Sensory Bins for Kids FREE PRINTABLES
Sensory bins are hands-down our favorite center or quiet time activity.
I have used them both in my classroom with my students and at home with my own kiddos.
I have so many fun themes to share with you, and I will be adding more to this post soon. I have made really fun “I Spy” printables that go with these sensory bins.
We like to print and laminate them, and the kiddos hunt for the little objects and match them to their cards.
I will walk you through exactly where I have found these mini toys/objects as well as the best fillers and plastic boxes I use.
I have made countless sensory bins over the years, and I am sharing the best supplies I have found with you on this blog post!
So many places have ready to go, pre-made sensory bins that you can order, but at $50+ each plus shipping, I decided to just make my own.
Why do my kids and I love sensory bins?
So many reasons…. but to name a few I would have to say:
These bins are perfect for encouraging their little imaginations to flourish. I love seeing the pretend play and different games they come up with.
They are so engaging for little minds and hands because they appeal to so many senses.
I can put them away. I order these bins with lids and as soon as they are done playing, we clean up and they go in the cabinet. Gone! No toys or little pieces everywhere for me to pick up all day long.
The kids don’t see them all the time, so they are super excited when we get them out again (think: a new, long lost toy!)
These sensory bins are educational and children are learning animal and object names, matching skills and so much more.
They are portable, so on nice days we take them outside.
I can change them up and add new things to each bin.
I create holiday bins too, and I’ll be adding those to this blog post soon!
Ready to learn more? Let’s get started!
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DINOSAUR THEME
The dinosaur themed sensory bin is always such a huge hit with little ones.
There are so many ways to switch this one up too, but I had so much fun putting this kit together.
My four and six year old asked to play with this very single day for two weeks straight.
They had fun searching for the “I Spy” items too!
HOW TO MAKE THIS BIN:
I use two small bags of black beans that were about $1.50 each from Walmart.
My kids absolutely love this bag of green kinetic play sand and the black tray is included
Mini dinosaur play kit with nest, eggs, trees, dinosaurs and fencing
Everything you need to make a fun, engaging dinosaur themed sensory bin for your little ones.
They love burying the eggs in the sand, building fences around the dinosaurs, planting the trees for camouflage and so much more.
I made these adorable printables to match this dinosaur kit.
Children can learn the dinosaur names and practice matching the mini dinosaurs to this I Spy mat.
All free printables are linked at the bottom of this blog post.
CONSTRUCTION THEME
How fun is this construction theme sensory bin?
If my kiddos are working on learning their letters or numbers, I add plastic alphabet pieces for the dump trucks to pick up and move around.
This bin is super quick to make, and it is always a hit. I love listening to the noises and sound effects the kids make with this one.
HOW TO MAKE THIS KIT:
One package of kinetic play sand
A small bucket of rocks (I got ours from the yard!)
I love these plastic bins because the lid stays attached and the kids bring the vehicles and toys on the other side and spread it out even more. It makes everything super easy to clean up and store.
I made these adorable printables to match this kit perfectly!
The kids can match the vehicles to this I Spy mat and learn the names.
I also made a cute fine motor activity to go with this kit as well.
All the printables are free at the bottom of this blog post.
ZOO THEME
Every kiddo loves a day at the zoo. This sensory bin gives them a chance to make pens and set up an area for each group of animals. The possibilities are endless.
This kit is also fun to switch up, and the lid can fold open which gives more room for the animals to spread out.
Kids love playing zoo keeper and taking care of the animals.
HOW TO CREATE THIS KIT:
I use steel cut oats as a filler - kids love to run their fingers through this and it makes a soft pen bedding for their animals
The free printable I Spy mat coordinates perfectly with this animal kit - kids can match the animals to the picture mat
This kit comes with the fencing, grass mat, trees and panda bears
I love watching the kids play I Spy and matching all the little animals to the printable chart.
This works on so many skills and keeps them so engaged. You can give them a dry erase marker too so they can check each one off as they find them.
What is so fun about these bins is that the possibilities are just endless. They keep their attention for a really long time.
OCEAN THEME
This sensory bin uses a filler that the kids could sit and play with for days. I will warn you that this is a little higher maintenance, and if you are using it with toddlers, be sure they do not put things in her mouths.
That being said, you kiddos will absolutely love this kit. Have you used water beads before? You’re in for a treat!
HOW TO CREATE THIS KIT:
I purchased THESE water beads in blue - and you can get several uses out of each bag as they go a long way!
This adorable sea animal kit matches coordinates with my I Spy printable perfectly, plus it has five complete animal sets
Rocks (I used some from our garden)
Kids love running their fingers through the water beads. They make the animals “dive down” and swim through them and have the walrus and grabs playing on the rocks.
I use a little plastic tupperware to separate the rocks.
You could also add a toy boat and shells to this sensory bin.
The animal set listed above comes with sixty mini animals, so you can make multiple sets of the I Spy mats so a few kids can play at once.
FARM THEME
Who doesn’t love to play down on the farm? This theme is always a class favorite! It is perfect in the fall before our pumpkin patch field trip.
I love to add things to this bin to switch it up. The kids love adding the beans to the bins and mini wheelbarrow, and make pens and feed the animals.
There is a lot of fencing with the kit, so they set it up on the lid for more room.
HOW TO CREATE THIS KIT:
Two bags of pinto beans
One box of kinetic play sand
Toy fencing this fencing is quite a bit bigger than the animals, but the kids can put it together without getting frustrated
The mini animal kit also comes with sixty animals (like the ocean theme) so multiple kids can play and it is more like a real farm.
The kids love matching the mini animals to their I Spy farm mats.
The sand will take up about half of the bin and the beans the rest.
I add the tools that the sand kit comes with so kids can build and mold with the kinetic sand. They absolutely love this stuff!
ARCTIC ANIMALS
Kids love learning about arctic animals. I am still on the lookout for sparkly snowflakes to add to this bin, so I will keep you updated!
But they love playing with the white animals and camouflaging them into the cotton balls. The kids also love to have the animals dive down into the pasta.
To dye the pasta, I just add hand sanitizer and food coloring to a bag of pasta and mix!
HOW TO CREATE THIS KIT:
One package of elbow macaroni, blue food dye, hand sanitizer (mix about 4 teaspoons hand sanitizer with blue dye and pasta)
I just ordered more plastic bins to make a few more bins because these have been such a hit.
I have used so many different kinds of plastic bins over the years, and these are by far my favorite. They come in a pack of three, have attached lids that they kids can easily use and they stack so easily in my cupboards.
Use my FREE printable to make sensory bin time even more fun! Kids love matching the mini animals to the mats.
These kits are well worth the investment and time to make. They provide hours of educational fun, and as a mom I just love that they only come out for an hour at a time and then they are stored away.
In the classroom, my kids couldn’t wait for center time… they just love these bins! I add seasonal bins too, and hope to take photos and share more soon!
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