Sensory bins are a huge hit in our house. Many a dinner has been cooked courtesy of my kiddo busy scooping and pouring dried beans in a bin or washing his cars in a tub of water. Kids love sensory bins because they can explore the materials with all (or most depending on the material) of their senses. It may look like trivial play but it also helps them develop some real skills like:
- Hand eye coordination by scooping and pouring
- Language development by narrating what they are doing or making up stories about what is happening
- Self regulation by having to keep the materials inside the bin and not pour them all over the kitchen floor (this takes practice + patience on your part!)
I created this Halloween themed sensory bin for $5 dollars using stuff I found at The Dollar Tree
- Spaghetti
- Bin (it was in the auto section meant as a drain pan)
- Food dye
- Eye balls
- Spiders
I dyed the spaghetti green using this tutorial
It takes a bit of time for the spaghetti to dry and be ready to play with so you should factor this into it ahead of time ( I did not and then had a very impatient child whining “is it done yet?” for a few hours).
Have fun!
If you want some more sensory bin inspo there are tons of ideas on Pinterest.