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Make a Sensory Seek and Find Present

Sensory Treasure Hunt Gift Set Up
A picture in the lid shows treasure hunters what to seek for in the sensory tub.

We love giving homemade gifts and we love giving sensory gifts to kids.  This present is a fun one because it's simple to make, and fun to receive.  We made two of them for a recent weekend when we attended two birthday parties!

You will need:

  • A container with a lid  (We used old laundry soap tubs- you just have to keep your eye out for a container that a small hand will fit in.)
  • Treasures- marbles, coins, stones, buttons, you know: treasures
  • A Sensory Filler- rice, beans, lentils, corn- we used some Rainbow Rice we had made.
  • A photo of your treasures and glue (optional)

Lay out your treasures together and photograph them.  I took a picture from a little ways back so I would be able to crop it close to the treasures.  I made a lucky guess for size when I printed them out.

Creating Photos for Sensory treasure Hunt
Using Picasa, I cropped the image and printed it out. This is on an 8.5x11" piece of paper.

Glue or tape your image onto your container– I glued mine inside the lid.

Treasures from Seek and Find on top of their Photo
The treasures sitting on top of their photo in the lid of the sensory tub

Mix the treasure with the sensory filler, close up your container and decorate; easy as that!

Sensory Seek and Find Gifts
Decorated and ready to be given as birthday gifts

My kids really enjoyed deciding which treasures to include in the gift they were giving, and of course we hope their friends have fun seeking them out!

Alissa Zorn stands near a pond with an orange shirt on wearing a black button down over that.

Alissa Zorn is an author, and founder of the website Overthought This. She's a coach and cartoonist passionate about helping people overcome perfectionism and shame to build authentic, joyful lives. Alissa is certified through the International Coach Federation and got her Trauma-Informed Coaching certification from Moving the Human Spirit. She wrote Bounceback Parenting: A Field Guide for Creating Connection, Not Perfection, and is always following curiosity to find her next creative endeavor.