Children learn best when they can touch and feel something.
Winter sensory bins allow a child to explore their world through their senses and creativity.
Although sensory bins can create a mess for us to clean up, the mess is worth the reward.
Listening to a child play, while immersed in a world of their own at a sensory bin, will bring a smile to your face.
I love sensory bins because they are so simple to create, cost-effective, and really hold a child’s attention.
A winter sensory bin can be made elaborately at a sensory table, or simply in a bin(my preferred method).
Once I’ve chosen my bin, I like to choose a theme and/or color.
Next, I look around my home, from my kitchen to my overflowing attic, and start gathering items that fit my theme.
If I feel I could use more items(and who am I kidding, I always want more items!), I love heading to Dollar Tree and perusing. The toy aisle, kitchen aisle, and party favor aisles are my favorites. I love grabbing pompoms, tongs, cool cups, spoons, mini erasers, small animals, the list is as endless as your imagination.
Here are my 4 favorite winter sensory bin ideas:
1. Snowstorm Theme:
Color: White
Items: Cotton balls; empty yogurt, cream cheese, and sour creme containers(anything white!); plastic spoons; toilet paper and paper towel tubes; etc
2. Arctic Animals Theme:
Colors: White and blue
Items: Little arctic animals, ice cube trays, styrofoam packaging peanuts, popsicle sticks, little trees, blue felt, etc
3. Hot Chocolate Theme:
Colors: Brown, white, and red
Items: Coffee beans, measuring spoons, measuring cups, mugs, small white pompoms, empty hot cocoa containers, spoons, etc
4. Valentine’s Day Theme:
Colors: Red, white, and pink
Items: I like to use rice as my base in this one and dye it pink(the kids usually help on a Friday, and then by Monday I have it all set up as a surprise). Pipe cleaners, felt hearts, foam hearts, beads, pompoms, tongs, silicone cupcake liners, erasers, etc
So whether you make sensory bins all the time or have never made one, I’m hoping you can find a couple of cute ideas to add some fun to your home this winter by creating a winter sensory bin.
I’d love for you share your favorite themed sensory bins in the comments 
For some more winter fun, I’d love for you to check out my earlier blog post about a hibernation unit study:
https://learningisawayoflife.com/hibernation-unit-study/
