Summer Sensory Bin Ideas

Encourage sensory exploration this summer by creating these awesome summer sensory bin ideas! Themes include oceans, gardens, and so much more!

Sensory play is an important part of early childhood development. It helps little ones develop their sense of touch, fine motor skills, language skills, and cognitive skills. Summer sensory bins are perfect for this time of year!

Sensory bins are a great way to encourage sensory play, and they’re pretty easy to set up.

SUMMER SENSORY BINS

Summer Sensory Bin | Kids will explore sand and seashells and ocean animals with this fun bin. The Crafting Chicks

Summer Flower Sensory Soup | Fill a container with water and flowers and let your kids make sensory soup. Add in different containers for filling and pouring, and your kids will be entertained for hours. Simple Fun for Kids

Sticky Sand Sensory Experience | Fill your bin with some sticky sand and summer sand toys, and let your kids get creative! Fireflies and Mudpies

Scented Seashell Alphabet Search Sensory Bin | Colored sand, coconut scent, and lots of seashells make up this fun sensory bin. Writing letters on the back of each seashell creates an opportunity to reinforce identifying the letters of the alphabet, as well. The Kindergarten Connection

Ocean Sensory Bin Sorting Activity | With picture cards to match the ocean plants and animals in this bin, your kids can go on a sensory bin scavenger hunt as they sort through the bin looking for each item. A Dab of Glue Will Do

Ocean Animals Science Sensory Bin | “This simple sensory bin is a great way to get children exploring marine life through sight, sound, touch, and even scent!” Parenting Chaos

Finding Dory Inspired Sensory Bin | If your kids are fans of Dory and Nemo, they are sure to play with this bin for hours and hours reenacting different scenes from the movies. Frugal Mom, Eh!

Sparkly Ocean Sensory Bag | Turn your child’s artwork into a sensory experience when you create this fun sensory bag. Then, check out all of the fun ways she uses the sensory bag to work on skills. B Inspired Mama

Insect Sensory Bin | I love what she used for the insects in this summertime sensory bin! Teaching Mama

Ocean Sensory Bag | Make an ocean sensory bag for your toddlers and preschoolers to explore. It’s a great activity for summer fun before or after a tip to the beach! Homeschool Preschool

Duck Pond Sensory Bin | This bin mimics one of my favorite carnival games. Kids will love splashing around and playing with rubber ducks in this duck pond. Mama Papa Bubba

Ice Cream Sensory Bin | Who doesn’t love ice cream in the summer? This ice cream sensory bin is simple to put together, and kids will have a blast scooping and exploring all summer long! Fantastic Fun and Learning

Ice Fish Play | Playing with ice fish on a sunshine-y day is a perfect way to keep kids entertained. Ice fish are simple to make. Your kids will enjoy scooping them up and watching them melt. Messy Little Monster

Ocean Sand Sensory Bin | Inspired by a thrift store find, this ocean sand sensory bin is perfect for small spaces. Things to Share and Remember

Beach Sensory Play and Small World | If you have a water table, you can turn it into a sensory beach! (If not, just use a large bin.) Add sand, driftwood, plastic sea creatures, and sea shells, and you let your kids explore. Fantastic Fun and Learning

Beach Party Sensory Activity Bin | You may not be able to make it to the beach this summer, but you can certainly recreate one at home. See how she combined jello, cookie crumbs, and spaghetti to create the perfect ocean-themed sensory bin. Mommy’s Bundle

Summer Sensory Bin | With items found at the local dollar store, this sensory bin is a glittery ocean beckoning your kids to come and explore. The Chaos and the Clutter

Ivory Soap Foam Sensory Play | We’ve done the ivory soap science experiment before, but I never turned it into a sensory activity afterward. These are great ideas. Little Bins for Little Hands

Spring/Summer Rock Sensory Exploration Bin | Send your little ones on an animal hunt with this rock-themed sensory bin. Artsy Momma

Buried Treasure Sensory Bin | The race is on to find the buried treasure hidden deep inside this sensory bin! It’s so much fun your kids won’t realize they’re learning at the same time. True Aim Education

Lemon Sensory Water Play | If you’re looking for something fun to do with your preschoolers on a warm summer afternoon, this lemon-themed water play activity is a must-do. Fantastic Fun and Learning

Frozen Oobleck Sensory Play | I love making oobleck with kids, but I’ve never tried frozen oobleck! Add some frozen oobleck fish to a bin of frozen oobleck and watch your kids explore the textures. Messy Little Monster

Blowing Bubbles: Alphabet Sensory Bin | This is so unique! Your child will love sifting through all the bubbles to school out all of the letters of the alphabet hiding among them. The Kindergarten Connection

Snake Sensory Bin | A little silly string and a bag of plastic snakes will entertain your little ones for hours! Moms and Crafters

Ocean Theme Sensory Bin | Here’s another fun ocean themed sensory bin your kids are sure to enjoy. Teaching 2 and 3 Year Olds

Under the Sea Themed Activities | Here’s a unique spin on ocean-themed sensory activities. Try this FROZEN sensory play. Natural Beach Living

Coconut Oil Moon Sand | Squishy sand that smells like summer! Twitchetts

Dinosaur Activity Bin | This is a great activity bin to set outside in the summer. Fill it with water, stones, dinosaurs, and reptiles, and your little ones can stomp and splash and roar all afternoon. Happy Hooligans

Mud Sensory Play | I have met very few tots and preschoolers who could resist a great mud puddle. This bin is messy, but it’s worth it. Kids need to explore and get messy to enhance all of their senses. Mommy Evolution

Summer Sensory Play | I like that this activity is presented in individual baking pans so that each child can explore in his/her own way. Mama Smiles

CVC Constellation Word Building Sensory Bin | Black beans mimic the night sky. Yellow and silver stars adorned with letters of the alphabet round out this sensory bin. Kids explore the bin and search for stars that spell out CVC words. The Kindergarten Connection

Ocean Small World Play | Set up an ocean-themed small world for your kids. While this one can get a little messy, it’s a great way for kids to explore the beach – especially if they’ve never been to one. Rainy Day Mum

Under the Sea Jello Sensory Bin | All you need to set up this slipper, slimy, tasty sensory play activity is a couple of simple ingredients, a few ocean-themed plastic toys, and time for your kids to explore. Natural Beach Living

Alphabet Ice Boats for Outdoor Summer Fun | Beat the summer heat and work on letter recognition with these fun alphabet ice boats! They’re simple to make, and kids will have so much fun exploring they won’t realize they’re learning, too. School Time Snippets

Resources You Can Use to Create These Sensory Bins

With all of these amazing summer sensory bins to choose from, how will you ever decide which one to do first?

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