Sensory bin basics
Sensory bins were one of those things I don’t think I’d ever heard of before parenthood but I’ve quickly become a big fan. They are great for baby and toddler development, relatively easy and inexpensive to put together, can be reused time and time again and, perhaps most magically, they keep little ones engaged for quite a while! A few of the benefits of sensory bins include:
Sensory exploration / tactile stimulation
Fine motor skills & play skills
Language development
I am certainly not an expert but I wanted to share a few of my sensory bin favorites - tools, filler and the like as well as share some tips on how I (try) to keep things organized and mess-free.
Bin tools: You don’t need a wooden Montessori set, though they are great if you have one. Any small tools and containers you have around the house work really well - little spoons or tongs, clean empty jars and cups, Tupperware - it all works! Think pouring, sifting, scooping, sorting. If you just want a couple of nifty scoopers this set looks really good.
The Ikea filsat table with sensory bin inserts has cult status (I can’t believe I just wrote that about a play table, but such is life!) and you can find 1,001 nifty filsat table inserts on Etsy. However, you do not need a fancy table to make a great sensory set up! The table was sold out for quite sometime, so I finally decided just to stop trying to find it and move on. I’ve used everything from an old clear organizing tub to a shallow tub from the dollar spot at Target to an open Amazon box to set up bins and they all work equally well. Something clear does seem to work best so they can see what is inside. Sometimes we set up on our play table but often we just set up on the floor. But the mess you say! I hear you, see below for my tips on containing sensory play messes :)
Filler: The sky is kind of the limit here and you can have a ton of fun with it. Only caveat I’d give is if your little ones are still in the “stick everything in their mouth” phase you want the filler you use to not be a choking hazard and of course be non-toxic. Think super small and edible if needed.
Sensory bin filler ideas for 6 - 18 months
Water - the easiest!
Dyed rice (also super easy to make with plain rice, food coloring and a touch of rubbing alcohol)
Oatmeal (cooked or dry)
Cooked + dyed pasta (spaghetti is fun!)
Crushed cheerios or other cereal
Chia seed slime / Tapioca pearls
Sensor bin filler ideas for 18 months plus
Dry + dyed pasta or beans (to dye pasta + beans I use acrylic paint and a touch of hand sanitizer)
Ice — you can add flowers, leaves, fruit, pom poms, small toys etc. to the ice cubes and make it a “rescue” (if you want to get super fancy, boil the water (2x) before freezing anything inside and the ice cubes will be clear
Pom poms - these are my absolute favorite. I used them in bags or jars when we were still in the phase of putting everything in the mouth but now they are great for color/size sorting practice. They are 100% mess-free and quiet! I really like the different textures on this set.
Play doh - yes, it is supposedly super easy to make but I don’t feel the need on this one. The Play Doh brand is available everywhere, its inexpensive and non-toxic and it saves you from ending up with tons of extra flour and cream of tartar.
Monkey foam - we haven’t tried this yet but it looks fun!
Water beads - these look like they’d be a ton of fun however, I’ve read and heard just enough stories that I think we’ll hold off for a bit longer due to the potential choking hazard but of course do what you are comfortable with.
Themes: Here is where you can have a ton of fun! Think seasons, weather, colors, concepts from school or home, textures, holidays, travel, animals, shapes, places - you name it! Though I promise you, your child wont notice the difference if you spend 20 minutes setting up or 2 :)
A few fun ideas:
In the wild: Safari animals + green crinkly grass
Under the sea: creatures + water (with blue food coloring!) or water beads or blue pasta/rice
Squish time: Squishy creatures + shaving cream (a good one for in the tub or outside!)
Construction zone: Trucks + black beans + a paper “road”
Fairy garden: flowers + fairies + mini pots + dried chick peas or rice
Bee hive: bees + yellow pasta + honey comb + honey stick
Colors and shapes: rainbow pieces and parts + multi-colored sand or pasta
Storage: I get it, all this stuff can be bulky and get disorganized fast. I keep our supplies in two large plastic bins. One with filler and add-ins and the other with tools. I try to keep all the fillers nicely separated in plastic bags or containers. It takes a few minutes of clean up at the end of each session but its not terrible and lets me reuse things for quite a while.
Mess management: No way around it, sensory play can get messy. But I’ve found with a bit of set up it’s not too terrible. I like to set it up on a play mat or sheet, inside or out, depending on the activity (always water outside!!). Yes, filler and toys will migrate ALL over and off the mat. At the end, I try to have the kiddo put the toys and tools back in the bin themselves. I then pick up the play mat and dump the spilled filler into the same bin and vacuum or sweep up anything left. From there I pick the tools and toys out of the bin and then dump the filler back into the baggie or container.
Inspiration: There are a ton of great accounts on IG that provide endless inspiration for sensory play. Here are a few of my favorites: