What do I Put in a Sensory Bin?

Sensory bins can be so great for student engagement and learning! They can also be messy, hard to make, and expensive. There are so many different ways to organize a sensory bin and create procedures around using them to make them successful! I like to have a medium that is the sensory part and a “filler” that gives a theme to the bin. The last thing I do to change up my bins is to add different tools that can be used when playing in the bin. Here are a few lists of materials that can be used to make a sensory bin and then a list of fillers that can be added to make the bin seem new and fun!

Sensory Materials:

1. Oats

2. Colored Rice

3. Water

4. Water Beads

5. Pom poms

6. Bubbles

7. Beans

8. Easter Basket Fluff

9. Kinetic Sand (store-bought or homemade)

10. Playdough

11. Slime (SOOO many different recipes!)

Fillers:

1. Little Erasers

2. Laminated Leaves

3. Other Nature Items (sticks, pine cones, acorns…)

4. Counting materials (small flip flops, dots, plastic base-ten blocks)

5. Gems and Gold Coins

6. Bells

7. Small plastic toys that are characters (animals, hatchimals, pokemon…)

8. Construction Vehicles

9. Sequins

10. Rocks

11. Marbles or little balls (cranberries in a water table at thanksgiving, or pom poms in a bathtub…)

Tools:

1. Ice cube trays

2. Shovels

3. Scoopers from Kool-aid cans or formula cans

4. Measuring Cups

5. Whisks

6. Cup Cake Trays

7. Spoons or cups that are good for scooping and pouring

8. Funnels

9. Tongs (this is a really great one to help get kids ready for scissors!)

10. Duplos or other colored hollow items (make it fun for sorting and pouring)

11. Forks or other items that are good for poking (toothpicks, golf tees, popsicle sticks, Q-Tips)