What is a sensory bin?

Sensory bins are great tool to let children experiment and develop their fine motor skill and eye-hand coordination. I have been using them to introduce new vocabulary in entertaining and interesting hands on way.

Simply said sensory bin is a simple container filled with preferred filler in quantity. My favorite once includes craft sand, birdseed, rice, beans and water balls!

The container should be large enough to let your child explore without moving the filler out of the container. If you don’t mind mess, you can simply use any bigger container you have home. A sensory bin can be easily switched for a unique or novel experience every time! This is why they are great for teaching- you can use it over and over again without getting bored.

What age group are they for?

I would say that once your child is not trying to eat everything new you introduce to him/her, he/she is ready (somewhere around 1year-1,5years). They are fun all the way up till the age of 6 when all the fine motor skills are developed.

How do I use it for teaching?

There is no wrong way of introducing a sensory bin. Some children are willing to try it on their own from the first sight; some needs a guidance and assurance. So you can either show the child how to use tweezers, scoop or shovel, or let them find themselves. It is always lots of fun. With older children (3years up) we use them for I spy game. I simply take a picture of all things hidden in the bin before I put them there and we search all the items from the list.

 

Where to find more inspiration?
There are many websites where you can find some more ideas. My favorites:

https://littlebinsforlittlehands.com/all-about-sensory-bins-5-things-need-know/
https://happyhooligans.ca/sensory-bins/
https://yourkidstable.com/ultimate-list-of-sensory-bin-ideas/