Sensory Bins

Kinetic Sand Sensory Bins

Kinetic sand is such a versatile sensory play material. I wanted to demonstrate just some of the many easy ways you can create a sensory bin using kinetic sand. Store bought kinetic sand can be expensive, so I usually make my own using this homemade kinetic sand recipe.

I wanted to show how easily you could create an interactive sensory experience using only kinetic sand and a few items that you may already have around your house. So for this, I used one package of purchased kinetic sand.

Kinetic Sand Sensory Bins:

The possibilities really are endless. You can reuse the same base over and over and create a new experience each time by changing what you fill it with. I also used a few different bin options including one with a lid so that it is a portable sensory bin. Plus if you have cats, the lid keeps them from thinking it’s a litter box!

Kinetic sand looks similar to regular sand but acts more like wet sand as it can be moulded and can hold shapes. Those properties make it an ideal tool for sensory play.

Bring the Beach Home Sensory Bin:

This one is especially appealing at the moment given the temperature outside! Create your own mini beach scene at home no matter how far you live from the beach.
Supplies needed:

kinetic sand
shells
glass beads
small wood slices
rocks

Sandcastle Building Sensory Bin:

Recreate the feeling of playing in the sand while at home. Dig, build sandcastles, create moats.

Supplies needed:

Sea Turtle Sensory Bin:

Explore the life cycle of green sea turtles with this kinetic sand bin.

Supplies needed:

Cars Sensory Bin:

Use characters from the Cars movie or any toy cars you have on hand.

Supplies needed:

kinetic sand
toy cars

Rainforest Animals Sensory Bin:

Create an interactive learning station at home or in a classroom.

Supplies needed:

kinetic sand
Rainforest animals Toob
optional: sticks or leaves

Construction Sensory Bin:

This theme is especially popular with boys! They can dig, scoop, move, build, and imagine.

Supplies needed:

kinetic sand
small construction vehicles
construction mini erasers
small wooden blocks

Dinosaur Sensory Bin:

This activity can be just for fun or to pair with a dinosaur learning unit.

Supplies needed:

kinetic sand
plastic dinosaurs
optional: leaves or sticks or small toy trees

Alphabet Sensory Bin:

It’s amazing how much you can do with just a set of alphabet letters and kinetic sand!

Supplies needed:

With this sensory activity, here are some things you can do to help kids work on their letter recognition, reading, and spelling:

have kids spell out words of their choosing
have them recreate words from a spelling list
allow them to seek out and read words that you make in the sand
have them match a letter with its imprint and say the name of the letter
imprint the letters of the word and take the letters out of the bin and have your child find the corresponding letter that matches the imprint like a puzzle.

Looking for more easy sensory play ideas? Join for a five day email series on Sensory Activities and Solutions and get a free sample of our Sensory Play Recipes eBook.

You might also want to read:

DIY Kinetic Sand Recipe

Kinetic Sand Activities

Bath Time Sensory Bin with Ice and Gelatin

By Sharla Kostelyk

I love how this sensory play activity came together. I was at the Dollar Store (where I find a lot of my sensory inspiration) when I saw the cutest mini bath toys. It gave me an idea for a bath time themed sensory bin. I made the “water” out of gelatin that I dyed blue. When I added the bath toys, it looked good, but I felt like it was missing something. I wanted to create the look of bubbles in the “water” and I also wanted to add in another sensory dimension.

After considering a few ideas such as adding a layer of shaving cream to add another sensory element and to create the look of foam, I came up with a different plan. I decided to make round ice cubes and dye them blue. This would create the look of bubbles in the bath.

It would also add another sensory rich experience by adding cold and by allowing kids to explore different states of matter as the ice melted. I really love the way this sensory bin turned out!

Bath Time Sensory Bin:

Materials needed:

plastic bin
4 packs of gelatin
blue food colouring
water
round ice cube holders
small bath toys
optional: plastic knives, spoons, or scoops

Directions:

Make the gelatin according to the package directions, adding a few drops of blue food colouring to the water. Stir it directly in the bin. Allow to set. I put ours in the fridge to set.
Mix some blue food colouring in a pitcher of water and pour into the round ice cube mould. Freeze.
Add the bath toys to the bin on top of the gelatin once it has set.
After the ice balls are fully frozen, place them in the bin.
Let the play begin!

My kids enjoyed exploring in this bin. One of my daughters wanted to cut the shape of a fish out of the gelatin. She used a plastic knife and was easily able to cut out a jello fish. She later wanted to taste it. Since there’s no harm in that since it’s a taste safe sensory bin, she went ahead and took a bite. I hadn’t added any sugar to the gelatin, so she wasn’t a fan of the taste!

Sensory and Learning Opportunities:

The contrast of the moist, gummy gelatine and the cold, hard ice creates a really awesome sensory experience! This activity engages the visual, tactile, and gustatory (taste) sensory systems.

As kids explore through their senses, they learn about the world around them and about how to engage that world. They improve their communication by talking about what they are seeing, tasting, and feeling and by asking questions. Their vocabulary increases as they learn to describe certain textures, colours, or tastes.

Join thousands of others who have signed up for our Sensory Solutions and Activities email series and get a free sample from our Sensory Play Recipes eBook.

Here are some other toddler sensory activities you may be interested in:

Calming Bedtime Sensory Bottle

Condensed Milk Painting

Edible Shark Fluffy Slime

Over 100 Sensory Bin Themes

By Sharla Kostelyk

I always find that it’s easier to come up with creative sensory bins if I choose a theme. If you are a teacher or homeschooler, it is nice to have sensory play that corresponds to the current unit study. For these reasons, I’ve compiled a list of sensory bin themes.It’s easier to spark your creativity when you have a head start. These sensory bin themes will give you the inspiration and ideas to create your own! You’ll find things for toddlers, preschoolers, and beyond.

You can find examples of sensory bins for each theme by clicking on the link.

Sensory Bin Themes:

Seasons

Science

Some of the animal sensory bins could work as science units also.

Animals

Sensory Bins Based on Books

Alphabet and Reading

Social Studies

Math

Holidays

Other Sensory Bin Themes

This list includes every theme you can imagine (and some you never would!) from A to Z.

Join thousands of others who have signed up for our free sensory solutions and activities email series and get a sample of our Sensory Play Recipes eBook.

Dig for Fossils Sensory Bin

By Sharla Kostelyk

Kids will love to dig and explore in this dinosaur fossils sensory bin. It’s great for fine motor practise as well as supplementing science learning. It pairs well with a dinosaur unit. There are a variety of textures for kids to explore in this sensory play activity because of the grittiness of the sand, the smoothness of the glass beads, and the rough dinosaur skulls. This provides great tactile input. The bin also allows for visual and proprioception sensory feedback.

Dig for Fossils Sensory Bin:

Supplies:

sand
plastic bin with lid
dinosaur skull fossils Toob
glass beads
decorative rocks
paint brush
tongs, plastic shovel or anything else your child can use to practice fine motor skills and excavate dinosaur skulls with
optional: magnifying glass

Dinosaur Skulls TOOB Glass Beads Natural Sand

Directions:

Fill a plastic storage bin about halfway up with sand.
Begin adding the rocks, glass beads and dinosaur skulls to the bin.
Bury them in the sand.
Add a few dinosaur skulls to the top and loosely bury them in the sand.
Place tongs, a paint brush and sand toys in the bin.
Invite your child to explore the sensory bin and excavate the contents.
When playtime is over, replace the lid on the bin and give it a good shake so that the next time your child wants to explore the bin, the contents are buried in the sand again!

Learning opportunities:

If you want to expand the learning, you can set out a few books about dinosaurs and dinosaur fossils. This will allow your child to compare the dino skulls with the pictures in the books and determine which type of dinosaur it is.

You can also put out a book about excavation. Children can learn how archeologists uncover their finds. They can then mimic some of what they’ve learned in the excavation sensory bin.

Kids can dig with their hands or with the shovel or scoops. They can use the paintbrush to carefully brush sand off the fossils. The tongs can be used to examine things more closely. You can also include a magnifying glass for closer inspection of the fossils. Check out these other sensory bins:

Dinosaur Sensory Bin Citrus Sensory Bin History Sensory Bin

4th of July Stars and Stripes Sensory Bin

By Sharla Kostelyk

There’s something that I should probably get out of the way before we start. I’m Canadian. I actually had someone else make this sensory bin for me and take the photos of it because it just wouldn’t be authentic for me to have my kids playing in this 4th of July Stars and Stripes Sensory Bin!

In the top part of the image, a young child's hand holds a red paintbrush and is brushing aside white sand to reveal red paper underneath. There is a pile of blue popcorn kernels in the corner. The words "4th of July Sensory Bin" are in the middle of the image. On the bottom is a sensory bin with red stripes in white sand, a pile of blue popcorn in the top corner, and stars sprinkled on top of the popcorn kernels.

Rest assured that the sweet little hands you see in the bin are 100% American! I wanted to be as authentic as possible, so I want to be up front about the whole US thing!

Even though I’m Canadian, I wanted to have an example of something like this for my American friends and readers. This sensory bin would be great for your 4th of July celebrations. It imitates the USA flag.

I love how interactive this sensory activity is. It doesn’t look like the American flag until the child begins to use their paintbrush to create the stripes. They will love seeing the stripes appear.

Stars and Stripes Sensory Bin:

Materials needed:

popcorn kernels
hand sanitizer
blue food colouring
white craft sand (or salt if you don’t have white sand)
red card stock paper
star confetti
small glow in the dark stars
paint brush
plastic bin with lid
scissors
resealable plastic bag

Directions:

To make the blue dyed popcorn:

Place 1/2 a cup of unpopped popcorn kernels, 2 generous drops of hand sanitizer and several drops of blue food colouring in a resealable plastic bag and seal.
Shake well.
Allow the kernels to dry in the bag overnight or spread them out on a paper towel on a cookie sheet to dry for several hours.

To assemble the sensory bin:

Cut a sheet of red card stock so that it fits inside the bin. Place it in the bottom of the bin.
Pour white craft sand (or salt) over the red paper.
In the upper left section, pour the blue dyed popcorn kernels.
Add a paint brush and an assortment of stars.
Invite your child to brush some of the sand away to create the stripes.
Encourage your child to add the stars to the area where the popcorn kernels are.
When not in use, replace the lid on the bin for easy storage for future play!

This patriotic sensory play activity is also a good way to talk to kids about the American flag and its history. You can read a book such as F is for Flag together.
Looking for some great sensory play recipes? Join for a five day email series on Sensory Activities and Solutions and get a free sample of our Sensory Play Recipes eBook.

Check out these other fun Summer sensory bins:

Sky Sensory Bin

Insect Sensory Bin

Summer Sensory Bin

Bright Butterfly Sensory Bin

By Sharla Kostelyk

The inspiration behind this butterfly sensory bin was actually a package of pasta! I was at the store and spotted brightly coloured bow tie pasta. As soon as I saw it, I thought “those look like butterflies”. So of course I bought it so that I could make a butterfly sensory bin.

The pasta looks so much like little butterflies that the other butterflies in this sensory bin blend in with it. The kids enjoyed exploring with this activity.

Butterfly Sensory Bin:

Materials needed:

brightly coloured bow tie pasta in a variety of colours*
clear silicone butterfly stamps
butterfly shaped cookie cutter
butterfly shaped foam piece
small magnifying glass
plastic butterflies from the butterfly Toob
glow in the dark butterfly wand (I find a 3 pack of these at the dollar store)

*If you can’t find bow tie pasta that’s already coloured, you can buy regular bow tie pasta and colour it yourself. You can find a tutorial on dying pasta for sensory play here.

Directions:

Pour the dry pasta into a plastic bin.
Add the other items.
You can also add small cups or bowls as scoops.
Invite your child to play!

This sensory bin provides visual, auditory, and tactile sensory input.

I always find it interesting the way that each of my kids approaches a sensory bin differently. This one was no different. One of our sons just scooped around in the bin, hiding butterflies and finding them and even mindlessly running his fingers through it to hear the sound of the dry pasta moving. One of our daughters took her time examining the butterflies with the magnifying glass while commenting on their features. She also enjoyed squishing the silicone stamps and foam piece.

Another of our daughters went about her play very differently. She carefully picked out individual pasta shapes and methodically built a large butterfly on the counter. She planned out the colours and had everything just so. Later, she brushed the pasta into her hands and put the pieces back in the bin.

Ways to expand this and make this sensory bin part of a unit on butterflies:

I bought the shaped foam piece that went in the sensory bin in a large pack. If you do this, you can use the remaining foam to have kids decorate their own. They can use glitter pens, markers, sequins and glue, or stickers.

Use pasta, beans, leaves, a twig, and paper plate to create a butterfly life cycle visual.

Raise your own butterflies. We did this one summer and the kids were absolutely fascinated. You can purchase butterfly raising kits that walk you through how to do this. My kids were in awe when the butterflies emerged from their cocoons.