Fun Fall Sensory Bins for Toddlers
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Hooray, it’s almost fall! And chances are, you’re getting ready to find some fun activities to keep your little movers aka toddlers busy as we approach the holiday season! So in this post, you’ll be able to find a ton of FUN Fall sensory bins for toddlers, along with other fall-themed activities!
What is a sensory bin?
You’ve probably heard other parents or educators talk about using sensory bins or sensory play with toddlers…but what the heck does that even mean?
Sensory play is a type of play that allows kiddos to explore and have fun by stimulating their senses!
A sensory bin is a “play tool” used to carry out sensory play!
For instance, sensory bins can be tailored to exploring the sensation of touch, sounds, taste, vision, or smell!
In addition to enhancing sensory exploration, sensory bins are another great way to help kiddos practice other forms of developmental learning, such as:
- Cognitive skills
- Fine Motor skills
- Language/Speech Development
- And socializing play skills!
This post may contain affiliate links from which I receive a commission if you click or make a purchase. In addition, the information on this site is NOT intended to be medical advice. Please seek professional medical care if needed. See my full policy for more information.
Sensory bin fillers & where to get them
When it comes to making your own sensory bin at home, the limits are endless with sensory bin fillers to use!
Simply pick up a plastic bin and fill it up with fun things to explore!
Some of the more “popular” fillers that I’ve seen include:
- Rice
- Dry or cooked pasta
- Dry beans
- Dirt
- Homemade edible dirt (blended oreo cookies without the filling)
- Homemade edible sand (blended graham crackers)
- Soapy water or bubble foam
- Ice cubes
- Cooked plain or dyed noodles
- Leaves (real or fake ones)
All these sensory bin fillers can be materials you already have sitting in your pantry at home, at a local grocery or department store, or as always — Amazon.
Thanksgiving/Fall Sensory Bins
With Fall pretty much being just around the corner, I rounded up some awesome Fall/Thanksgiving themed sensory bins you can try at-home with your little toddlers!
Fall Themed Sensory Bin by Fantastic, Fun, and Learning
This sensory bin by Fantastic, Fun, and Learning encompasses SO many sensory explorations from the bright colored bin fillers, variety of textures, and different scents!
Get your little ones senses tingling with this fun fall themed sensory bin! Definitely one of my personal favorite that I’ll be recreating for my little guy this fall!
Indian Corn Sensory Bin by Still Playing School
Time to kick up the fun with some fall colors and textures!
You can use basic household measuring cups OR grab some sensory scoops to make it even more exciting!
Your little one can have fun feeling the small corn between their fingers, crinkling around some corn husk, and digging out buried treasures under all the corn!
What kind of hidden treasured might they find?!
Halloween toddler sensory bin by Lanham Creations
Instead of spooky and scary, how about messy and fun?!
This Halloween water sensory bin is perfect for littles to splash around, play with foam, and if you add in some food coloring, you can turn it into a color sorting activity too!
Edible Halloween Sensory Bin by The Inspiration Edit
A gooey-textures sensory bin that your kiddo can actually snack on?! Yes please!
Check out this clever edible sensory bin — Halloween style, from The Inspiration Edit!
More Fall Sensory Bins to try at home:
Christmas Sensory Bins
Snow Sensory Bin by Team Cartwright
I love the variety of “snow” options Kim shares in her Snow Sensory Bin activity!
This allows your child to experience a variety or textures that are perfectly paired with the best holiday ever, Christmas!
Needless to say, I’ll be trying out some of her cloud dough in a sensory bin this winter for my 2 year old!
Christmas Sensory Box by The Teaching Mama
I love the bright colors this sensory box boasts.
What better way to bring in the festive holiday season than getting those little hands mushed up in some colorful pasta & exploring with this Christmas Sensory Box!
More Christmas Sensory Bins to try at home:
Fall sensory activities for toddlers
If sensory bins aren’t your thing right now or your toddler is struggling to get into them, here’s a list of more fun sensory play activities you can try!
Thanksgiving Dot Markers by Two Pink Peonies
Dot markers are toddler-friendly paint markers! Basically, they can have LOADS of fun exploring new colors without all the extra mess that normal painting comes with!
How to use dot markers? Simple! Follow along with this printable dot marker Thanksgiving themed toddler activity and you’ll have the fanciest turkey on the block!
Here’s a few of the Dot Markers we really enjoy:
Kids Nature Scavenger Hunt (fall edition) by Dresses & Dinosaurs
This fun scavenger hunt is a wonderful activity to get some fresh air for your little ones, practice language building skills and build up problem solving skills!
Not to mention, even if you don’t have the specific supplies needed for this scavenger hunt, you can use whatever you have at home to tailor it to what you do have!
Autumn Paper Plate Wreath by Two Pink Peonies
Not only is this a fun activity to keep your kiddos creativity flowing, but it’s an AWESOME one to include if you homeschool your children!
With minimal supplies needed, this little crafty activity is easy to set up and requires very little cleanup — a dream activity for parents with toddlers!
Printable Fall Matching Game by The Artisan Life
These adorable fall matching cards would make a great addition to any toddler’s routine!
Not only do matching games help train visual memory and improve vocabulary, but they also help to increase our little one’s attention to detail!
Handprint Fall Tree for Kids by Simple Everyday Mom
What a fun way to explore by tracing hands and picking out bright fall-colored leaves to make your own tree!
Have fun with your toddler by letting them choose which leaves to put on. Will the pick a green leaf? An orange leaf? Maybe they’ll pick them all!
To add an extra spin on this fun activity, take your toddler outside and let them pick out a couple of REAL leaves from the yard to add onto their fun new hand-made tree!
Fall Leaf I Spy for Kids by This Tiny Blue House
This fun little activity sheet will keep your kiddos engaged to help reduce screen time and make a great “on-the-go” activity!
Plus, if you have an older toddler, you can make the game harder or easier as they need!
Toddler Fall Scavenger Hunt by The Wild West 3
Here’s another fun, photo-based scavenger for your littles to get them engaged and practice those memory skills!
Help them as much or as little as they need — while they explore their surrounding to find the items listed for them!
There you have it, lots of FUN fall sensory bins for toddlers to keep those senses exploring and little brains growing!
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