Holiday Sensory Bin Fun for all ages

17 Mar Holiday Sensory Bin Fun for all ages

Posted at 10:10h in Holiday Tips & Activities by

Sensory bins offer children a rich environment for exploration, especially during the holidays. Here are ten festive and educational activities using sensory bins to engage young learners:

  1. Tinsel Touch & Sort – Fill a bin with Christmas tinsel of various colours.

Encourage children to sort by colour or texture, enhancing their fine motor skills and colour recognition.

  1. Straw Scooping Challenge

Include cut-up straws of different lengths.

Provide tweezers or scoops for children to pick and sort by size, improving hand strength and coordination.

  1. Lacing Fun

Add lacing materials like shoelaces and beads.

Have children thread the beads onto the laces, promoting fine motor development and hand-eye coordination.

  1. Feather Softness Exploration

Incorporate soft, colourful feathers for a sensory-rich experience.

Ask children to describe how they feel, integrating language and sensory awareness.

  1. Tissue Paper Rip & Crinkle

Tear tissue paper into small pieces and mix it in.

Kids can rip, crinkle, or glue more pieces onto craft projects, encouraging tactile exploration.

  1. Ribbon Wrapping Play

Add various ribbons and let children practice tying or wrapping small toys. This will boost their fine motor skills and introduce them to wrapping gifts.

  1. Button and Bead Hunt

Hide buttons and beads in sand or tinsel and let kids find them using scoops or their hands. This will simulate a treasure hunt and enhance tactile discrimination.

  1. Dirt and Garden Discovery

Include dirt, sand, and garden items (leaves, small twigs). Children can use small gardening tools to dig and explore, developing sensory and motor skills.

  1. Small Toy Excavation

Bury small holiday-themed toys or trinkets (like mini snowmen or Santas) in the sensory bin. Kids can use brushes or scoops to “excavate” them, engaging in imaginative play.

  1. Button Sorting by Size

Place buttons of various sizes in the bin. Encourage children to sort them into small, medium, and large categories, promoting size recognition and categorization skills.

Benefits of Sensory Bin Play for the Autistic Child:

These activities engage multiple senses, promote fine motor development, and provide calming sensory input. When played in groups, they also encourage creativity, problem-solving, and social interaction.

 

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Ilse Kilian-Ross
ilse@amazingk.co.za

Ilse Kilian-Ross is the owner of Amazing K, a registered ECD and Partial Care Facility in Johannesburg. Amazing K is a private adhd school, autism school and therapy centre for children from age 2 - 6 years where learners receive the best of both the schooling and therapy world. The autism school offers Individualized Education Programs, Speech- and Augmentive Alternative Communication (AAC) therapy as well as a full and adapted Academic Curriculum.