Easy Beach Sensory Bin For Toddlers (With Ice & Sand)

Letting your toddler or preschooler explore an ocean themed sensory bin is a great way to learn about sea animals and introduce the ocean theme through sensory experience. If you’re a fan of messy play or sensory activities, this is a fun way for little hands to explore different textures, and temperatures and learn more about the natural world around them. 

• Table Of Contents
  • How To Create A Beach Sensory Bin
    • Materials Needed
  • Tips and Guided Play Suggestions
  • Variation Ideas
  • Benefits of this Beach Sensory Bin
  • Final Thoughts

How To Create A Beach Sensory Bin

Step 1

Fill your ocean-themed ice tray with water that’s been dyed blue with food coloring. You can skip the food coloring if you’re concerned about your child’s skin becoming a little dyed blue.  Ours washed off during bath time.

Freeze your ice cubes for a few hours until they are solid. 

Step 2

Add sand and seashells to one side of your sensory bin. You can find seashells at your local craft store. Regular sand or kinetic sand are both great options for this beach sensory bin.

Step 3

Add ocean themed ice to the other side of your sensory bin. You can add water yourself, but I recommend letting your child add the water themselves so they can see what happens. 

Step 4

Add ocean themed toys, spoons and fine motor skill tools to your sensory tray and play!

Materials Needed

• Blue food coloring
• Water
• Ocean themed ice tray
• Sand
• Ocean toys
• Sea shells
• Spoons
• Bowls
• Sensory tub, plastic bin, tray or sensory table
• Optional Fine Motor Skill Tools:
  • Helping Hands Fine Motor Tool Set
  • (or child safe tongs and tweezers)

Tips and Guided Play Suggestions

Ask open-ended questions to prompt conversation and imaginative thinking! Here are some examples:

• What colors do you see? 
• What textures do you feel?
• What is happening to the ice?
• What happens when the sand gets wet?
• What kind of animals live in the ocean?

If you’re setting up this activity indoors, spread out a large blanket or towel to help catch the mess. If you let little hands dry off completely, you can just dust the sand right off.

Allowing ice to melt on the sand can help spark conversations about why the ice melts faster in the water. When children add the water to this sensory bin themselves, they’ll see how quickly the ice melts and how the food coloring mixes into the water.

Use this type of activity to expand children’s understanding of the ocean and beach and learn new words by adding in sea creatures they’ve never seen before. I found my toys from Safari Ltd, Toobs but there are lots of beach themed toys at the dollar store too.

Variation Ideas

You can leave out the blue food dye if you’re concerned about it mildly staining the hands of children working with this sensory tray. You can also try making your ice different colors or different shades of blue. 

To enhance your beach theme, you can use different beach items or palm trees alongside your plastic sea creatures. You can also add items like sea glass or your favorite beach accessories like mini umbrellas. 

I used a container that has a separation in the middle, but you can use one large container and pile the sand on one side before pouring in water. The dish I used is called a ‘divided glass baking dish’ or a ‘divided casserole dish’. 

Using blue jello for the ocean water will give this sensory activity a totally different texture. If you want a taste-safe ocean sensory bin, try crushed cheerios for the sand and jello for the water. 

Benefits of this Beach Sensory Bin

Sensory Stimulation: 

The beach sensory bin provides a multisensory experience, stimulating various senses such as touch, sight, and proprioception. Feeling the coolness of the ice, the texture of the sand, and exploring the sea-themed items is the perfect way to enhance sensory development.

Fine Motor Skills Development: 

Incorporating tools like spoons and fine motor skill tools promotes the development of fine motor skills. Children can scoop, pour, and manipulate the sand and water, refining their hand-eye coordination and dexterity.

Imaginative Play: 

The ocean-themed setting encourages imaginative play, allowing kids to create their own stories, scenarios, and explore their creativity. This imaginative thinking fosters cognitive development and problem-solving skills.

Language Development: 

Asking open-ended questions during playtime prompts children to express their thoughts and observations. This not only enhances their vocabulary but also encourages communication skills and the ability to articulate their experiences.

Environmental Awareness: 

Introducing ocean-themed elements in the sensory bin sparks curiosity about the natural world. Children can learn about different sea creatures, habitats, and develop an early appreciation for environmental concepts.

Independent Exploration: 

Allowing children to add water to the bin themselves and engage in free play promotes a sense of autonomy and independence. This hands-on approach encourages self-directed learning and decision-making.

Final Thoughts

This simple beach sensory bin is a great idea to introduce young children to sensory exploration and help them learn more about the beach and ocean. Even once the ice melts, you’ll be able to use this sandy beach for hours of sensory play. Get older children in on the fun and have a ‘beach day’ or ‘beach party’ at your house; you can wear sunglasses and beach hats and make special ocean themed treats to play into the fun theme.

Stick around Crafty Kids Play for the best sensory bins, playful learning activities and fun crafts for kids!