How to Use Sensory Bins:

If your child is new to sensory bins, you’ll want to help them in the beginning.

Teachers will model some ways to play by scooping, dumping, pouring, feeling,
kneading, filling, measuring, and using imagination. Teachers will talk about the textures
and sensations they’re feeling to give them the vocabulary to speak about their
experiences.

There is no one “right” way to play with sensory bins. Teachers will allow kids the
freedom to explore, create, imagine, and play.

Sensory bin fillers

 aquarium rocks
 moss
 shavings
 cotton batting
 play dough
 slime
 jello
 straws (whole or cut into pieces)
 flour
 cornmeal
 dry oatmeal (plain or colored)
 popcorn kernels (plain or colored)
 seeds
 birdseed
 pine cones
 dry chickpeas (plain or colored)
 lentils (plain or colored)
 marbles
 magnets
 number shapes
 letter shapes
 paper clips
 bottle caps
 cut up pool noodles
 lids
 dry cereal
 egg shells
 puzzle pieces
 salt (plain or colored)
 coffee beans or coffee grinds
 fruits or vegetables (real or plastic)
 glitter gravel
 Styrofoam balls
 bubble wrap
 pudding
 edible water beads
 oobleck
 Rice
 Dry pasta noodles (plain or colored)
 Cooked pasta (plain or colored)
 Water
 soapy water or soap foam
 ice
 snow
 sand
 dirt
 mud
 rocks
 kinetic sand
 sticks
 grass
 leaves (real or plastic)
 cotton balls
 shredded paper
 feathers
 foam or foam pieces
 pompoms
 beads
 corks
 sponges
 Epsom salts (plain or coloured)
 confetti
 buttons
 packing peanuts
 Kidfetti
 soap shavings
 shaving cream
 water beads
 glass beads
 seashells
 beans (plain or colored)
 ribbon curls
 Easter grass
 lotion or gel
  baby oil
 building blocks (wooden, foam, or plastic)
 fabric scraps
 costume jewelry
 play puffs
 tinsel
 silk or plastic flowers
 silk or plastic flower petals
 streamers
 dry beans (plain or colored)
 corn silk
 play coins
 toys (especially things like small animals and vehicles)


SCENTS
Scents can also be added to some of them by adding a few drops of essential oil. Be
sure to know whether the scent you are using is one that is calming or alerting and use
accordingly. You wouldn’t want to have a child playing in a lemon scented bin just
before bedtime as that is an alerting smell, but that would be a great sensory bin to use
in the mornings!

When looking for materials for sensory bins, you want to consider factors such as the
age of the children who will be using it, safety, the shelf life of the items, and if the bin
will be played with inside or outside.

You wouldn’t want to put water in a sensory bin that was going to be used outside in
below freezing temperatures because it would freeze and expand, possibly causing the
plastic bin to break. You also wouldn’t want to use perishable food items in a bin that
was being used in a warm temperature climate prone to bugs or you’ll get creepy
crawlies in your home or classroom. 

Sensory Bin Tools:

Sensory bin tools are additions to the sensory bins that are designed to further the
experience for the child. Many of these tools provide an educational element or are
designed to enhance fine motor skills.

 funnels
 tubes
 empty toilet paper or paper towel rolls
 scoops
 containers
 spoons
 cups
 bowls
 tweezers
 spatulas
 tongs
 sand shovels
 measuring cups
 measuring spoons
 scissors
 chop sticks
 strainer
 sifter
 whisk
 forks
 cookie cutters
 rolling pins
 potato mashers
 garlic press
 ladle
 ice cream scoop or cookie dough scoop
 scale
 baster
 squirt bottle
 cupcake liners
 ice cube trays or silicone molds
 sponges
 watering can