Transportation Sensory Bin {Guest Bloggers Best Sensory Play Series}
{Welcome Andie of Crayon Freckles!}
My son, Bear {4 yrs}, is fascinated by anything with wheels. Always has been. His first word wasn't the typical “mama” or “dada”, it was “truck”.
The transportation theme has carried through into his preschool years. We needed a new sensory box, but I wasn't sure what to do, but I wanted it to be easy to put together as we switch it out so often. Here's what I came up with:
Transportation Theme Sensory Bin:
- popcorn & bean mix base
- 2 packs of transportation erasers ($1)
- fake rocks
- multicolored gears
- lots of toy cars and trucks from around the house
- plastic toy cones
- popsicle sticks and red, yellow, & green craft balls (for stoplights)
The popcorn and bean base was one we used a few months ago. The flat transportation erasers were bought from our dollar store. Everything else that you see was gathered from various toy bins, boxes, and bags around our house. The plastic toy gears are from a baby toy that was in the garage.
Making the popsicle stick stoplights was very simple and only took a few minutes. Bear was super excited to see them in the bin.
This transportation sensory bin only cost me $2 (for the erasers). The rest of the items were things that I already had in my house. Though I'd love to have a lot of new things each time I create another sensory bin, it's just not feasible. I have found that using items we already have in a new way revitalizes them and creates a new interest.
Some ways to expand on sensory play:
• Play “I Spy”. Take turns finding an object that meets a certain criteria (color, 4 wheels, etc).
•Add kitchen utensils. I gave the boys tongs to use to pick up corn like a crane. This expanded their play quite a bit, as the corn then turned into “gravel”.
•Sorting the items. This could be putting just lima beans into the back of a toy dump truck, or moving all the cars to one corner.
Andie Jaye is a former preschool teacher turned SAHM of two kiddos. Her blog, Crayon Freckles, is an eclectic mix of play, art, and learning activities. Mingled in are her perspectives on being a crunchy momma, having a long-haired hippy boy and using follow-your-gut parenting. See more of Andie on Crayon Freckles' Facebook page or at Pinterest.
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.