Because during the holidays, it’s not always easy to find how to occupy your children, we suggest you make 5 Montessori sensory bins. An activity that is easy to reproduce and very fun for the youngest.
The summer holidays have started, and if for many it is the time to take advantage of it to slow down the pace and relax a little, for many parents this is far from being the case. They have to find how to occupy their children who stayed with them at home. Even those who at times come up to them, their faces a little crestfallen or grumpy, to tell them “I’m bored, what are we doing today?”. And if you offered them to make sensory bins?
Inspired by Montessori pedagogy, the sensory tray allows children, from 3 years old, toawaken one’s sensesher curiosity and to develop as much as possible its autonomy while having fun. The principle is quite simple. To make a sensory bin, you just need to bring a bin, it can be a basin, a box or a box, fill it with various objects and take some utensils. You can help yourself to whatever you find at home, but the idea is that the activity should be quite fun for the toddler. It is therefore better to think about a theme beforehand. But don’t panic, we offer you 5 sensory bin ideas to make at home.
Attention with toddlers, this type of activity requires constant supervision to avoid any risks.
A sensory bin to hunt insects
In this special insect-hunting bin, your little one must rummage through rice, pebbles, pine nuts, twigs, forest moss, to find the little creatures that have hidden.
Equipment :
- A large basin
- uncooked rice
- pine nuts
- twigs of wood
- Wood moss
- Pebbles of any size (not too small so they won’t be swallowed)
- Insects, either as figurines if you have them, or otherwise just print out designs, cut them out and place them in the tray.
A sensory bin to feel like you’re at the beach
Nothing like a reconstituted mini beach to please the little ones. In this box, the idea is that your child has fun with his figurines in the sand and in the water.
Equipment :
- 2 plastic boxes
- Sand or semolina
- Some water
- Small pebbles, shells
- Playmobil type figurines
- Decorative elements (a small deckchair with a piece of cardboard, a towel with a piece of fabric, a rake with toothpicks, etc.)
A sensory bin in the style of an archaeological dig
Does your child like to put their hands in the ground or sand to look for little treasures? Then this sensory bin is made for him. It’s super simple. Just mix water with either sand or earth, add this mixture to a container, hide a few objects (chocolate coins, marbles, etc.) and let it dry for a few hours. Your little one will just have to find them and dig them up with a shovel.
Equipment :
- 1 plastic bass drum
- Water, sand or earth
- Objects to hide (marbles, chocolate coins, figurines, etc.)
- A shovel and a rake for children
An odor memo sensory bin
This memo smell sensory bin is sure to please older children. The objective is quite clear: the toddler must find images of fruit, flowers and vegetables buried in the sand, then find the smell that corresponds to each image. For this, you can use clay pebbles, which can be impregnated with essential oils or perfume, to be placed in the sand. However be careful, do not use just any product, choose essential oils suitable for the youngest age and contact a professional for advice.
If you don’t want to bother, you can also use vegetable peelings or flowers, crush them in a mortar and place them in a small container. The child will just have to lift the lid to smell the odors and even touch the mixtures to smell better.
Equipment :
- 2 plastic boxes
- sand
- Laminated cards, printed with visuals of fruits, vegetables and flowers
- Clay pebbles or small containers with lids
- Suitable essential oils, or peelings of vegetables, fruits or flowers
- A small mortar
- A small rake for children
A special barefoot course sensory bin
Barefoot courses are generally very popular with children. So why not reproduce one at home thanks to sensory bins. The concept: place on the ground trays filled with sand, water, soap bubbles, smooth stones, manure… and let the child experience this barefoot path. Guaranteed sensations!
Equipment :
- Several plastic crates or basins
- Water, sand, foaming liquid soap, acorns, pine cones, leaves, manure etc… Whatever you find cool to use to amuse your little one.
There are other ideas for making sensory bins: color sorting, treasure hunt in sticky water, etc.
Since September 2021, Lisa has joined the Aufeminin team. Little by little she specialized in subjects related to parenthood. Curious and passionate about writing, she likes to tell …