Awesome sensory activities that you can make for your kids with ingredients you probably already have in your house!

Whether you are the parent or caregiver of a special needs child, or you just want to offer your typically-developing child some extra activities, you will love these DIY sensory bin ideas…

DIY sensory bin ideas

At its core, sensory play really just means any activity tasty engages the senses. While almost any play fits this bill, some kids need a little extra activation of certain senses to help them properly engage in an activity and get the developmental most benefit from play. For some kids, this can be auditory; for many, it’s tactile (touch). But it can be any of the 5 senses. In fact, the best sensory activities will often cause a child to use multiple senses simultaneously to complete a task.

Sensory play helps a kid learn skills that aren’t taught in a classroom, like differentiating between various textures, shapes, weights, or smells, manipulating objects of various consistencies, and much more. It helps form the foundation of language skills, kinesthetic and physical skills, and social-emotional well-being. For a lot of kids, working on a sensory activity is also calming and self-soothing.

It can be difficult to find ways to engage with some kids. Sensory play is almost universally engaging – if you can find the right thing. Some kids do better with certain textures and types of play, so just experiment with what works best for the child in your life. If you don’t get the results that you’re looking for the first time, don’t get discouraged. Try, try again until you land on the appropriate activity for your kid.

Most of these activities require a bin that can keep the activity contained. This will also help avoid too big of a mess during your sensory activity. The best sensory bin will be wide and shallow so that kids can easily access the contents without holding their arms at an awkward or uncomfortable angle. It’s also a benefit if they have a snap-on cover so that you can keep the activity for a later date without spilling (or drying out) whatever’s inside.

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To get you started, here are a couple of our favorite DIY sensory play activities. For many of them, you may already have all of the materials that you need to get started right away. If not, we’ve included links to purchase the ingredients you need.

Colored pasta sensory bin

Dry pasta is a classic sensory activity for texture and touch, but a little food coloring adds an interesting visual element as well. To avoid making the pasta mushy, and keep it from developing mold, add the food coloring to vinegar and rinse (not soak) the pasta only briefly. This same method will also work for colored rice.

What you need:
-Dry pasta
-Vinegar
–Food coloring

Water beads sensory bin

These squishy beads are extremely satisfying to squeeze between your fingers and watch them slide around. A canister of water beads only costs a few dollars, and they expand so much upon contact with water that you only need a small portion each time. It’s a weird sensation that is simultaneously liquid and solid, but it won’t get clothes or carpets wet if it spills. If any beads fall out of the sensory bin, they’re easy to clean up; just let them dry and vacuum them up. You can also find jumbo-sized water beads.

Beans sensory bin

For maximum effect, use dried beans of various sizes, shapes, and colors. This works great with kidney beans, black-eyed peas, and lentils. For older kids, it may also be fun to sort the mixed beans by color, size, or shape.

What you need:
-Dried beans

Dried corn sensory bin

If you happen to live near a farm supply store like Tractor Supply or a hardware store that stocks agricultural goods, corn feed is so cheap that you can actually fill a whole sandbox up. This is a great alternative to a sandbox because it’s way easier to clean up after, and won’t get into clothes, shoes, and crevices. (It is also less likely to become a giant litter box for the neighborhood cats.) If you live in a region with a long winter, this is a fantastic way to have an indoor sandbox without making yourself crazy. We already had a water table lying around unused during the cold months, so we repurposed it into a raised, corn-filled sensory table.

Cotton balls sensory bin

Dump a bag of cotton balls into your sensory activity bin and hide a couple of smaller toys inside. Kids will love pawing through the soft cotton to find the toys. After that’s done, you can add a little bit of water so that kids can observe how it is absorbed up by the cotton balls, making them mooshy and squishy.
What you need
-Cotton balls or mini Pom-poms

Cooked Spaghetti sensory bin

On the flip side of things, try using cooked spaghetti for a slimy and slithery sensory activity. This is a good one for kids who might be inclined to mouth or eat things, too. It’s one of our favorite DIY sensory bin ideas on the list, because everyone already has the ingredients ready in the pantry!

Shaving cream sensory bin

Possibly one of the most self-explanatory, and also cheapest DIY sensory activities on this list. Just spray some shaving cream into the sensory bin (preferably the aerosol kinds that really expand and foam up when they come out of the can) and watch your kids go nuts. You can add some glitter or food coloring for optional flair, and it’s incredibly fun to mix and swirl.
What you need:
-Shaving cream
-Optional: glitter or food coloring

Frozen paint sensory bin

Kids will be delighted by the cold temperature, but will also get to draw and make watery paint swirls while the paint ice cubes melt. This is a great mix of tactile and visual input, and the end result is cool too! After this activity, you will have a unique art project to hang on the fridge or send to grandma and grandpa. Be sure to select a nontoxic, washable paint to avoid any accidents or permanent messes. You may want to throw down a shower curtain as well.

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What you need:
–paint that can be frozen

Confetti or shredded paper sensory bin

This one surprised me, but it was a hit (despite its simplicity). You can try using paper from your office shredder, or newspaper that you cut or tear up. But what we found most effective was these shredded and accordioned (crinkle-cut) paper strips. They are squishy and cling together in interesting ways as you pull them up out of the bin. Throw in some spiraled pipe cleaners or household objects for extra fun.

Rice sensory bin

This is a great way to make an inexpensive sensory bin with something that you almost certainly already have in the pantry. Just throw it in the bin, add some small toys to find – we used a Toob of Safari animals – and you’re all set. It’s also fun to add in a toy xylophone and drop rice on it to make noise.

Soapy water

A little bit of water and some dish soap is all you need for a basic sensory bin. It can be fun to throw in some ladles or other utensils.

Homemade liquid starch slime

This is a favorite for kids of all ages. They will love smooshing the slime through their fingers and watching it slide as they push it around. Best of all, it’s fairly quick and easy to make, and not too tricky to clean up after, either. It also stores well, so you can save it for another day. Liquid starch can be hard to find, but we found a great deal on Amazon for 2 gallons, which should last you for ages. In fact, we kept 1 gallon and donated the other to a local preschool classroom that focuses on children with special needs.

What you need:
-1 part liquid starch
-2 parts white Elmer’s glue
-2 parts water
-optional: food coloring or glitter

Squishy bags

This one is great because it can be done outside of the sensory bin (at your own risk!) without making a mess. It feels squishy and wet, but nothing gets on your hands. There are a lot of different ways that you can make sensory squishy bags, but one of our favorites is shaving cream or flour and water (6 tbsp of water per 1 cup of flour) in a medium sized ziplock sandwich bag.
What you need
-Sandwich bags
-Flour or shaving cream
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Sensory play activities don’t have to be too complex, but it’s probably a good idea to plan to do a variety of different activities to keep things fresh and interesting. These DIY sensory bin ideas are a great start. Although, if you encounter an activity that is particularly stimulating or exciting for your child, feel free to repeat it!

We get used to telling kids “don’t touch!” and “hands off!”, such as when out shopping or at someone else’s house. Sensory play activities are your chance to let your kids touch. Remember, it may take some experimentation with different textures and materials before you find one that jives with your kid. It’s easy to give up when it doesn’t work right away, but don’t get discouraged. Every child responds differently to various sensory inputs – keep trying, and eventually one will resonate.

Have your own suggestions for awesome DIY sensory activities? Please let us know what has worked for you and your kids so that we can share them with other parents.

Always remember that every child is different and unique, and every child responds to different things. Some kids may need to be more closely supervised during certain activities such as these DIY sensory bins that could pose a choking hazard. Kids must be old enough to be able to understand not to put their hands in their mouths or eyes if there is any material on them. Some kids may even have allergies to some of the ingredients in these DIY sensory play activities. You know your child best – use your best judgment.