Are you a toddler mom wanting to create toddler sensory play at home? This is the easiest (and cheapest) way to create toddler sensory bins for any season or occasion!
Toddler sensory play is an important part of your little one’s development and it is usually a lot of fun for your toddler too! It might seem overwhelming at first but it is seriously so easy to put together toddler sensory activities right at home with only a few items.
In this post you will learn all about toddler sensory play including what is sensory play, what is a sensory bin, how to make sensory bins for toddlers and even an idea for a winter sensory bin since it is winter as I write this. After reading you will be able to put together a toddler sensory bin with confidence and will even be able to tailor the bin to specific seasons, occasions and skills you want to work on with your toddler at the time.
This post is all about how to create toddler sensory play in 5 easy steps.
What Is Toddler Sensory Play?
Toddler sensory play is any type of activity that stimulates the child’s senses. The most common senses that are stimulated during sensory play are touch, sight and hearing but the possibilities are endless.
No matter what type of sensory play it is, it usually encourages toddlers to play, create, investigate and explore.
You might be thinking, “there is no way I am bringing rice into my living room because that is asking for trouble” but just trust me on this one.
Sure, there is the potential for some mess but the skills that your child will be learning in the process far exceed the dread of cleanup after the activity is done.
Why is Toddler Sensory Play Important?
Believe it or not, a child’s senses are not fully developed at birth. Instead, babies and toddlers interact with and learn about the world through their five senses: touch, sight, taste, hearing, and smell.
Each new sensory experience helps build the neural pathways in the brain and serves the building blocks for learning. Because of this, sensory play can start as early as 4 months or as soon as your baby can start grasping objects.
There are so many benefits of toddler sensory play and skills developed. Today, we are going to take a look at a few of the key skills:
- Language Skills – Toddlers learn words and expand their vocabulary as they talk about their experiences.
- Fine Motor Skills – Fine motor skills will be developed as the toddler learns to manipulate small objects, including the use of fine motor tools discussed below.
- Gross Motor Skills – Gross motor skills continue to develop as the child squats, jumps or moves his body.
- Play Skills – Sensory material is often used in pretend play like “baking a cake” or “making roads”.
- Scientific Reasoning Skills – Children of all ages learn about cause and effect through sensory play.
- Social Skills – If your child is doing sensory play alongside a sibling or another child, he will be learning the important skills of sharing, negotiating and planning.
- Self Control Skills – This is a big one and might take time to really master but toddler sensory play teaches children to respect the rules and boundaries for the activity.
What Is a Sensory Bin?
A sensory bin is a common and easy way to encourage toddler sensory play. Usually it involves a plastic bin or bins with various bases, tools and accessories to be used with it.
The sensory activity is done in or around the sensory bin and when it is over, the items go back in the plastic bin and the cover goes on for easy storage.
The bins can be tailored for various types of sensory activities and skills that you want to work on with your child as well as holiday themed bins, your child’s interests (trucks, dinosaurs, etc) and so much more!
What if My Toddler Doesn’t like Sensory Play?
Not every child will be comfortable with sticky, dirty or goey sensations on their hands and you cannot take it personally if your child is one of them. One activity can be perfectly stimulating to one child but over or under stimulating to another child and that is ok. It is our job as parents to encourage your child to try new things but not push the child to do something out of their comfort zone.
Some children may also develop sensory processing issues that can affect them in a variety of ways. Sensory play, even before toddlerhood, can help children become more comfortable with new sensations on their hands and feet. But it is important to remember
If you believe your child has a sensory processing issue, Early Intervention in your state can be an amazing resource. My family has personally worked with our local Early Intervention group for over a year and it has been a great system for support and help for my son.
How To Make A Sensory Bin For Toddler
The possibilities are endless! But know that toddler sensory play is not meant to be hard or add stress to your life.
And you definitely do not need every single item noted in the lists below. Choose a few bases and a few add ins and you are good to go! This should be a low level of stress kind of activity and one which encourages your child to play, learn, explore and discover!
You can also put toddler sensory play together without spending tons of money. I personally bought clear bins from Target, a few bases from my local grocery store and all of the add ins and fine motor tools came from the dollar store!
Sensory Bin Bases:
- Pasta
- Water
- Rice
- Oats
- Cereal
- Easter grass
- Rocks
- Water beads
- Buttons
- Legos
- Cut up straws
- Sand
- Dried beans
- Crushed oreos
- Sprinkles
Fine Motor Tools:
- Tongs
- Scoops
- Spoons
- Cups
- Bowls
- Muffin tins
- Funnels
Add Ins:
- Buttons
- Pom poms
- Foam letters
- Play animals
- Cars or trucks
- Ice
- Play food
- Counting bears
Now that you know the possibilities of what you can include in a sensory bin, let’s put it all together!
1. Decide on purpose of sensory activity
This is an important first step to making a sensory bin and the possibilities are endless. Some examples of purposes include: practicing scooping and dumping, matching colors, water play, exploring different textures, etc.
2. Pick base
Next you will need to figure out what base you want to use from the list above. There’s no wrong answer here but think about which base would compliment the purpose of the sensory activity.
3. Select add-ins
Add-ins are not a necessity for all activities but they really take the toddler sensory play to another level!
4. Choose fine motor tools
Everyday kitchen tools can do extraordinary things and really help build a variety of skills. The fine motor tools you choose should go hand in hand with the skill you are working on with the sensory bin so think about the big picture when making a decision.
5. Add a drop cloth underneath
This is key to contain the mess haha! Some activities will be messier than others but it is a good idea to get your toddler used to either a towel, old sheet or plastic tablecloth underneath the area where the toddler sensory activity will take place.
Example #1
If you want to work on scooping and dumping, you can use water as the base, add in ice and bubbles, and give your child several different fine motor tools such as measuring cups, small cups and bowls.
Example #2
You can also work on scooping and dumping with dry pasta or rice as the base and include scoops, spoons, cups and bowls for your toddler to experiment with. In this example, you do not necessarily need any add-ins.
The Rules to Establish with your Toddler:
- No eating
- Everything stays in the bin
- Share (if you have more than one kid)
It is also important to note that you will need to supervise your child during the toddler sensory play, especially in the beginning. This is not an activity you can set up and walk away until your toddler is a little older and really understands the rules.
This post is all about how to create toddler sensory play in 5 easy steps.