15+ Sensory Bin Filler Ideas for Preschool & Toddlers (2024)

Looking for sensory bin ideas for toddlers & preschool? Look no further! Sensory bin fillers don’t have to break the bank. You can fill sensory bins with everything from sand, beans, or water and even jello!

Kids love sensory bins, but what do you fill the bins with? Sensory bin fillers don’t have to break the bank. You can fill sensory bins with everything from sand, dirt, or water to common, household items like cotton balls and more!

This list below will give you some ideas for filling your bins at school or at home with materials that are engaging and fun for kids.

What is the purpose of a sensory bin?

A sensory bin can provide hands-on opportunities for children to stimulate some or all of the following senses:

Visual (sight)
Auditory (hearing)
Tactile (touch)
Olfactory (smell)
Gustation (taste)

Sensory bins are also a great tool to help calm and focus the child.

What age are sensory bins good for?

Sensory bins are a wonderful tool to introduce to toddlers.

Why Use a Sensory Bin in Preschool?

Sensory play is open-ended, meaning there is no clearly defined outcome of playing with or exploring the materials inside the bin.

Children use their senses and creativity to explore the materials offered in a sensory bin on their own without the expectation of an end product.

To recap, sensory bin play is meaningful to young children and provides opportunities for open-ended play.

Sensory Bin Filler Ideas

When it comes to ideas for filling your sensory bin, you’re only limited by your imagination. Get creative, think outside the box!

If you’ve never branched out beyond sand and water I challenge you to pick just one item from this list and give it a try – I bet you’ll be surprised how much your kids enjoy it!

What Do You Put Inside a Sensory Bin?

The possibilities for materials you can use to fill sensory bins and sensory tables are endless! Here are just a few of my favorite sensory bin fillers listed for you below.

Easter grass and plastic eggs with surprises hidden inside
Aquarium rocks
Birdseed
Plastic pellets
Colored Rice (use rubbing alcohol and food coloring to color)
Colored Pasta
Beans
Water Beads
Pom-Poms
Shredded Paper
Cotton Balls
Moon sand
Water with ice cubes for winter unit
Strips of holiday wrapping paper and bows for holiday unit
Dirt with plastic gardening tools, plastic pots
Dirt with plastic snakes and bugs
Insta Snow
Oats
Colored water
Water with dish soap to make bubbles
Corn
Wheat
Kinetic Sand
Packing peanuts
Feathers
Buttons
Various sizes of gourds for fall
Colored chickpeas

Bean Sensory Bin Ideas

Construction Sensory Bin
Alphabet Star Search Sensory bin
5 pumpkins sensory bin

Rice Sensory Bin Ideas

Rice is a great way to fill a sensory bin and a cheap filler as well! You can even color the rice as well and make it more engaging your toddlers. Check out thisRainbow Rice Sensory Bin.

Sand Sensory Bin Ideas

Sand is always a material that your toddlers will love exploring in a sensory bin. Here are a few ideas of how to incorporate sand into your sensory bins.

How to Make DIY Kinetic Sand for Sensory Bins
Rainbow Sand Sensory Bin
Space Sensory Bin
Dinosaur Fossil Dig Sensory Bin
Seashell Alphabet Sensory Bin
Farm Small World Sensory Bin
Snowy Day Sensory Tray
Ocean Counting Sensory Bin Activity

Water Sensory Bin Ideas

Water is a wonderful cheap filler for your sensory bin! And you can easily color the water as well to make it very engaging for your toddlers. They can explore ocean themed activities or explore what sinks and what floats. If water seems a bit messy, you can also fill up the bin with colorful water beads!

Christmas Water Beads Sensory Bin
Ocean Sensory Bin

Non-Food Sensory Bin Fillers

Certain early childhood programs prohibit the use of food items for play in the classroom. Choose items wisely from this list that best meet your needs and those of your students.

Here are someNon Food Sensory Bin Fillers for Sensory Play in Preschool.

Note: If you have students who put things in their mouths then you will want to use careful supervision or choose a different activity.

Sensory Bin Tools

Sensory binsare great fun for young children, they love to scoop, pour, dig and explore many different materials. But a successful sensory bin experience often includes engaging tools kids can use to explore the materials. Here are some of my favorite sensory bin tools to use in your sensory bin at home or in the preschool classroom.

What are some sensory activities?

Sensory bins for toddlers can be used on their own for sensory exploration or in conjunction with other activities, as they are with these two activities: Rainbow Rice Sensory Bin orFall Sensory Bin for Preschool Sensory Play

More Sensory Bin Resources

15+ Sensory Bin Filler Ideas for Preschool & Toddlers (2024)

FAQs

How do you make sensory bin fillers? ›

Here are some of my favorite Taste-Safe Sensory Bin Fillers:

Cornmeal.
Oatmeal.
Yogurt and cornstarch mix makes edible playdough.
Homemade finger paint (mix equal parts flour and water and add food coloring)
Cloud dough (flour + baby oil or, infant rice cereal + coconut oil)

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Aug 9, 2021

Are sensory bins good for 4 year olds? ›

Sensory bins are great fun for young children, they love to scoop, pour, dig and explore many different materials. But a successful sensory bin experience often includes engaging tools kids can use to explore the materials.

Read On ›

What age range for sensory bins? ›

Sensory bins are good for children over 18 months of age. Before they're 18 months old, sensory bins are not developmentally appropriate because the possible hazards outweigh the benefits.

What is the best fillers for sensory bags? ›

Fill a resealable plastic bag with tactile materials like hair gel, pumpkin seeds, shaving cream, or marbles. Reinforce the seal with strong tape, then use painter's or washi tape to secure the edges of the bag to the floor or a table where your baby can play.

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How do you set up a sensory bin for a toddler? ›

Place 2-3 lbs of dry, uncooked rice into a 28qt under the bed storage container (like this one). You want space for kids to play and high sides. Add in a few measuring cups and some bowls. Kids need to see a visual boundary: put a big beach towel, flat sheet, or table cloth under the sensory bin.

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How to make a sensory box for toddlers? ›

Pom Pom Color Sort – Mix together pom poms and beans and then add clear bowls into which toddlers can sort the colorful pom poms. Bath Toys and Beans – Adding little animals, in this case bath toys, to a bin full of beans is one of the easiest and most effective sensory bins for toddlers.

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Why use sensory bins in preschool? ›

A sensory bin is a great way to introduce sensory play, allowing children to explore objects and develop sensory skills through tactile play. They also promote the development of other crucial skills for a child's development. The best part is that they have unlimited use.

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What are sensory bins for toddlers for? ›

Sensory bins provide children with the opportunity to explore and learn through hands-on tactile play that engages their senses. These bins encourage and support various types of development and are great activities to have in your home.

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How can I help my 4 year old with sensory seeking? ›

What should you do to help satiate a sensory-seeking child? Create organized movement experiences that are goal- directed and purposeful. A child who desires constant movement (vestibular input) must be interrupted with functional tasks or else he is likely to become over-aroused.

Are beans safe for sensory play? ›

For example, sensory bin beans are unsafe because raw or undercooked beans are toxic, while the benefits of rice sensory play are numerous! Messy Play Kits strives to be the place to offer the best and safest sensory play ideas.

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Do kids grow out of sensory needs? ›

Occupational therapy can help kids cope with sensory issues. They learn ways to give themselves the right amount of stimulation, maybe with a heavy vest, a fidget toy or ear plugs. Some kids grow out of these issues completely. Some kids, especially autistic kids, have them their whole lives.

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What age is associative play? ›

Associative play is when children play together, but have different ideas and goals. For example, talking to each other and playing with the same toys, but doing different things. This usually happens between 3 and 5 years old.

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How do you make homemade sensory tubes? ›

How to make a themed sensory bottle with glitter

First, squeeze corn syrup into an empty water bottle. ...
Add warm water until it's about three-quarters full.
Add a few drops of food coloring and sprinkle in some glitter.
Put the lid on the water bottle and shake to mix the ingredients.

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How many water beads does it take to fill a sensory bin? ›

I actually prefer 1 tsp of water beads per 1 1/2 cups of water. Otherwise, you end up with too much excess water in the bin! Just fill your bin with the amount of water that you would like to use, sprinkle the water beads throughout, and watch them grow!

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How do you make sensory sea foam? ›

In a large bowl, combine 1/3 cup water, 1/3 cup dish soap, 1 tablespoon cornstarch, and a few drops of food coloring. Using your mixer on high to blend the ingredients together until a foam is created. Put the foam in the plastic bin and repeat process until you have the desired amount.

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