Spring is the perfect time of year to try this Bird Nest Sensory Bin! It’s not only a great fine motor activity, but it’s also the perfect way to keep your kids entertained with some fantastic fun. Combining sensory activities with the charm of spring birds, this bin becomes a great addition to your child’s playtime, offering a delightful blend of learning and hands-on enjoyment.
- Table Of Contents
How To Create A Spring Bird Nest Sensory Bin
Step 1)
Add brown shredded paper to your sensory bin
Step 2)
Add a set of: Birds In A Nest Sorting Set (Learning Resources Company) and hide them inside the brown shredded paper. For added difficulty and sensation, you can put in some colorful pom poms too.
Step 3)
Add sensory play tools, scoops and bowls beside your tray.
Step 4)
Play! Little fingers can scoop, dig and pile the shredded paper high as they search for colorful birds and add them to their nests.
Materials Needed
- Birds In A Nest Sorting Set (Learning Resources Company)
- Brown Shredded Paper
- 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?
- Are all the birds the same size?
- How many red birds can you find?
- What is a bird nest?
- What kinds of birds do you think these are? (discuss songbirds, farm birds, or other birds your child may know)
- Why do birds make nests in the spring? (to lay eggs in)
If you use the same set of birds that I did, they come in 6 colors, (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple). Each color has one large ‘mama’ bird and 5 small ‘baby’ birds that go with it. You can use this set for practice with counting, color sorting and imaginative play.
If you choose to add colored pom poms to this sensory bin, it will be a bit more difficult to find the birds but it will add a different texture and element of play to this activity.
Tips for Math Learning
If you’re looking for more extension activities with this sensory bin, these birds are great for teaching young children basic counting and math skills. Encourage children to count the number of birds in each nest. You can start with simple counting for younger children and progress to more complex scenarios, such as counting the total number of birds in the entire sensory bin.
Introduce concepts of more and less by comparing the number of birds in different nests. Ask questions like, “Which nest has more birds?” or “Can you find the nest with the fewest birds?” This helps children understand basic concepts of quantity.
Introduce and reinforce math vocabulary related to the sensory bin. Use words such as “more,” “less,” “same,” “count,” “sort,” and the names of colors. This not only enhances mathematical understanding but also supports language development.
Variation Ideas
You can use any type of bird figurines or homemade birds for this sensory bin. You can even make pipe cleaner bird figures and paint some small paper bowls in different colors to have a similar color-sorting game.
You can use different materials to fill your sensory bin instead of brown shredded paper. For a material that scoops and pours, you could consider brown dried chickpeas, lentils, or uncooked brown rice. You can also add more natural materials like small sticks, feathers or dried grass to your bin and encourage children to make nests in different ways.
You could use plastic eggs or small Easter eggs in addition to the birds’ nests. Bird seed is another interesting sensory bin filler idea for this hands-on activity.
Benefits of this Spring Sensory Bin
Sensory Exploration:
The sensory bin, filled with brown shredded paper, provides a rich and tactile environment for sensory exploration. Children can feel the different textures, enhancing their sensory awareness. The soft, rustling sound of the paper adds an auditory element to the experience.
Fine Motor Skills:
As children engage with the birds and nests in the sensory bin, they naturally develop and refine their fine motor skills. Picking up the birds, placing them in the nests, and manipulating the shredded paper all require precise hand movements. You can add fine motor tools like tongs to this great activity for more fine-motor fun. These activities strengthen hand-eye coordination and help children hone the dexterity needed for tasks such as writing, tying shoelaces, and using utensils.
Creativity and Imagination:
The open-ended nature of the sensory bin encourages creativity and imaginative play. Children can invent stories about the birds, create scenarios in which the mama bird cares for her babies, or build nests using the shredded paper. Children can also build their own nest from shredded paper with the items in this bin.
This imaginative play not only fosters creativity but also enhances language skills as children express their thoughts and ideas.
Cognitive Development:
The sorting set introduces mathematical concepts like counting, sorting, and pattern recognition, promoting cognitive development. The combination of the brown shredded paper and the colorful birds stimulates visual discrimination as children identify and categorize different elements in the bin.
Social Interaction:
Sensory bins are individual play experiences that can also provide opportunities for social interaction. Children can collaborate in creating stories, share the birds and nests, or take turns arranging the elements in the bin. This fosters important social skills such as communication, cooperation, and sharing, laying the foundation for positive social interactions in various settings.
Final Thoughts on this Bird Nest Sensory Bin
In early spring, we can celebrate new life hatching inside birds’ nests, and a sensory tray is a great way for little hands to get engaged in the theme of spring. You can pair an activity like this with a painting activity, a great craft, or a book about spring, nests, and little chicks. If you go on a nature walk this spring, you might see a bird’s nest, and this sensory activity is a fun way to explore the spring season indoors.
As the birds outside are busy building their nests, your little ones can have their own imaginative journey with the Bird Nest Sensory Bin. Whether they’re counting baby birds, creating stories about the mama bird, or simply enjoying the textures of the shredded paper, this activity offers a multifaceted learning experience for children.
Stick around Crafty Kids Play for more great ideas, hands-on activities, and fun crafts! Spring is in the air, and the world is blooming with opportunities for discovery and play.
