Thanksgiving Treasures: How to Create a Thanksgiving Sensory Bin

As we all know, Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and this holiday can be the perfect opportunity to make some themed sensory bins for your little ones. Through hands-on activities, children can develop cognitive, motor, and social-emotional skills while learning about gratitude, community, and the changing seasons.

So why not incorporate sensory play into your children's lives? We’re sure it will nurture their innate curiosity and create joyful learning experiences that will last a lifetime.

Related article: What Is a Montessori Sensory Bin?

Sensory play involves activities that engage a child's senses - touch, smell, sight, sound, and sometimes even taste. It's all about providing opportunities for children to explore and interact with the world around them through hands-on experiences.

From squishing playdough to smelling fragrant spices, sensory play stimulates a kid’s brain and fosters essential developmental skills. These are just some of the reasons why sensory bins are important, and sensory play should be encouraged.

So, what are some benefits of sensory play?

• Cognitive growth: Sensory play encourages children to watch, experiment, and make connections, promoting critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

• Fine motor skills: Activities like scooping, pouring, and handling small objects help develop hand-eye coordination and dexterity.

• Sensory integration: Sensory play helps children process and integrate information from their different senses, leading to improved sensory processing and overall development.

Montessori places a strong focus on hands-on, self-directed learning. It encourages children to explore their environment at their own pace.

Sensory play aligns perfectly with Montessori philosophy by providing children with opportunities to explore different textures, develop independence through self-directed play, and foster creativity.

And, of course, sensory play connects beautifully with Montessori in terms of real-world learning experiences. By incorporating natural materials, seasonal elements, and objects related to Thanksgiving traditions, sensory bins can provide a connection to the world around them. Plus, this will reinforce lessons about gratitude, community, and the changing seasons.

Now that we've explored the magic of sensory play, let's take a look at how you can create your own Thanksgiving-themed sensory bins your kiddo will love.

Fill a bin with brown rice or dry beans. Add feathers, googly eyes, brown pom-poms, or felt scraps. And don’t forget to put in small cups or spoons for scooping and pouring.

Encourage your kids to build their own turkeys, using the materials to create bodies, heads, and colorful tail feathers. This will promote fine motor skills, creativity, and imaginative play.

Fill a bin with colorful items like acorns, faux pumpkins, and leaves. Add sensory fillers like colored rice, pasta, or dry beans in shades of orange, red, and yellow.

Let your little ones explore the different textures and colors, sort objects by color or size, and create patterns or designs in the bin. This activity promotes sensory exploration, color recognition, and fine motor skills.

If you want more details, check out our guide on how to create a fall sensory bin.

Fill a bin with uncooked rice or dry beans. Add whole spices like cinnamon sticks, cloves, and nutmeg. You can also include dried orange slices or pine cones for additional texture and visual appeal.

Your kiddos will get to explore the different scents, identify the spices, and describe their aromas. This activity promotes vocabulary development while being the perfect multi-sensory experience.

Bring the farm to your living room with a corn-themed sensory bin celebrating the autumn harvest.

Fill a bin with dried corn kernels, small corn cobs, or even real dried corn on the cob, and add mini baskets or scoops for "harvesting" the corn.

Then, let your kids have fun with scooping, pouring, and transferring the corn kernels between containers. They can also practice counting, sorting, and creating patterns with the corn. This activity promotes fine motor skills, mathematical concepts, and an understanding of agriculture and harvesting.

Fill a bin with water and add some cranberries. Include spoons, scoops, and various containers for playing with and experimenting with the berries.

Encourage your little tykes to scoop, pour, and watch the cranberries as they float and interact with the water. This activity promotes scientific thinking, fine motor skills, and sensory exploration.

Fill a bin with playdough or kinetic sand. Add toy cars, mini balloons, and small figures to represent parade floats and marchers. Use colorful pom-poms or confetti as decorations, and create roads or paths with playdough or craft sticks.

With this sensory bin, your kiddos can organize their own Thanksgiving parade, arranging the floats, marchers, and decorations in a creative and imaginative way. This activity promotes fine motor skills, spatial awareness, and imaginative play.

Let's get baking! Fill a bin with playdough (orange or brown) or cloud dough. Add small pie tins, rolling pins, cookie cutters, and other baking-related tools. Consider incorporating pumpkin pie spice for an extra sensory dimension.

The little ones can then "bake" their own pumpkin pies, rolling out the dough, filling the pie tins, and decorating their creations. This activity promotes fine motor skills, creativity, and imaginative play while introducing children to the process of baking.

Fill a bin with soft materials like fabric scraps, feathers, or shredded paper. Hide smooth stones or wooden blocks with words like "family," "friends," "food," or "home" written on them.

From there, your kiddos can look for the hidden stones while talking about everything they’re thankful for. This activity promotes emotional development, gratitude, and fine motor skills while sparking meaningful conversations about the things we cherish most.

Thanksgiving sensory bins offer endless hours of fun and learning, but proper storage and reuse can make them last much longer. Here’s how you can make that happen:

• Airtight containers: Store perishable items like playdough or scented rice in airtight containers or zip-lock bags to maintain their freshness and prevent them from drying out.

• Labeling: Clearly label each bin with its theme and contents. This will help you quickly find the bins you need and keep your storage area organized.

• Seal tightly: Make sure your bins are sealed tightly to keep out dust, moisture, and pests.

• Rotation: Rotate your sensory bins throughout the Thanksgiving season to keep play fresh and exciting for children.

• Cleaning and sanitizing: Wash plastic toys and utensils with soap and water. Wipe down containers with a disinfectant solution to ensure hygiene.

• Repurposing: After Thanksgiving, consider repurposing seasonal elements like leaves, pumpkins, and acorns for other sensory activities or crafts.