Sensory Play Archives - Rolling Prairie Readers

St. Patrick’s Day Sensory Bin

By Melissa Droegemueller | March 2, 2018 | Comments 0 Comment

March is here! We celebrated by packing away our Valentine’s Day decorations and pulling out all of our favorite shamrock and rainbow activities. This afternoon, we switched out our Valentine’s Day sensory bin for another one of our favorites. This simple St. Patrick’s Day Sensory Bin combines a variety textures and lots of opportunities for fine motor play and math discovery.

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As I mentioned in this post about sensory bin storage, we keep a big basket down in our basement with all of our sensory bin materials: dried corn, peas, and beans, uncooked popcorn, and various shades of rice and noodles. (You can click here for instant access to our favorite tutorials about dyeing rice and noodles.)

A few years ago, we dyed a bunch of noodles green: rotini, wagon wheels, and seashells. The variety of textures gives young children the opportunity to compare and contrast, sort, and pattern while they play. Best of all, the noodles are larger than other fillers like rice and dried peas, which makes clean-up a breeze!

You can extend the play of this St. Patrick’s Day sensory bin by changing out the accessories every week or so. We started with plastic gold coins and a pair of green tweezers. We also have gathered these items:

green cups (these are our favorite)
orange and green silicone cups
measuring cups and spoons
ice cube trays

We love to take this sensory bin outside in the sunshine all month long. Hooray for spring!

If you try this St. Patrick’s Day Sensory Bin, let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

Get five rainbow-themed activity ideas to help your child build attention span and independent play skills.

Just add your information below to get instant access to our FREE Rainbow-Themed Invitations to Play download!

Valentine’s Day Sensory Bin

By Melissa Droegemueller | January 23, 2018 | Comments 0 Comment

Are you looking for a fun Valentine’s Day activity for your kids that doesn’t require glue or glitter? I learned a long time ago that I am not a crafty mom, but I am more than willing to set up open-ended play ideas for my kids! Sensory play has been a wonderful way for our girls to explore new tactile materials over the years. This simple Valentine’s Day Sensory Bin combines smooth textures and lots of opportunities for fine motor play and math discovery.

Valentine's Day Sensory Bin | activity ideas for kids, fine motor, colored rice, simple Valentine's activities, smart play ideas for preschoolers, fun sensory play, tactile activities, sensory bin fillers, learning through play

(Reminder: Rolling Prairie Readers uses affiliate links at no additional cost to you.You can see our full disclosure policy here.)

I’m usually not a big fan of using rice because cleanup can be a giant pain. However, the varied colors in this Valentine’s Day sensory bin make it worth it! For this sensory filler, I left 1/3 of the rice white, and split the rest into two colors: pink and red. The best part of using colored rice is adding fun accessories like funnels and jars. The sound of rice filling up a glass jar is a wonderful sensory experience for all ages!

Valentine's Day Sensory Bin

You can extend the play of this Valentine’s Day sensory bin by changing out the accessories every week or so. We love using heart gems from dollar stores and ice cube trays to practice one-to-one correspondence (counting). We also have gathered these items:

red cups (these are our favorite)
heart-shaped cookie cutters (we have had these for years)
and a stainless steel bowl, funnel, and jar (glass or plastic, whatever your kids can handle)

You can also add magnetic letters or small heart-shaped foam stickers with letters written on them (see video below) for a literacy activity.

If you try this Valentine’s Day sensory bin, let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

Get four more Valentine’s Day activity ideas to help your child build attention span and independent play skills.

Just add your information below to get instant access to our FREE Valentine’s Day Invitations to Play download!

Jingle Bell Sensory Bin + Activity Ideas

By Melissa Droegemueller | December 5, 2017 | Comments 0 Comment

“Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way…”
“Jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell rock…”
“I love those J-I-N-G-L-E bells, oh!”

Christmas is on its way, and our toddlers and preschoolers could not be more excited! But trying to keep their little hands away from the Christmas tree might be a full-time job, and that’s why I love bringing out engaging activities like playdough and sensory bins. This jingle bell sensory bin has been a big hit at our house, and it might be simpler than you might think.

Jingle Bell Sensory Bin + Activity Ideas | Christmas Sensory Play Ideas, Tactile Activities for Toddlers and Preschoolers, Learning Through Play

(Reminder: Rolling Prairie Readers uses affiliate links at no additional cost to you.You can see our full disclosure policy here.)

Jingle Bell Sensory Bin and Activity Ideas

I had dyed a bunch of noodles green for St. Patrick’s Day. The variety of textures between the wagon wheels, rotini noodles, and shells is a lot of fun for tactile play. I thought it would make the perfect base for this new jingle bell sensory bin. (And noodles are a LOT easier to clean up than rice, which was the base of our last sensory bin!)

We have a set of multicolored bells (similar) that are a great size for my 6-year-old’s hands. I also added a few extra accessories to the bin:

green and red cups (these are our favorite)
ice cube trays
a plastic tablespoon
and a jar (glass or plastic, whatever your kids can handle)

You can also work on patterning and fine motor skills with this sensory bin! Place the bells in the ice cube tray (use tweezers, if you like), and then lace the bells on a shoelace or pipe cleaner.

If you try this jingle bell sensory bin, let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

While your kids are home from school this winter, try out this list of 30 “boredom-busting” activities for the whole family!

Here’s what’s included:

a weekly calendar template with tips for creating a flexible family schedule
a “menu” of more than 20 low-prep activities to keep your children happily engaged
lists of recommended seasonal books to grab at the library
a family reading log
our favorite resources for learning at home
AND 30 winter boredom busters!