Pinterest Hidden Image

What better way to say Happy Valentine’s Day than with Valentine sensory play! Simple to make and inexpensive, these Valentine sensory bins make for fun, hands-on February sensory activities to do with young kids. There are so many options for filling sensory bins for a Valentine theme. Check out our fantastic list below.

Pin

Enjoy Valentine’s Day Sensory Activities

There are so many wonderful ways to fill a sensory bin and Valentine’s Day is no exception! I have put together a collection of Valentine sensory bins with a variety of sensory bin fillers.

Some children prefer different textures over others so try a few and see what works. If your child is not all that interested in the first one you make, try again with a different sensory bin. Many are low cost and easy to store for another time.

Sensory play has a lot to do with the nervous system and your child will react to how it feels, good or bad! Watch and listen to his or her reactions. You may learn a lot about what your child enjoys. I know my child definitely favors certain textures over others. We have tried many and some have been much more fun than others for him.

Make it an experiment for the two of you to try together this February! Sensory bins can be both calming and stimulating for a child as well as engaging and educational!

Get Your Free Winter Sensory Play Guide

Add a little winter sensory play to your day this season with this free winter sensory guide!

Materials You Can Use

Wondering what to put in a Valentine sensory bin? Starting with the sensory bin filler, here are a few ideas.

We have our own list of favorite Sensory Bin Fillers, but there are so many to choose from to put together a simple Valentine sensory bin. We also have a list of non-food items you can use too!

Here are a few sensory bin fillers to try! Get creative and add your own themes. Go for white, red, pink and purple for that Valentine theme!

Pin

Remember always to supervise toddlers during sensory play, especially when small items are involved to prevent choking hazards.

Suggestion: Make Fake Snow

A fantastic winter sensory play material is our homemade fake snow recipe! It’s super easy to make and a perfect base for many sensory bin themes.

Valentine Sensory Bin Ideas

These Valentine sensory bins can provide a sensory-rich and theme play experience for young kids.

Check out our winter sensory bin ideas for sensory play the whole season long!

Pin
  1. Heart Hunt Bin:
    • Materials: Red, pink, white rice or dried beans, heart-shaped containers, heart-shaped acrylic gems
    • Hide small heart-shaped objects in the bin for kids to find using their hands or small scoops. Provide containers for filling and dumping.
  2. Love Letter Bin:
    • Materials: Shredded red and pink paper, heart-shaped envelopes, Valentine and heart stickers, and small paper cards.
    • Kids can explore the shredded paper and use the envelopes for pretend play and fine motor skills. Kids can practice fine motor skills by decorating a card to give!
  3. Candy Shop Sensory Bin:
    • Materials: Pink, natural, and/or red playdough, heart-shaped cookie cutters, plastic toy cupcakes or other fake food sweets, and candy molds.
    • Encourage imaginative play by allowing children to “bake” and create sweet treats.
  4. Rose Petal Bin:
    • Materials: Silk or fabric rose petals, small flower pots, gardening tools, and fake flowers. Alternatively, you can fill a bin with fake flower petals and larger fake flowers.
    • Kids can plant and “grow” flowers in this sensory bin, fostering a love for nature.
  5. Valentine’s Bakery Bin:
    • Materials: Red, pink, and white play dough, heart-shaped cookie cutters, rolling pins, and small baking tools. Silicone heart molds
    • Children can engage in pretend baking activities, molding heart-shaped cookies and cupcakes.
  6. Chocolate Factory Bin:
    • Materials: Brown kinetic sand, heart-shaped chocolate molds, plastic utensils, and small containers.
    • Kids can pretend to be chocolatiers, molding and creating chocolate treats.
  7. Love Potion Mixing Bin:
    • Materials: Colored water (red and pink), heart-shaped ice cubes, plastic bottles, squirt bottles, and funnels.
    • Children can mix “love potions” by pouring and transferring colored water into containers.
  8. Cupid’s Arrow Bin:
    • Materials: Paper cupids, feathers, heart-shaped beads, and pipe cleaners
    • Encourage fine motor skills by letting children create their own Cupid’s arrows using the provided materials.
  9. Valentine’s Day Sensory Soup:
    • Materials: Water, heart-shaped containers, acrylic hearts, heart-shaped sponges, and ladles.
    • Kids can pretend to cook Valentine’s Day-themed soup, stirring and serving.
  10. Pom Pom Sorting Bin:
    • Materials: Pom poms in red, pink, and purple! Small container and tongs.
    • Kids can explore the texture of the pom poms and practice fine motor skills sorting pompoms and filling containers.
Pin

Remember to adjust the size of items and the choice of fillers based on the age and developmental stage of the children.

Free Printable Valentine Sensory Ideas Guide

Grab this handy guide with ideas to help set up fabulous sensory play ideas for your kids.

Pin

The Benefits Of Sensory Bins

Are sensory bins or sensory tables worth it? Yes, they are worth it! The more basic you keep the sensory bin, the better off you are. Remember, you only need to create a tactile experience for your kids, not a Pinterest image. While we have fantastic pictures of sensory bins, they only stay that way for a minute!

Sensory bins are awesome hands-on tools for children to learn about their world and senses! Sensory play may calm a child, focus a child, and engage a child.

Here’s what children can learn from sensory bins:

Practical Life Skills ~ Sensory bins let a child explore, discover and create play using practical life skills (dumping, filling, scooping) and learn valuable play skills.

Play Skills {emotional development} ~ For both social play and independent play, sensory bins allow children to play cooperatively or side by side. My son has had many positive experiences with other children over a bin of rice!

Language Development ~ Sensory bins increase language development by experiencing all there is to see and do with their hands, which leads to great conversations and opportunities to model language.

Understanding 5 Senses ~ Many sensory bins include a few of the 5 senses! Imagine a bin of brightly colored rainbow rice: touch the loose grains against the skin, see the vivid colors as they mix together, and hear the sound of sprinkling over a plastic container or shaken in a plastic egg!

Helpful Sensory Bin Resources

There’s so much more to learn about sensory bins and sensory play. Check out these helpful resources…

Sensory Bin Tips and Tricks

Tip: Stand To Play

Due to various sensory needs, some kids may feel more comfortable standing to engage in the activity. Sitting on the floor or kneeling in front of a sensory bin may also be uncomfortable. My son’s sensory needs made standing the best choice for us.

Tip: Keep It Simple

When designing a themed sensory bin, consider how many items you put into the bin versus the size of the bin. Too many items may feel overwhelming. If your kid is playing happily with the sensory bin, resist the urge to add just one more thing!

Trick: How To Minimize Mess

It’s important for adults to model the appropriate use of sensory bins and to keep a close eye on young kids who may want to throw the filler and items. Keep a kid-size broom and dustpan handy to help them learn how to clean up spills.

Learn more about sensory bins here!

Hands-On Sensory Play Suggestions

Add accessories and tools that encourage fine motor practice for the young age group, for which a sensory bin is designed.

Scoop play items into a small container or basket and then transfer them into another container. For more difficulty, provide kitchen tongs to grab objects and transfer them to a container.

Add some sneaky math by rolling a die and counting how many things to scoop at a time. Or simply count the number of items put into the basket.

More Fun Valentine Sensory Activities

 

6 Comments

  1. This is a wonderful list of sensory filler ideas! For our Valentine sensory bin, we used dyed rice, but I have been eager to make sensory bins with dried beans and water beads for my son. Now I have a few new ideas 🙂

    http://minne-mama.blogspot.com/2014/01/valentine-sensory-bin.html

  2. Awesome, all the fillers can easily adjust to any theme, season and holiday! I just remove the toys or extras and store the fillers in gallon freezer bags in a big tote until next time!

  3. Oh fun! Last year I made one with shredded paper, fake rose petals, heart shaped boxes, lip whistles, and a few other odds n’ ends! I had fun putting it together!

Comments are closed.