Easy Sensory Bins for Preschoolers!

My little girl went back to preschool this week! She was super excited to see her friends, her teachers and just be back in the classroom. She’s one that loves school and that makes things so much easier! 

This month Michaels asked it’s makers to make something for the classroom and teachers and since our preschool teachers are so sweet and always need a hand I asked them what I could do for them. We put a few ideas on the table but the final verdict was sensory bins. I decided to make the focus around fine motor skills for these little ones. Here are FOUR simple bins you can make for your preschoolers or for your teachers!

[line] SandBox Sensory Bin[line]

• Scrapbook Storage Box
• 3 Boxes of Kinetic sand
• various spoons, cups and things to measure with

This is one of the easiest sensory bins to make for preschoolers. I used this amazing  Kinetic Sand from Michaels that doesn’t dry out and doesn’t stick to hands which means less mess for the teachers! Each one of the activities are stored in these scrapbook page storage boxes for easy access and a larger range of play area. Sand play allows each preschooler to use skills of investigation and observation. 

[line] Separating and Sorting Bin [line]

• Scrapbook Storage Box
• Pompoms in various sizes
• Clothes Pins 
• Ice Tray 

Separating and sorting is a great skill for toddlers to learn during the preschool years. Each child develops fine motor skills by pinching the clothespin and placing the light pompom into the ice tray. For even more sensory development you can have the children place and sort with their hands as the sort and separate each pompom by size or color. 

[line]Lace It Sensory Bin [line]

• Scrapbook Storage Box
• Mellissa and Doug Lace and Wooden Animals

I love this activity for fine motor skills! Each child is able to use and develop little hand muscles to weave through the wooden animals by using and above and under motion. 

[line] ABC 123 Sensory Bin[line]

• Scrapbook Storage Box
• Waxed String
• ABC guide or flashcards

This sensory bin features waxed string. This allows the child to experience different textures and offers opportunities for children to experience a multitude of sensory information through the skin. This bin allows each child to make letters and numbers. Younger children may need an alphabet guide.