A great way to entertain your kids indoors in the winter months is to use a themed sensory bin or sensory activity. This Winter Sensory Bin full of pretend snow and huge fluffy white pom pom ‘snowballs’ can turn your living room into a winter wonderland full of free play, fine motor skill practice and a whole lot of fun.
Whether you live somewhere that already has snow outside, or you’re looking for the next best thing, this Winter Sensory Bin is a lot warmer and easier to play with than the real thing.
Let’s take a look at how to set up your own!
- Table Of Contents
How To Create A Winter Snowball Sensory Bin
Step 1)
Cut squares of polyester batting or felt.
Step 2)
Add plastic snowflakes.
Step 3)
Add large and small white pom poms of different textures.
Step 4)
Add dried white beans or rice for added scooping and sorting play possibilities.
Step 5)
Add mini Arctic animal toys, sensory play tools, scoops and bowls beside your tray.
Materials Needed
- Squares of white polyester batting or felt
- Small and large white pom poms
- Mini Arctic animal toy set
- Snowflake ornaments or toys
- Spoons
- Bowls
- Sensory tub, 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 color do you see? (white)
- Why is white a winter color? (snow)
- What is snow? (it’s like frozen rain)
- Where does snow come from? (clouds)
- Do certain animals live in the snow? (polar bears, rabbits and hares, arctic fox)
- Did you know some animals turn white in the winter to camouflage? (explain camouflage)
- Can you scoop a snowball?
- Can you scoop all the snowballs into a bowl?
- Let’s count how many snowflakes there are.
- Let’s hide the Arctic animals in the snow.
- Let’s make snowflake soup and scoop it into bowls.
Connect the sensory bin experience to other learning activities. For example, use the sensory bin as inspiration for drawing or painting winter-themed artwork. You can also pair this activity with your favorite winter books.
You can prompt children to create a winter story based on the sensory bin contents as well. This can enhance language development and creativity.
Variation Ideas
If your kids like to dump sensory bins out, you can skip the white beans or white rice and this sensory bin is still a ton of fun and a lot less messy.
You can also use white shredded paper instead of felt to create deep ‘snow’. Or add in different items that are white or fit the winter theme for textural differences like cotton balls, styrofoam balls, or white beads for older children. White pipe cleaners coiled into springs or balls are another great idea.
You could also hide white letters or numbers in this sensory bin and challenge your kids to find them all. Children can dig through the “snow” to find letters, promoting letter recognition and early literacy skills.
Benefits of this Winter Sensory Bin
Sensory Exploration:
The Winter Snowball Sensory Bin provides a rich sensory experience for children. The varied textures of the polyester batting, felt squares, pom poms, and dried beans or rice engage their sense of touch. The inclusion of snowflake ornaments and Arctic animal toys adds visual interest, making this the perfect activity to stimulate their sense of sight.
Fine Motor Skills:
Engaging with the Winter Snowball Sensory Bin encourages the development of fine motor skills and hand strength in children. The act of picking up, squeezing, and manipulating the small pom poms, felt squares, and other objects helps strengthen their hand muscles and improves hand-eye coordination. Using tools like spoons or fine motor tools further refines their fine motor skills as they scoop, grasp, and transfer items within the sensory bin.
Creativity and Imagination:
The open-ended nature of the Winter Snowball Sensory Bin sparks creativity and imagination in young children. As they explore the winter-themed materials, they have the opportunity to invent stories about the winter season, create imaginary worlds, and role-play with the Arctic animal toys.
Cognitive Development:
Sensory bins can play a significant role in cognitive development. Sorting activities with the white pom poms and dried beans or rice encourages cognitive skills like categorization. Counting snowflakes or arranging items based on size promotes early math concepts.
Social Interaction:
Whether children are collaboratively building a winter scene, engaging in imaginative play with the Arctic animal toys, or taking turns with the sensory tools, this winter-themed bin promotes cooperation and communication.
Final Thoughts
This fun winter bin is not only a great opportunity for creative play, but it’s also a fun sensory experience and an easy way to encourage fine motor skill development. It’s a huge hit with toddlers and an easy winter activity for home or school. Whether it’s your first time setting up sensory activities or you’re a pro, this Winter Sensory Bin is the perfect way to create lasting memories and nurture a love for learning through hands-on, seasonal fun.
Stick around Crafty Kids Play for more fun ideas to keep little hands entertained and learning all year long.
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