Even a glued on lid can come undone. Ask me how I know! 

Harvest Sensory Bottle Expansion Activities

  • Read books about Fall. Some suggestions include Leaf Man by Louis Ehlert and Fall Mixed Up.
  • Rake and jump in leaves together. 
  • Go on a hike in the woods to look for items in the sensory bottle. 
  • Find and draw or name each different kind of item in the sensory bottle. 
  • Visit a field of sunflowers.
  • Talk about the four seasons.

A very close-up picture of the harvest sensory bottle with one of the sunflowers at the front.

More Fantastic Sensory Bottles to Make

We love this Thanksgiving Sensory Bottle and its the perfect time of year to buy the supplies for both this and the Harvest one at the same time. For some extra fun, make this I Spy Birds Sensory Bottle. The I Spy bottles are perfect for taking on long car rides or events that will get tedious for little ones. We have so many different sensory bottle ideas, but one more I want to specifically call out that I think you will love is the Van Gogh Inspired Starry Night Sensory bottle.  

The Day the Crayons Quit Sensory Bin

colored rice in a bin with bright colored pompoms, dice, tweezers, and a magnifying glass

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Building a sensory bin around a book is a genius idea. Reading aloud is so incredibly valuable for our children. Not only will The Day the Crayons Quit Sensory Bin encourage you and your children to read aloud together, it will also provide positive sensory input. Plus, your kids will be working on fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, gross motor skills, observation, and color theory. 

The top half of the image shows a close up of the sensory bin with magnifying glass front and center and the book staged behind. The bottom half of the image shows a different view of the sensory bin with the dice and tongs featured. In the middle, text states "The Day the Crayons Quit Sensory Bin".Bright and engaging colors, a variety of interesting textures, and a story to tell, retell, and imagine will make this a sensory bin your kids won’t want to leave. The value of sensory input for children cannot be overstated. The same can be said for literacy. This activity encourages both.

About The Day the Crayons Quit

A delightful book, The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt and Marichelle Daywalt, tells the story of a time when all the crayons were dissatisfied with their lot in life. Each of the crayons leaves behind a letter to explain their plight and a dissappointed young man must convince them to take up their posts again so that he can color. The book covers themes like communication, feelings, empathy, and respect.

Why Connect a Sensory Bin to a Picture Book

The beauty of reading picture books to children is that the pictures help  to bring stories to life for children and help them engage with the story even as they work separately on the skill of picturing a story as they read. Reading out loud to your children has immense value because they can hear and understand far more than they can read on their own. So by reading, you are providing an enriched literary experience they will come to crave for themselves. 

When you add a sensory bin to the picture book experience, you are extending the magic. You keep the story alive in their minds and give them one more way to explore the concepts introduced by the book. As they play, they replay or continue the story in their heads or outloud with each other. This gives kids practice using vocabulary, communicating with each other, using imagination, and exploring the world.

The connection between the sensory bin and the book strengthens neural pathways in the brain and improves comprehension through play. It’s a new way to process and work through new information. 

How to Make a “The Day the Crayons Quit” Sensory Bin

Supplies Needed 

Step-By-Step Instructions

  1. Fill the sensory bin with rainbow rice.
  2. Add rainbow pom poms and number mini erasers.
  3. Add small bowl, tongs, magnifying glass, and dice.
  4. Set the book next to the bin.

Suggested Activities to Go with The Day the Crayons Quit Sensory Bin

  • Read the book.
  • Roll the dice and find a matching number mini eraser with the magnifying glass.
  • Roll the dice and use the tongs to place the correct number of pom poms in the bowl.
  • Use the magnifying glass to take a closer look at the book.
  • Locate a color in the book and find the matching colored pom poms.

How to Play with A Sensory Bin

  • Sort and organize. This is such a valuable activity for kids. You can sort items in the bin by color, type, or size. 
  • Encourage your children to enjoy free play in the bin and see how they approach the experience. Let them run their hands through the rice, scoop and pour it, and play for as long as they like.
  • Compare and contrast. Talk about how the textures, colors, shapes, and sizes of each object compares to the others. Use descriptive words like smooth, soft, fluffy, or bright to describe the objects and compare them. 
  • Gather and distribute. Move all of the pom poms to the bowl. Then dump the pom poms and move all the number erasers to the bowl. Use tongs, tweezers, or thumb and index fingers to work on fine motor skills a variety of different ways.

Sensory Bin Variations

You do not have to use rainbow rice. You could use rainbow pasta, rainbow beans, or a different sensory bin filler in primary colors. 

Be creative! You can find mini crayon erasers and all kinds of things to use in your sensory bin if you have the room in your budget, but you can also pick things up at yard sales, at thrift shops, and from around your home. For this sensory bin focus on primary colors or rainbow colors to go with the theme of the book.

Add funnels, scoops, tweezers, measuring cups, spoons, and other tools to help your child experience the different materials in the bin. 

Learning Extension Activities for The Day the Crayons Quit

Create Your Own Follow-Up Story: The Day the Crayons Were Happy

The Day the Crayons Quit Coloring Page

Make Crayon Ornaments

How to Melt Crayons and Make New Ones

Beetlejuice Sensory Bin

bright green tray with dry black beans, purple pompoms, plastic eyeballs, green ribbon curls, a green pincher, and striped play pumpkin

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With the release of another Beetlejuice movie, there’s a whole new generation who will be introduced to the memorable characters. This Beetlejuice sensory bin would be fun to pair with a movie night or for Halloween. It’s spooky but not overly scary because it carries the quirky vibe from the movie.bright green tray with dry black beans, purple pompoms, plastic eyeballs, green ribbon curls, a green pincher, and striped play pumpkinsThis sensory experience inspired by the unique world of Beetlejuice would also be a great addition to your classroom or party. It’s made with simple items that can often be purchased at a dollar store such as the Dollar Tree.

If you’re looking for similar ideas, check out our Eyeball Sensory Bin, Googly Eye Monster Slime, and Halloween Sensory Game. Or put them all together to create a themed sensory experience. 

bright green tray with dry black beans, purple pompoms, plastic eyeballs, green ribbon curls, and striped play pumpkin

Beetlejuice Sensory Bin

Materials Needed:

  • Black Beans 
  • Ping Pong Halloween Eye balls 
  • Black and white pumpkins
  • Orange and black striped pumpkins 
  • Green curly ribbon bow 
  • Purple foam balls

dry black beans, green bow and ribbon curls, small striped pumpkins, and a bag of plastic eyeballs on a white background

Additional Ideas for your sensory bin:

Add Shovels, Scoops, and Tongs. These tools encourage fine motor skill development as kids dig, scoop, and sift through the bin. They can bury objects and dig them up using their tools.

Incorporate Characters: Position your Beetlejuice and Lydia figurines within the scene to give kids an opportunity to act out scenarios. Perhaps Lydia is searching for Beetlejuice, or the sandworm is chasing them both!

Set up scenes. Create a small “graveyard” area with miniature tombstones or small creepy trees. Position your Lydia and Beetlejuice figurines within a scene or set the sandworm up so that it is chasing them. 

Incorporate other senses. Play spooky music for auditory stimulation. Include citrus scents with candles or essential oils to engage the olfactory sensory system. 

bright green tray with dry black beans, purple pompoms, plastic eyeballs, green ribbon curls, a green pincher, and striped play pumpkin

Other Beetlejuice themed play ideas:

Benefits of Sensory Play

Sensory bins are a great way to stimulate your child’s senses, improve fine motor skills, and encourage imaginative play.

  • Fine Motor Skills: Grasping, pinching, and scooping help to strengthen muscles in the hands and improve coordination.
  • Sensory Exploration: The various textures in this sensory tray stimulate the sense of touch and provide a calming, focused play experience.
  • Imaginative Play: The Beetlejuice theme encourages kids to use their imagination, reenacting scenes from the movie or making up their own storylines with the characters.
  • Language Development: Playing with a themed bin like this one encourages kids to engage in conversation, storytelling, and descriptive language as they talk about the different textures, characters, and elements they discover.

Sensory Play Tips

  • Supervise Young Children: If the sensory tub contains small items, make sure young children are supervised to prevent choking.
  • Store Materials for Future Play: When the bin has served its purpose, you can store the dry black beans in a sealed container to use for future sensory bins.
  • Encourage Open-Ended Play: Allow your child to explore the bin in their own way. Some might enjoy scooping and sorting, while others may create elaborate stories with the items.

bright green tray with dry black beans, purple pompoms, plastic eyeballs, green ribbon curls, a green pincher, and striped play pumpkin

I hope you and your child or students enjoy this Beetlejuice sensory experience. Just remember, you only need to say his name three times!