Christmas Sensory Bins
December 1, 2023
**Note: add cookie cutters, measuring cups, scoops, and other kitchen supplies for more fun
Animals in dough
Supplies
winter bath animals (Target dollar spot)
red and green popsicle sticks (Amazon craft set)
play-doh (Amazon)
Play-doh is such a great sensory experience. Have the winter animals play in the play-doh. Grab some cookie cutters from the kitchen and make “Christmas Cookies”. We made real cookies for Halloween and Aryi loved mushing the cookie dough into the cookie cutters. This should provide so much sensory fun.
Hot coco
Supplies
cocoa puffs (Rouses)
candy canes (Rouses)
white pom poms (Dollar Tree)
Starbucks cup (Free from Starbucks)
This is a fun, fun to eat sensory bin, especially if you used real marshmallows instead of pom poms. You can scoop cocoa puffs into the Christmas cup. Count pom poms as you add the “marshmallows” to the hot cocoa. Place candy canes in your cup and take them out. Eat the cocoa puffs as you play. I’m expecting this to be extra fun since Aryi will call these balls and scream with excitement. Aryi loves balls, especially when they are edible.
Wooden toys in grass and snow
Supplies
wooden trees (Dollar Tree)
wooden snowmen (Dollar Tree)
large, medium, small, and tiny sized white snowball pom poms (Dollar Tree)
green rice and white rice (I keep rice in the kitchen)
green orzo (I keep orzo in the kitchen)
Aryi is a huge fan of rice. He likes to eat it, play with it, and feel it. He calls it vhat (the nepali name for rice). I thought it would be fun to make a sort of winter wonderland. There is grass, snow, snowmen, and Christmas trees. You can make the snowmen come to life or let snowflake pom poms fall from the sky. You can count trees and snowmen. All of this in addition to the expected scoping fun with rice.
Decorate trees
Supplies
Small christmas trees (Dollar Tree)
red, green, and yellow pom poms (Amazon craft set)
red, green, and white pipe cleaners (Amazon craft set)
colander (Rouses)
Not sure if this is a sensory bin or more of an activity box, but it is fun nonetheless. Place pom poms throughout the trees like you are decorating your Christmas tree with ornaments. Push pipe cleaners through holes in the colander and pull them out. For more advanced play, pipe cleaners can be twisted up and tied together.
You can check out the related youtube video by clicking the link below.