I have been creating sensory bins since my 12 year old was a toddler. It something that can be as simple or elaborate as you want it to be. It can truly be as simple as a bin with a ladle and a bowl with some water. But over the years, I have gotten a little more elaborate with my sensory bins as I now have a preschooler and a toddler again. They are so much fun to put together, and they always keep my littles entertained. True, sometimes there is quite a bit of mess to clean up afterwards, but they do get better and better about keeping the contents in the bins.
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In case you have no idea what a sensory bin is, it is basically just a container or bin that contains filler material and different small toys or scoops or bowls. Rice, sand, water, dry pasta etc are all great fillers. Then you can just throw random things in there for them to play with, or curate the bins to have a theme. Those are my favorite, obviously. Sensory bins are pure entertainment for preschoolers, but they are also improving their fine motor skills with scooping, pouring, using tweezers etc. It ignites the child’s senses- touch, smell, sound, site…. it’s a fun way to explore. It can also be very calming. My son’s favorite filler is probably kinetic sand. I even find myself scooping it up and letting it slide through my fingers as I totally zone out for a second.
I recently invested in a sensory table, and it has been a game changer. I bought mine from Amazon, which is kind of a dupe of the Ikea one. The storage is wonderful and the table has so many uses. I had wanted one since my oldest was little, and I am really glad I finally bought one. This one has a paper roll holder, chalkboards on one side with a white dry erase board on the other. It comes with one large bin and two smaller bins. It’s the perfect size! I also ordered these cute little wood stools that match wonderfully.
I also invested in some plastic shoeboxes to store all our supplies. I bought two ten packs with lids from Walmart. They are better than the Dollar Tree ones- the lids stay clicked on and the plastic is thicker and sturdier. I have them stacked above my cabinets in my laundry room so I can easily grab them and don’t have to go to the basement playroom where the rest of our crafty items are. This system has worked pretty well! You could also just use gallon ziploc bags in a large basket.
We’ve had so much fun creating different sensory bins, I thought I would share 8 fun winter sensory bins for preschoolers with you ! Get your ideas flowing on ways to keep your kids entertained when its a crummy day stuck inside.
1. real snow (or fake snow) with little toy arctic animals We had slushie type snow still on the ground the day we did this sensory bin, and my 3 year old LOVED it. I surprised him with some new animal figures and they have received much love! If you don’t have snow outside right now, we have used this instant snow and it is really great. It lasts a long time, but if you leave it in a bin with a lid on, it can get moldy after a bit. We learned that the hard way. This penguin family set is amazing and comes with the most detailed little penguins. I also got the polar bear. Schleich is our favorite brand for animal figures like this- they are always the most detailed and really high quality. This bin was simple- just snow and the animals and the little slide the toy set came with. My three year old slid the penguins down that slide probably two dozen times. 10/10
2. build a snowman For this bin, we made “snow” together by mixing up cornstarch and baby oil. We ended up having to add in way more oil than we normally would, to get the snow to make a ball for the snowman. A little messy, but a lot of fun. I set out two tiny sticks for the arms, googly eyes, a little scarf we had from a peg doll, an acorn cap for a hat, and made a carrot nose out of playdough. This one kept my kiddo a little less entertained. 8/10
3. frozen water beads and arctic animals I ordered these blue water beads off Amazon and after letting them expand in water for awhile, I froze a bunch of them in a single layer on a baking sheet. Whatever didn’t fit on the tray I added in to the sensory bin so there was a good mix of frozen and non-frozen water beads to play with. My son loved this one a lot. He thought the texture was really fun. And I reminded him, like I always do, that these are NOT edible. He never puts things in his mouth anymore, but it’s always a good reminder. We added in those arctic animals toy set and a couple scoops and a bowl and he was entertained for quite some time. 10/10
4. mini marshmallows + vase filler + scoops I had some old stale mini marshmallows, added in a little bag of glittery vase filler from the Dollar Tree, a handful of white pom poms, and set out plenty of scoops, ladles, bowls and cups to let him play. He requested his arctic animals and after adding those, the play was extended. 7/10
5. shaving cream + essential oils SO so messy, but shaving cream is always a hit! We always buy shaving cream from the Dollar Tree- I keep a can in our art cupboard for any impromptu sensory play. Add in some essential oil, and you have a wonderful sensory experience. My son requested to add his arctic animals for this one again, so they had a lovely swim in the shaving cream. I added in blue glass vase filler for water. Then we had another fun time rinsing them clean in the other smaller bin with a bit of water. 10/10
6. white rice + snowflakes+ vanilla My son loves to hide and find! I created and printed out some snowflakes and winter animals then laminated them so they’d last a bit. You can grab the free printables HERE. Cut down the dotted line, hide one side in the rice, and have the other matching side next to it. It becomes a fun matching game! The other snowflakes and wintery things are to just hide in the rice or whatever filler you are using. Dry white beans would be good as a filler for this one, too. I added a couple drops of vanilla extract to the rice and my son kept smelling it saying it smelled like cookies. 7/10
7. painting ice or snow I brought in some chunks of icy snow from outside and set out some watercolor paints and paintbrushes. My boys loved this one and ended up, once again, adding in some animal figures to extend the play. It also turned into a bit of a science experiment as the boys poured out jars of cold water and hot water onto the ice to see how fast it would melt. 10/10
8. Coffee Shop play This sensory bin is not necessarily winter themed, but in the winter we tend to drink more coffee and hot cocoa, so I thought it would be a fun imaginative play. I bought the cheapest whole bean coffee I could find for the filler. The smell is such a fun sensory experience! I added a little bowl of old mini marshmallows, a few upcycled Starbucks cups, a coffee scoop, and I made a menu and play food to go with. We could have used our felt play food, but I wanted to make something we could keep in this shoebox bin all together. I printed the bakery items on cardstock and then laminated them. I made a little coffee menu to prop up for the coffee shop. You can find the coffee menu HERE and the bakery play food HERE. (I took off the “Barnett Boys” personalization so any family can use it. My littles played with this together for a VERY long time. 10/10
So there you have it ! 8 simple and fun winter themed sensory bins to keep your littles entertained. If you want a printable shopping list of these items, click HERE. Sometimes it’s just nice to have a simple list to see everything you’d need to put these bins together. And any of these sensory bins would pair nicely with a winter picture book. I find my boys can sit through books better when their little hands are busy. So set out a sensory bin and then get to reading.
If you enjoyed this post, look for lots more sensory bin ideas coming soon! I have bins for seasons, holidays, learning, coordinating with picture books…
If you liked this post, be sure to check out these posts:
Red Sled Storytime FREE Printable Worksheet Bundle
Peter Rabbit Small World Sensory Play
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