As an educator passionate about early childhood development, I’ve found sensory bin activities to be invaluable for 1 to 2-year-olds.
Through my experience, these activities are more than just play; they are essential for enhancing sensory perception and motor skills.
This hands-on learning approach fosters curiosity and creativity, laying a solid foundation for future learning.
Rainbow Rice Bin:
Start by dyeing rice in different vibrant colors using food coloring and vinegar. Once the rice is dry, fill a large container with the colorful rice and let your child dive in! They will love the feel of the rice between their fingers as they scoop, pour, and explore.
Shaving Cream Sensory Play:
Simply squirt some shaving cream onto a tray or table and let your little one go wild! They can squish, smear, and explore the fluffy texture of the shaving cream with their hands. For added fun, you can add a few drops of food coloring to create vibrant swirls or let them draw shapes and patterns in the cream.
Water Beads Sensory Bin:
Start by soaking the small water-absorbing beads in water until they expand and become soft and squishy. Place them in a shallow container and let your child dive into a sea of tactile wonder. They can squeeze the beads, scoop them up with their hands, or transfer them between different containers using cups or spoons.
Pom-Pom Color Sorting:
Color sorting activities are not only engaging but also help develop early cognitive skills. For this activity, prepare a sensory bin filled with an assortment of pom-poms in different colors. Encourage your child to explore the bin, pick up the pom-poms, and sort them by color. You can provide small bowls or cups for them to place the matching pom-poms in or simply let them sort them on a clean surface.
Cloud Dough Exploration:
Cloud dough, made by mixing flour and baby oil, is a sensory material that has a soft, moldable texture. Simply combine the two ingredients in a large container, and your sensory bin is ready. Your child can dive their hands into the cloud dough, squeeze it, and experiment with shaping it into different forms. They can also use molds or small toys to create imprints in the dough.
Ocean Sensory Bin:
Fill a large container with blue water and add sea animal toys such as fish, dolphins, and seashells. Let your child explore the water, splash their hands, and play with the floating toys. They can even create waves by gently swirling the water with their hands.
Sand Sensory Play:
Fill a shallow container with play sand and provide child-friendly shovels, molds, and cups for your little one to dig, scoop, and build sandcastles. They can feel the grains of sand running through their fingers, develop hand-eye coordination as they manipulate the tools, and engage in imaginative play as they create sand structures. Just make sure to use child-safe sand and supervise your child during playtime.
Sensory Exploration with Fabric Scraps:
Gather a collection of fabric scraps in various textures, colors, and patterns, such as silk, velvet, cotton, and fleece. Place them in a sensory bin or basket and let your child explore the different fabrics. They can feel the softness, crinkle the noisy ones, and observe the differences in colors and patterns.
Ice Cube Melting:
Fill an ice cube tray with water and add a drop of food coloring to each cube. Freeze them until solid, and then transfer the colorful ice cubes into a container. Provide a shallow tray or a larger container where your child can experiment with melting the ice cubes. They can touch the cold ice, observe the colors mixing as they melt, and even use small droppers or brushes to add warm water and speed up the melting process.
Nature Sensory Bin:
Take a nature walk with your child and gather natural materials such as leaves, pinecones, small branches, and smooth stones. Create a nature-themed sensory bin by arranging these items in a shallow container. They can sort leaves by size, stack stones, or create mini habitats for toy animals.
Farm Animal Sensory Bin:
Fill a container with dried corn kernels or hay to create a textured base. Add plastic farm animal toys such as cows, pigs, and chickens. Your child can explore the sensory bin, scoop the corn or hay with their hands, and interact with the animal figures.
Jello Sensory Play:
Prepare a batch of colorful, edible Jello and let it set in a shallow container. Once the Jello is firm, cut it into different shapes or use cookie cutters to create interesting forms. Place the Jello shapes in a sensory bin and let your child dive in. They can squish, squeeze, and explore the jiggly texture of the Jello. Ensure that your child is old enough to handle and taste the Jello safely.
Sensory Bin with Textured Balls:
Gather a collection of small balls with various textures such as bumpy, spiky, soft, and smooth. Place them in a sensory bin or basket and let your child feel and manipulate the different balls. They can roll them, bounce them, or even toss them into containers. This activity promotes sensory exploration, enhances tactile discrimination, and improves their gross motor skills as they engage in physical play with the balls.
Construction Site Sensory Bin:
Transform a sensory bin into a mini construction site by filling it with kinetic sand or regular sand, toy construction vehicles, and small construction tools. Your child can dig, scoop, and mold the sand, creating their own construction scenes. They can drive the vehicles through the sand, load them up with sand using the tools, and engage in imaginative play as they pretend to build and construct.
Sensory Bin with Kitchen Utensils:
Create a sensory bin using various kitchen utensils such as whisks, spoons, spatulas, and measuring cups. Place them in a container filled with rice, pasta, or dried beans. Your child can explore the different textures and sounds as they run their fingers through the grains or scoop and pour them using utensils.
Sensory Bin with Feathers:
Gather a collection of colorful feathers and place them in a sensory bin or basket. They can arrange the feathers, sort them by color or size, or even use them for pretend play, imagining they are birds or fairy wings.
Sensory Bin with Textured Fabrics and Ribbons:
Fill a sensory bin with an assortment of textured fabrics, ribbons, and lace. Include different materials like velvet, satin, bumpy fabric, and fuzzy fleece. Your child can explore the various textures by touching and feeling the fabrics. They can also practice their fine motor skills by tying and untying ribbons, making bows, or arranging the fabrics in different patterns.
Sensory Bin with Magnetic Letters:
Introduce early literacy skills in a sensory way by creating a bin filled with magnetic letters. Provide a shallow container filled with sand, rice, or sensory materials of your choice. Add magnetic letters to the bin and encourage your child to explore, touch, and play with them. They can stick the letters onto a magnetic surface or even match them with corresponding pictures or objects.
