Between severe storms and COVID quarantines, many of us are back to spending some extra time at home this winter, and at this point, even the most creative parents are starting to run out of ideas to keep little ones entertained.
Sensory bins to the rescue!
We are big fans of sensory play (here’s why). One of the best things about sensory bins is that the possibilities are pretty much endless, but they’re also really easy to set up, often using items you already have around the house. And while they can be wild, wet and messy, they certainly don’t have to be.
Here are some of the creative, indoor sensory play ideas that we have been loving:
Secret ice pictures
Our jaws dropped when we saw this clever idea from @our.tiny.moments. A stencil and a sprinkle of salt leaves hidden pictures in a slab of ice — a brush of paint reveals them like magic!
Sensory storytime
We love the way @thiscrazybeautifulchaos pairs sensory play with picture books, as with this invitation to play based on the book Winter Survival. Which of your child’s favorite books could inspire a similar playscape?
Ice cream everyday
Since we added Land of Dough’s magical all-natural play doughs to our shop, we have been thinking constantly about fun new ways to use them. One of our favorites: Ice cream shop! Bring out an ice cream scoop, a few dishes or cupcake liners and some “toppings” (think beads, pasta, pom poms) and invite your children to give Ben and Jerry some competition.
Pom poms all day
We love pom poms — they’re quiet, affordable, reusable and relatively easy to clean up — and we love Susie Allison from Busy Toddler. And one of the reasons we love Busy Toddler is this collection of sensory play ideas using — you guessed it — pom poms!
Bottled up
We love Glo Pals at bath time and outside under the stars, but sometimes it’s just not the right moment for water play. So our eyes popped when our friends at Glo Pals posted this sensory jar idea — pop your Glo Pals in a jar of water, tightly secure the lid, and enjoy all the fun of light-up sensory play, no towels needed!
Check out multicolored light-up Glo Pals and Land of Dough in our sensory play collection!
