Holiday-themed Sensory bins are a terrific way for younger children to engage their senses. With sensory bins, they can stimulate their creativity and explore their environment through fun hands-on play. Great for encouraging development, there are various activities you and your kids can enjoy together to enhance their learning and growth. We’ve put together some of our favorite holiday-themed ideas for sensory bins to enjoy at home. Most require materials that are easy to source and we’ve included activities that take varying amounts of time to enjoy. Whether you’ve got a whole day free or just a few minutes, there are plenty of ways to enjoy seasonal fun at home with your little ones.
Easy Christmas Sensory Bin
This holiday-themed sensory bin idea from Natural Beach Living is quick and easy to set up, with the potential for hours of fun. Simply fill a container with dry beans and hide small colorful festive items for your child to find. Green or red beans, such as green split peas or kidney beans, add holiday color. Great items include small bells that jingle, holiday-themed erasers with a rubbery feel, and various types of shiny beads.
The Amazing Scents of Christmas
We love this aromatic holiday-themed sensory bin idea from Edventures with Kids as a way to appeal to children’s sense of smell. Some items can be eaten too, including the sense of taste. Bringing together common fragrances from the holiday season, you can really get creative with your family’s own favorite festive smells. Ideas include a small pine branch, gingerbread, spices, and candy canes.
Sensory Nativity Story Box
Engage your kid’s senses and teach them about the origins of Christmas at the same time with this lovely Sensory Nativity Story Box from The Fairy and The Frog. The box includes diverse textures and colors, and there are plenty of ways to play with the items.
Reindeer Farm Sensory Bin
Your child is sure to be delighted playing with this cute Reindeer Farm Sensory Bin from Happy Toddler Playtime. It even includes fake snow, made from corn starch, baking soda, and water. You could also use flour or shaving cream for an alternative texture. This sensory bin idea includes creating Reindeers using various plastic farm animals and making antlers from pipe cleaners. Why not have your child help to make the reindeer beforehand for a quick craft session too?
Winter Wonderland Sensory Bin
This enchanting Winter Wonderland holiday-themed Sensory Bin from The Chaos and The Clutter is a beautiful change from the usual multi-colored sensory bins, with a focus on silver and white. Kids can enjoy discovering diverse textures and shapes.
Christmas Sensory Bin
We especially like this Christmas holiday-themed Sensory Bin, courtesy of Fantastic Fun and Learning, because of the many ideas for using it to enhance learning after the initial discovery stage. You can include anything holiday-themed, such as pine cones, candy canes, stars, Christmas tree ornaments, and more. Likewise, the variety of items appeals to all senses and provides plenty of opportunities for learning and discussions.
