How to make a Winter Sensory Bin

This is a very easy sensory/discovery bin to make, and you just might have everything you need already on hand.  For our bin, I searched the house for items that were blue and white, and anything with a winter theme.



I came up with way more than I realized I had.



Recycled lids of different sizes, recycled snowman candy holders, lacing beads and string, craft beads, chunky letters of the alphabet, snap cubes, glass rocks, snow flakes, ceramic snowman, foam snowman, penguin, decorative boxes, dominos,  cotton balls, vanilla extract (you can also use a vanilla bean pod) ……..



And various trays, tongs, scoops, and containers for sorting items onto or into.



This bin turned into a fun project.  There are so many different objects to feel and explore.  The cotton is fluffy and the glass rocks are cool to the touch.  The glass rocks also make a fun sound when they touch other glass rocks.  The glitter covered foam snowmen feel like sandpaper.  The snowman candy holders have lids and are fun to open and close.  They are also fun to fill with beads and shake them to make rhythm sounds.  The snap cubes snap together and make a popping sound when pulled apart.  The dominos are cool to the touch, and have an indention where the colored dots are located so they feel both smooth and bumpy.  The smell of vanilla adds an extra sensory element to this bin.



Besides free play in the bin, the kids easily put the items to good use in practicing lots of learning skills.   They used tongs, scoops, and fingers to pickup, transfer, and sort various things. They had fun as they used gross and fine motor skills.

They used lots of different objects for counting, sorting, stacking,



putting small things inside containers, opening and closing,



making patterns with different objects, lacing,



grouping and matching, spellings simple words with letters (snow, cold, ice, snowman), and so much more.  




More of our winter theme learning adventures:

Snow Sensory Bin
Snowman Craft
Christmas Day
Winter Walk
Winter Story Bin
Snow Day
Snow Science
Christmas Matchup Game







This post will be linked with
No Time For Flash Cards
ABC and 123
Play Academy
Raising Homemakers