Are Sensory Bins worth the hype?
Here’s the thing about Sensory Bins - they’re great to have and (should be) easy enough to make. HOWEVER…never have I seen a ‘play’ trend that made so many mamas feel more inadequate about their parenting through play skills.
Are we honestly spending 8 hours freezing happy meal sized toys in ice for our kids to play with when its the middle of January and there’s a foot and a half of snow outside? And how much are you really expanding the mind and imagination of your child by dying spaghetti in a rainbow of colors? (Dry pasta works just as well!)
The time, effort, MONEY(!!!) spent on tables, bins, sand, toys...it’s outrageous. And it’s unnecessary. Even classroom teachers have been sucked into this sensory vortex of ‘must have’ bins for their students, spending hundreds of dollars on these bins when we know funding may already be tight. Facebook groups are flooded with parents trying to outshine each others at home creations for their kids. Inspiring our children through play can start to feel a lot like a competition.
Still think these are a must-have in your household? Great! There are plenty of benefits to sensory bins. Let’s take a look at three reasons why I think you SHOULD create these with your kiddos.
They are free to make
You read that right. They are free. And should be free. There is absolutely no reason you should need to drop a penny on making a sensory bin - you already have everything you need at home!
They can be customized by learning level
From toddlers and pre-k kids to kindergarten and above, you can adapt the size and type of objects you are using. Always remember, safety should be priority. For the little littles, don’t stress over making a ‘taste-safe’ sensory bin, just make sure you are using items that are not a choking hazard or dangerous.
Sensory Bins are great exploration tools for Tactile learners, or kids who want to enhance their tactile skills
I can’t begin to express to you the passion and emotion I have for this last point. It needs to be said that sensory bins are NOT going to be a good learning tool for every child. Some kids are just not tactile learners. They may actually resist and not want to participate, especially if you are introducing toys and textures that make them feel uncomfortable. This is normal. Don’t feel the need to push them, just take note. Observing your children and understanding their learning style best will help you to be a better teacher for them. If you know your child is a literary or audible learner, adding toys with letters/numbers on them or toys that make fun/unique sounds will help to increase their engagement and help them to benefit more from the activity.
Still think sensory bins are a good idea for your child? Perfect. Let’s create one (for free).
For the most simple sensory bins, I recommend to have three parts: a ‘bin’ or vessel, some type of stuffing, and your sensory objects. Here are some suggestions of everyday things you can find in/around your home:
Bins - This can be a bowl or a bathtub and everthing in-between! Any type of vessel that will hold your supplies is good to go. Think storage bins, laundry baskets, cookware…any empty Amazon boxes laying around work in a pinch!
Stuffing - let the creative juices flow with this one! The stuffing will be the base of your sensory bin so think out of the box! Rice, dried pasta or cereal are go-to’s. Seasonally, a bunch of dried leaves or a few scoops of snow work well. Water is of course always an option, and you can easily add some dish soap for bubbles! How about a few loops of toilet paper or all of those mis-matched socks laying around? Once you start to look at what you have, the options are endless!
Objects - Now this is really where you can begin to get unhinged. Sure you can can just pull from the toybox, but if you want to take a more Montessori approach to this activity, anything from plastic kitchen utensils, a deck of playing cards, old remotes or costume jewelry will do. The only reminder here is to make sure what you are including is safe and appropriate to your child’s learning level.
Currently, I have a “can I help?” child - if you’re in the same boat as me, this is such an opportunity to use sensory bins to your advantage. I recently created this holiday themed basket (pictured) with accessories I was already using to get through wrapping gifts - my LO got their fix of helping, and I got a nice distraction while I actually got my wrapping done. If I get asked to help while I’m baking or cooking, I just grab a mixing bowl (bin), through in some cereal (stuffing), a whisk, spoon, some cupcake liners and plastic cookie cutters and suddenly it becomes play.
So, are sensory bins really worth the hype? Well, they’re worth the time we play with our kids, or the time our kids get to play while we need to cook dinner, do the dishes or through in a load of laundry. So are they worth it? Yes. Just maybe a little too hyped.
