Young kids love sensory play, and here is an easy pumpkin 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 pumpkin activities for kids to enjoy this fall.

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Enjoy Pumpkin Sensory 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 and preschoolers with sensory play. Adding a pumpkin theme for fall 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 a pumpkin sensory bin is a super fun theme for Fall to encourage language development, fine motor skills, imaginative play and more .

Check out the great resources below to help you assemble a pumpkin theme unit! I know your kids will have so much fun with the hands-on pumpkin sensory activities.

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 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 pumpkins into a small container 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 pumpkins to scoop at a time. Or simply count the number of pumpkins put into your container.

Imaginative play with a pumpkin 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 Set Up A Pumpkin Sensory Bin

TIP: For alternative sensory bin fillers to create your pumpkin patch, you could color rice or dry pasta green. See how to dye rice and how to color pasta.

Supplies:

  • Deep Tray
  • Green shredded paper
  • Small foam pumpkins or orange balls
  • Variety of Spoons, Ladles
  • Cup, Bowl or Basket
  • Pumpkin Life Cycle Mini Pack
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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. Add the shredded paper to the base of your container.

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STEP 2. Add the pumpkins or balls and leaves. Include some spoons, ladles or tongs for kids to use to scoop up the pumpkins.

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STEP 3. Provide a small cup or basket for kids to place the pumpkins in.

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How many pumpkins or leaves can you count?

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More Fun Pumpkin Activities For Preschoolers

TIP: Want to turn this into a pumpkin pie sensory bin? Add your favorite pumpkin pie spices to homemade cloud dough. You can see how we did this with our apple pie sensory bin!

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Pumpkin Playdough

Printable Preschool Themes Pack

Who Are These Packs For?

 10+ themes to get started! These packs are perfect for kiddos ages 3-5 (older and younger as needed)! Teachers, parents, caregivers, and group leaders can use these activities easily.

Where Can I Use These Packs?

These projects can be easily used in the classroom and at home for homeschooling! A variety of hands-on activities will get your kids excited about learning! Each pack has approximately 15 activities. Also included is a book list for your next trip to the library.

Read more about this growing preschool themes bundle and see what themes will be added soon!