Sensory Bins: The Benefits and How To

Have you ever scrolled social media platforms and seen fun and creative, aesthetically pleasing sensory bins? 

Have you ever thought to yourself, ‘I’d love to create one of those for my child!’? Well, you CAN! 

Sensory bins are a rich imaginative play tool for not only encouraging language skills, but offer several other developmental benefits for children, including fine motor skills, cognitive development, and hands-on exploration that engage multiple senses, simultaneously. In addition, sensory bins can aid in emotional regulation and provide a calming outlet for children with sensory sensitivities or processing difficulties. Let’s take a more detailed look at many of the developmental benefits sensory bins can offer your child:

Language Development:

• Sensory bin contents are ideal for developing vocabulary, teaching attributes or descriptive language concepts (in, out, big, small, empty, full, wet, dry), and verbs (scoop, measure, dump, dig, pour, fill, bury).

Cognitive Development:

• Exploring objects with varying textures, shapes, and sizes within a bin promotes critical thinking, problem solving, and spatial reasoning skills.

Social/Emotional Development:

• Sensory bin play encourages social interaction that can foster skills such as turn-taking, cooperation/teamwork, and sharing.

• Using senses such as touch to gain input can help children feel ‘grounded’, which helps regulate their emotions and improve focus.

Sensory Processing:

• Children are able to explore different sensory experiences at their own pace, in a safe, controlled environment, helping them process sensory input and respond to sensory stimuli. 

Fine Motor Skills:

• Tactile exploration activities such as digging, scooping, pouring, and manipulating small objects can strengthen hand muscles, improve dexterity, and develop appropriate grasp patterns.

  
  

Now, for the fun part.…let’s make one!

Many sensory bin filler items can be found already laying around your home or at your local dollar store. Get creative and have some fun creating a rich sensory experience for your child in the comfort of your own home! 

I hope you enjoyed this "funtastic" blog post!

-Tacarra Keeley, MA, CCC- SLP