Young kids love sensory play, and here is an easy apple sensory bin idea you will want to set up this fall! This preschool sensory bin is easy to make, and great for fine motor practice, counting, and more! Make sure to grab the free printable sensory bin guide, and check out more fun apple activities for kids to do this fall.
Enjoy Apple Activities For Fall
Young kids love theme sensory play ideas for the changing seasons and holidays. There are tons of fun ways to engage toddlers to preschoolers with sensory play. Adding an apple theme is the icing on the cake!
Kids love to dig their hands into a newly made sensory bin, scoop and pour, and carry out storytelling. Creating an apple sensory bin is a super fun theme for Fall.
Below you’ll find great resources to help you assemble an apple theme unit! I know your kids will have so much fun with the hands-on activities below.
The Benefits Of Sensory Bins
Are sensory bins worth it? Yes, they are worth it. The more basic you keep the sensory bin, the better off you are. Remember, you 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 play 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.
- Sensory Bin Ideas and Themes
- Best Sensory Bin Fillers
- Non Food Sensory Bin Fillers
- Rice Sensory Bin Ideas
- How To Set Up A Sensory Bin
- Sensory Play Recipes You Can Use
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, which a sensory bin is designed for.
Scoop the apples 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 apples to scoop at a time. Or simply count the number of apples put into the basket.
Use the water to clean or wash the apples before baking them. Imaginative play with an apple sensory bin is lots of fun!
Get Your Free Quick Start Sensory Bin Guide
It’s as easy as 1-2-3-4 to make a sensory bin! Get started today with this simple sensory bin guide.
How To Make An Apple Sensory Bin
Also check out how to set up this easy pumpkin sensory bin!
Supplies:
- Deep Tray
- Water
- Learning Resources Attribute Apples (optional)
- Red, Yellow, Green balls
- Variety of Spoons, Ladles
- Cup, Bowl or Basket
Sensory Bin Set Up:
It’s pretty much a 1-2-3 process for setting up a sensory bin. Remember, it will never look quite as pretty as the moment before your kids dig into it. Don’t make it too complicated!
STEP 1. Fill up your tray with water.
STEP 2. Add the apples or balls. Include some spoons, ladles or tongs for kids to use to scoop up the apples.
STEP 3. Provide a small cup or basket for kids to place the apples in.
How many apples can you scoop?
More Fun Apple Activities For Preschoolers
- Explore the parts of an apple.
- Learn about how an apple grows.
- Use the senses to investigate how apples taste.
- Play and learn with apple oobleck.
- Enjoy an apple pie sensory bin.
- Make apple squeeze balls for little hands.
- Explore apples with playdough.
Printable Apple Preschool Pack
Get ready to explore this year with our growing Preschool STEM Bundle!
What’s Included:
There are 4 fun preschool themes to get you started. This is an ” I can explore” series!
- My 5 Senses
- All About Me
- Science and Scientist
- Apples
Each unit contains approximately 15 activities, with instructions and templates as needed. Hands-on activities are provided to keep it fun and exciting. This includes sensory bins, experiments, games, and more! Easy supplies keep it low cost and book suggestions add the learning time.
