Deck their halls this Christmas…
Christmas is A LOT of work!!! Not only do we hunt down a tree (real or faux), we decorate the tree, fill it with presents, thrown in some stockings and some Christmas spirit and we are done, right? Ha! I wish. But seriously, of all the countless hours of stress and details we put into Christmas… why stop there? The kids will be out of school this week, family will be trickling in, and the chaos and Christmas Carols begin. This sensory bin is not only toddler approved but so easy to change out for any holiday or season.
We keep Brielle’s sensory bin under her toddler bed in her bedroom. It fits underneath just perfect and the lid locks in place to keep the rice in and the dirties out. We purchased her sensory bin at Walmart in the tubs section for under $10. We also purchased a 10lb bag of white rice to start our sensory bin (the big filler). Some people dye their rice (too messy and too extra for me), or use other fillers such as beans or chickpeas. I like the rice because it is much smaller and easier to play with for my babies tiny hands.
Once you have your base filler (rice), find other age appropriate items that fit into your “holiday” theme and place in sensory bin. Cups and spoons are great. I put candy canes and ornaments to add to the Christmas theme. This was perfect because she is not allowed to touch them on the tree so she was free to explore the touch and feel of these on her own! I also added Christmas shaped cookie cutters and a star ice cube tray that she enjoyed filling with rice.
Not only can you put this together in less than 10 minutes, but you can re-use it until your toddler grows out of it! You will be more than thankful that you prepared this in advance to keep your toddler busy during these next two weeks. It can be a bit messy so set it up in the kitchen on a rug for easier clean up. This kept my toddler AND my 9 year old busy for almost an hour after pictures!! Have fun and drop some comments below with the items YOU used for your sensory bin!