Easy Spring Sensory Box for Toddlers

Okay, let's all take a collective sigh of relief because we are almost to Spring!

YOU MADE IT!

You made it through the darkest and harshest part of the year and now we're entering the season where life comes back.

The flowers start to pop out of the ground, the leaves start to sprinkle back into the trees, and your grass gets a little greener.

This is a great time for you to start talking about a lot of different types of things with your toddler whether it's Easter, bugs, flowers, or gardens. Their little minds are ready to grow and today I'm going to give you some powerful tools to help you nature that readiness.

If you don't homeschool your littles, don't scoot out the door because I believe this is still going to be super applicable to the life you're working to cultivate within your home and I promise you it doesn't talk a lot of time. 10-15 intentional minutes a day can create a huge impact in your child's life and believe me when I say that kids thrive on consistency. If you choose to be consistent in working with your child for roughly 10 minutes a day, you'll quickly start to see how beneficial it can be.

How do children learn?

Children learn through play! Isn't that amazing? All of the critical things they need to be learning right now can be done through play. Think of it like this- if you're trying to teach your kids how to identify their letters or numbers, find a letter puzzle and work through that with them. As you continue to identify the letters and match them, they'll start to learn how to do that too! Or in this case of today's sensory bin- if you want to teach your kids about some important aspects of Spring, bring them together in a sensory box and let your child freely engage and play.

What is a sensory box?

A sensory box is a large container- whatever you can find or have on hand- filled with a bunch of different items to help your child better understand an overarching theme (like Spring, construction sites, water play, etc.)

There are four main things you need to consider when you're creating a sensory box:

• The Container: You can get some fancy ones online, but I almost guarantee that you already have something at home. Personally, we have a set of two standing sensory bins that have an adjustable height and come with lids. I'll link them here. I like these because we can take the container in and out of the metal braces so it can be a sitting or standing activity. I've also used simple plastic containers with locking lids that are under $10 (also linked above) and they worked out nicely as well.

• The Base: Your base is what you put in first. You want it to be small (avoid choking hazards) and you want a lot of it! So if you're creating a Winter Sensory Bin, your base may be white rice to resemble snow. If you're creating a set up for Water Play, your base would be water. If you're creating a Fall Sensory Bin, your base may be corn kernels or dried oats. You're welcome to do shredded or crinkled paper as your base; however, I have noticed that the sensory bins that have that type of base are usually less entertaining for my kiddos. Your kids may love it! Give it a try and see what they prefer.

• The Fillers: Your filler is going to be all of the little things that they interact with in the sensory bin. If you're creating a Farm Sensory Bin, your filler would be the tractors and the animals. If you're creating a Christmas Sensory Bin, your filler might be bows and ripped pieces of wrapping paper. You want your filler items to be the thing that brings your theme all together.

• Scoops and Chutes: I highly recommend having a scoop, funnel, or some sort of chute included in your sensory bin. Think of things like- empty paper towel/toilet paper rolls, shovels, rakes, cups, and so on. Your kids are going to want to scoop and pour whatever your base is so make sure you give them the proper tools!

What are the benefits of a sensory box?

I could go on FOREVER about the benefits a sensory box! Not only are they super easy and affordable to create, but they also harbor a lot of benefits when it comes to your child's learning experience. It gives them the opportunity to experiment through play- "If I pour this scoop of rice down the paper towel roll quickly, then it will spill over. If I don't want it to spill, I need to go slower."

THIS IS THE KIND OF PLAY WE WANT TO ENCOURAGE!

Giving your child the freedom to dump, pour, and explore through sensory play is beneficial for their growth in language, fine motor skills, gross motor skills, cognition, and social interactions. Sensory bins are a fantastic way to introduce your children to unfamiliar tools, textures, or experiences in a controlled environment.

I love sensory boxes because you can use them at any age! We did them for our littles when they were able to sit up on their own and we use them now with our almost four year old! The biggest part is that you're creating a custom sensory box for your child so remember to meet them where they are and only include items that are age appropriate.

How do I introduce the sensory box?

At first, you need to be a little more hands on as your child gets used to the sensory bin. Establish the rules of the sensory bin (if you're on my email list, you received "Sensory Play Rules"- a free printable that you can hang in your sensory corner to help your child remember the rules of the sensory box) and repeat them over and over. You're welcome to come up with your own set of rules, but ours look like- clean up all messes, use gentle hands, no throwing, everything stays in the box, and of course HAVE FUN!

Once you have the sensory box set up and the rules established, excitedly talk your child through the different aspects of what's in the box. "Here we have a super cold arctic wonderland filled with a bunch of animals who live in the snow. Can you help me build a cave for the polar bear using these popsicle sticks?"

When you feel confident that your child is playing well independently, you now have the most important job of all- sit back and let them play freely.

Don't instruct their play or fuss every time something spills- and things WILL spill. Sit back and watch the wonder and curiosity grow within your child. At this point, why don't you reheat your coffee and grab a book so you can relax while they play.

(PLEASE just make sure you are not leaving your child unattended with the sensory box and obviously, please make sure the items in your sensory box are age appropriate and do not contain choking hazards.)

How do I store my sensory boxes?

Please do not buy a new container for every themed sensory box you create. There is a better way! I like to have two sensory boxes on hand (which is why I enjoy and recommend the two pack of sensory bins- linked here) so that I am able to always have the opportunity for dry and wet sensory play. But if you're wanting to start with one sensory bin- that works too!

Buy your container and when you're changing out your sensory bins, put your base (rice, beans, dried oats, etc.) in a large ziplock bag. I like to reuse my base for different boxes and encourage you to do the same to limit expenses. For example, I like to use dried black beans as the base for my Halloween Play and for my Spring Play (as dirt). Take out your filler and organize it however you want. I have a large basket where I keep all of my filler items so that they can also be interchangeable. For instance, I use the tractors for Farm Play and for Fall. If you like to keep all of your themes together, please do so! Make this idea your own.

Now that we've had a chance to better understand what this is all about, time to dive in!

Let's Create An Easy Spring Sensory Box!

As you can see here, this is the Spring Sensory Box that I created and so far, it's been a big hit with my kids (almost 2 and 4).

My base is dried pinto beans.

My filler are the bugs and small fake flowers.

The plastic gardening tools and two flower pots act as my scoops and chutes.

Other things you can include in a Spring Sensory Box include:

• green split peas (base)

• painted rocks (filler)

• small watering can (chute)

• plastic vegetables for a garden (filler)

• dried black beans (filler)

and so much more!

The possibilities are endless when it comes to creating a sensory bin for your littles. I tend to switch out my sensory boxes about once a month or so, depending on how they're enjoying it. If it's going really well, then I leave it a little longer and if they're quickly burned out on it, I'll switch it up sooner.

The best part about sensory boxes is that they are completely customizable and very affordable, BUT they pack a punch! Your child grows so much through this experience and that's the real prize of it all.

Feel free to reach out with any questions you have and if you like this type of content, let me know so that I can keep it coming!

As always, thank you for connecting with me today and I hope this post blesses you and your kiddos.

Until next time!

SB

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