What Is a Sensory Bin for Children? (2024)

Sensory bins let children learn through hands-on play. With just a few common household materials, you can make a toy that will keep your child entertained for hours and help them develop their motor, social, literacy, math, and science skills.

What Is a Sensory Bin?

A sensory bin is a shallow container that combines filler material and various small odds and ends. You fill the bin with a filler material such as sand or rice, then add items from around the house such as spoons or measuring cups. Let your child explore the items and have fun playing.

You can encourage them by demonstrating how to scoop and pour and talking to them about what they're doing. You'll encourage their literacy skills by talking to them while they're playing and hone their math skills by letting them measure and pour.

Sensory Bin Benefits

Sensory bins support your child's development in several ways:

Improve fine motor skills. Digging, pouring, stirring, and scooping can strengthen your child's hand muscles and improve their fine motor skills. Include oversized tweezers, spoons, and funnels to encourage your child to practice the type of grasping skills they'll need to feed themselves and write.

Sensory exploration. Sensory bins provide opportunities for your child to explore multiple senses, including sight, sound, touch, and smell. They'll enjoy running their hands through the filler material and watching what happens as they pour it out. Many materials you can put in a sensory bin provide a wonderful tactile sensation.

Intellectual development. Although it might seem like they're just playing, your child is learning a lot of cognitive skills when they're using a sensory bin. You can ask them to sort items by size or color. Meanwhile, using measuring cups can help them understand volume. Putting plastic letters or numbers in their sensory bin and discussing them can help develop literacy concepts.

Calming experience. Playing with a sensory bin is a very relaxing and calming experience. If your child is getting overstimulated, bringing out a sensory bin may help head off a meltdown. You can encourage independent play with sensory bins so you can have a little quiet time, too.

What Ages Are Sensory Bins Good for?

Sensory bins are good for children over 18 months of age. Before they're 18 months old, sensory bins are not developmentally appropriate because the possible hazards outweigh the benefits.

Safety Tips for Using Sensory Bins

Toddlers and preschoolers should always be supervised when using sensory bins to discourage them from eating the materials. Here are some more safety tips for making sensory bins:

Don't use items that pose a choking hazard, either as filler material or odds and ends.
All sensory bin materials should be nontoxic.
Use a tube to test if objects are a choking hazard, particularly if they're round or elliptical in shape.
Don't use raw kidney beans, since swallowing as few as four or five can cause severe nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.
Don't use flour in your bin because it can be aspirated and affect breathing.
Only use sterilized sand such as the type sold as play sand.
Avoid using styrofoam peanuts since they are a choking hazard.

How to Make a Sensory Bin

As long as you follow the safety guidelines above, you're only limited by your imagination when it comes to making a sensory bin. Just make sure that the materials you use are age-appropriate: Avoid choking hazards if you have a younger child.

Here are some sensory bin ideas to get you started:

Pick a seasonal theme for your sensory bin, such as a beach bin for summer or a snow bin for winter.
Use cooked, cooled pasta as your filler material and a strainer and measuring cups for your odds and ends.
Put a small toy in an ice tray and freeze it, then add it to a water bin on a hot day.
Use cotton balls or pom poms for a fluffy sensory bin.
Fill a bin with water beads or frozen water beads if it's hot outside.
Put your bin in an area that's easy to clean up or take it outside.
Fill a bin with shredded newspaper and hide plastic letters in it.
Make a sensory bin that reinforces what your child is learning in school. Fill it with feathers if they're learning about birds.
After you carve your pumpkin, use the guts to fill up a sensory bin
Put nontoxic shaving cream in a bin and add a few drops of food coloring so your child can practice mixing colors.
Mix cornstarch and water to give your child a fun chemistry lesson.
Never force your child to touch the materials in a sensory bin if they don't want to. Instead, demonstrate how much fun it is by playing with it yourself.
For some messy fun, fill a sensory bin with gelatin and cookie cutters.

Insights, advice, suggestions, feedback and comments from experts

Sensory bins are a popular tool for children's hands-on learning and development. They involve using a shallow container filled with various materials and objects to engage children's senses and promote skill development in areas such as motor skills, social interaction, literacy, math, and science. Sensory bins can be easily created using common household materials, making them accessible and affordable for parents and caregivers.

What Is a Sensory Bin?

A sensory bin is a shallow container that combines filler material and various small odds and ends. The bin is filled with a filler material such as sand or rice, and then items from around the house, such as spoons or measuring cups, are added. Children are encouraged to explore the items in the bin, engaging their senses and having fun while playing. Parents and caregivers can also participate by demonstrating how to scoop and pour and by engaging in conversation with the child about their actions [[1]].

Sensory Bin Benefits

Sensory bins offer several benefits for a child's development:

Improve fine motor skills: Activities like digging, pouring, stirring, and scooping in sensory bins can strengthen a child's hand muscles and improve their fine motor skills. Including oversized tweezers, spoons, and funnels can encourage children to practice grasping skills that they will need for self-feeding and writing [[1]].
Sensory exploration: Sensory bins provide opportunities for children to explore multiple senses, including sight, sound, touch, and smell. Running their hands through the filler material and observing the effects of pouring it out can be enjoyable and provide a tactile sensation [[1]].
Intellectual development: While it may seem like play, using a sensory bin can help children develop cognitive skills. Sorting items by size or color, using measuring cups to understand volume, and incorporating plastic letters or numbers can promote intellectual growth and literacy concepts [[1]].
Calming experience: Playing with a sensory bin can be a relaxing and calming experience for children. If a child is overstimulated, engaging with a sensory bin may help prevent a meltdown. Additionally, sensory bins can encourage independent play, providing parents and caregivers with some quiet time [[1]].
Language development: Sensory bins offer numerous opportunities for parents and caregivers to engage in conversation with children, promoting language development. Discussing concepts like more and less, talking about hidden objects, and encouraging children to describe their actions can enhance language skills [[1]].
Encourage cooperative play: Using a sensory bin with friends or family members can encourage children to engage in cooperative play. They can learn important concepts such as taking turns, sharing, and working together, which can improve their communication skills [[1]].

What Ages Are Sensory Bins Good for?

Sensory bins are generally suitable for children over 18 months of age. Before this age, sensory bins may not be developmentally appropriate due to potential hazards outweighing the benefits. It is important to supervise toddlers and preschoolers while they are using sensory bins to prevent them from eating the materials and to ensure their safety [[1]].

Safety Tips for Using Sensory Bins

When using sensory bins, it is crucial to prioritize safety. Here are some safety tips to consider:

Avoid choking hazards: Do not use items that pose a choking hazard as filler material or odds and ends. Use a tube to test if objects are a choking hazard, especially if they are round or elliptical in shape [[1]].
Choose nontoxic materials: Ensure that all materials used in the sensory bin are nontoxic [[1]].
Be cautious with certain materials: Avoid using raw kidney beans, as swallowing even a small number can cause severe nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Additionally, do not use flour in the bin, as it can be aspirated and affect breathing. Use sterilized sand, such as play sand, and avoid styrofoam peanuts, as they are a choking hazard [[1]].

How to Make a Sensory Bin

Creating a sensory bin is a creative and flexible process. As long as you follow the safety guidelines mentioned above, you can use your imagination to make a sensory bin that suits your child's interests and age. Here are some sensory bin ideas to get you started:

Choose a seasonal theme, such as a beach bin for summer or a snow bin for winter.
Use cooked, cooled pasta as the filler material and include a strainer and measuring cups as odds and ends.
Freeze a small toy in an ice tray and add it to a water bin on a hot day.
Use cotton balls or pom poms for a fluffy sensory bin.
Fill a bin with water beads or frozen water beads for a refreshing experience on a hot day.
Fill a bin with shredded newspaper and hide plastic letters in it.
Create a sensory bin that reinforces what your child is learning in school. For example, fill it with feathers if they are learning about birds.
Use the insides of a carved pumpkin to fill up a sensory bin after Halloween.
Put nontoxic shaving cream in a bin and add a few drops of food coloring for color mixing practice.
Mix cornstarch and water to create a fun chemistry lesson.
Remember, never force a child to touch the materials in a sensory bin if they don't want to. Instead, demonstrate how much fun it is by playing with it yourself. For some messy fun, fill a sensory bin with gelatin and provide cookie cutters for shaping [[1]].

Sensory bins can be a valuable tool for children's learning and development, providing engaging and hands-on experiences that promote various skills. By following safety guidelines and using age-appropriate materials, parents and caregivers can create sensory bins that offer educational and enjoyable experiences for children.