Sensory bins are an amazing tool to keep toddlers busy. Find tips and tricks here on how to introduce sensory bins to toddlers.
I love sensory bins! They have been my biggest tool as well as my biggest saviour to homeschool my daughter and keep her entertained for a long time.
But along with the sensory bins also comes a lot of mess, which honestly, I wasn’t quite prepared for initially. And in fact, it was my biggest reason why I would often avoid doing sensory bins at home.
The first time I had introduced a sensory bin to my daughter was when she had turned a year old. I had mixed some food colours in flour and threw in a few spoon and plastic cups in the plastic bin for her to play with.
And it was a big DISASTER!
Not only the colourful flour was all over on the floor, but it was also in her mouth, on her clothes and everywhere.
It took me a lot of time to clear off the mess and I swore to myself to keep sensory bins away from my home.
But things changed quite a lot, after the quarantine situation. With the lockdown and no schools to go to, I decided to revisit our sensory bins experience.
Now that my daughter was two years old, things were a little different. She was able to understand the things around her and also play with them better.
After reading a ton of articles online, to figure out how we could do it the easy way, I only reached one conclusion and that is you have to teach your toddler on how to play with sensory bins.
Now that I think about it, it makes complete sense. Toddlers are at that age where they like to explore and the mess that they create with the sensory bin is not really mess but a way through which they are exploring to play with it.
So, to help them explore better as well as learn better, it is important to teach your child how to play with sensory bins.
In this article, I have shared a few simple tips and tricks that worked really well in teaching my daughter on how to play with sensory bins and now she is a pro with them.
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Helpful tips and tricks on how to introduce sensory bins to toddlers
1. Start with a simple sensory bin
My first and foremost learning, don’t start with anything messy as it can really demotivate you. Start with a simple sensory bin like a pack of plain rice and a few tools are the easiest form of sensory bins. It can easily be cleaned by vacuum and also, it’s edible.
2. Be prepared for the first few times as they are going to be messy
The first few times are going to be really messy and instead of fretting over it, it is important to be prepared for the mess.
I found that having a plastic mat, an old bedsheet or an old shower curtain liner comes in handy and can save you a ton of time from having to clean up on the sensory bin mess once your little one is done playing. Also, they can be easily washed in the washing machine.
3. Make your rules and communicate them to your toddler
It is important to let your toddler know when they start to create a mess.
If they continue to keep creating a mess, then you can either take the bin away or give them some quiet time so that they understand that it is not all right to throw things outside of the sensory bins.
4. Stay close to them
Don’t leave your child unsupervised with sensory bins. Even if they become a pro at them, it is very important to keep a close eye on them to avoid choking hazards or any other unforeseen situation.
5. Having patience is important
Teaching your toddler to play with sensory bin is just like teaching any other things to them. Be it potty training, learning to eat or riding their first scooter, learning to play with sensory bins will also come with a few practices.
So, keep your patience!
6. Introduce the sensory bin to your toddler
Just putting everything in a bin will not teach your toddler how to play with them. Teach them how to use the tools and how they can use these tools to play with rice or corn.
Run them through different ways on how they can play with sensory bins and then sit back and enjoy watching them make their own stories with them.
Related. Read this article here on how to introduce an activity to a toddler the Montessori way so that they will love doing it again and again.
7. Give them a large area to play
Always lay the sensory bind activity in a room where they have enough space to play.
It can help them think and explore better.
8. Practice makes perfect
Finally, with practice, your toddler will love to play with sensory bins like a pro. The more they practice the better they will get at it.
Sensory bin basics: Everything you need
Find a complete list of what you need to set up a simple sensory bin set up at home
Also creating a simple craft supplies library at home for your little one can save you a ton of time when you these art and craft activities with them. Read this post here to find the basic craft supplies that one must have in their library.
Looking for some ideas on sensory bins? Here is a list of 21 amazing sensory bins ideas for your toddlers that I have enjoyed setting up for my daughter. All these ideas are simple, mostly requires stuff lying around your home and have been a great hit.
On a final note, keeping patience with your little one is the most important thing while teaching them how to play with sensory bins. There are going to be a few mishappens sometimes, but it is important to understand the real value of sensory bins is more than all the mess that you will see.
It teaches your kids important life skills but most importantly, it teaches them to be more imaginative and think outside the box.
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