Sensory Bin 101
The addition of a sensory bin to your space (whether at home or school) can be an amazing tool to reach ultimate engagement in tasks! As occupational therapists, we see the many many benefits of sensory bins for functional play. Tactile exploration is typically the first thing that comes to mind when we think of a sensory bin, and that is because there are so many different textures you can incorporate into these bins. But, did you know that you can actually use sensory bins as an educational tool to prolong engagement in academic tasks?
Working on handwriting? Throw in some letters like these ones here and then have the kiddos use one of these fun tongs to try to get out specific letters to spell out words. Now with the tongs, you’re targeting fine motor strengthening, and with the letters you are targeting figure-ground and letter identification… all through play!
Now let’s dive a little deeper as to how we can make these bins have a little more longevity in your household…
Does your kid love dinosaurs? Great! Grab some mini dinos, maybe a toy tree and volcano, or even some rocks to add in as filler and design a unique dinosaur-themed bin. Go ahead and get the kids involved in making their own custom sensory bins, or make a cute surprise sensory bin for them to come home to after school!
IKEA has the cutest/most functional little sensory tables called the FLISAT and it’s great because you can use their bins (with lids!) to not only store a sensory bin but also they can be super easily swapped out! Sensory bins are an excellent piece of equipment for organization and engagement in sensory-based tasks. They have buckets that are child height for increased independence all while keeping items clean and organized! Plus they have great matching storage systems for the sensory bins when they’re not in use, which we love to help keep the space tidy.
Another great option is to make it into a game by hiding their favorite puzzle pieces inside the bin! The Melissa and Doug sound puzzles are wonderful because they add an auditory element to play which can increase attention and engagement for littles.
So… what do we use as the base of the sensory bin?
Oftentimes, there are items that you can find for free in your backyard or that you already have on hand in the cupboard that can easily be implemented inside a bin. The opportunities for what to use in a sensory bin truly are endless! Some of our favorite items to put in a sensory bin include:
Rice
Noodles
Beans
Water beads
Kinetic sand
Slime
Playdough
Easter basket fill
Pom poms
Popcorn kernels
Noodles
Playbox sand
Soil
Rocks
The biggest thing with sensory bins is to let them be an opportunity for playful exploration, especially when starting out. Some kiddos may be a bit more hesitant to get their hands in it and that is absolutely okay! If you are nervous about the bins making a mess here are a couple of tips:
Take it outside
Put it in a kiddy pool
Lay down a tarp or sheet
Use a larger bin than you think you actually need
Sensory bins are fun for the whole family, easy to implement, and can keep kids engaged for hours on end! Let us know what your favorite add-ins are for the bins you have at home!
As Amazon Associates, we do earn from qualifying purchases, however, these are tools we frequently implement in our SENSE-ational Spaces and use personally.
