Winter Sensory Bin Ideas to Celebrate the Holidays

Holiday season offers so many wonderful opportunities for family time, learning, and sensory play. You can teach your little ones the various ways that families celebrate different winter holidays around the world, then create themed sensory bins that integrate the symbols that represent the various rituals. I’ve gathered some of my favorite winter sensory bin ideas to help your little ones practice fine motor skills and learn about their own holiday traditions, as well as those of their global neighbors.

Winter Sensory Bin Ideas

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Winter sensory bins can be holiday themed, but they can also be nature themed. Start your bin with a plastic container, then fill it with your little one's favorite sensory material for the base. My favorite winter themed bases are white flour, colored rice, magic sand, blue water beads, and instant snow. You can buy fake snow or make it! Check out these fake snow recipes to create an indoor winter wonderland for your little ones. Once you’ve chosen the base, throw in some toys and tools like the ideas below to complete your winter sensory bin. Ensure all included materials are age appropriate and aren’t choking hazards.

Arctic Sensory Bin

My Arctic Sensory Bin comes with everything you need for the perfect winter sensory bin. It includes three bags of instant snow, arctic creatures, snowflakes, a shovel, and a net. With this bin, your little ones can make and explore their very own snowy world! 

Winter Weather Sensory Bin

Make some instant snow then throw in other toys and things that represent winter weather. Like cotton balls for clouds, clear beads for rain, glitter snowflakes, and toy suns, moons, and stars.

Magic Mountain Sensory Bin

Add snow, evergreen trees, toy rocks, and mountain animals to create another fun winter sensory bin idea. You can also include toy figures from your kiddo’s favorite movie like Frozen or fairies to fill the mountain scene with magic!

Ski Resort Sensory Bin

Does your kiddo like to ski or snowboard? Or do you want to introduce them to these fun mountain sports? Get some magic sand that they can create into a mountain and moguls. Throw in a few evergreen trees and some toy skiers and snowboarders. You can start teaching them all about turns, edges, and stops so they become familiar with the sports!

Snowman Sensory Bin

Magic sand will allow your little ones to make snowmen inside their sensory bins! Include some fake carrot noses, googly eyes, little top hats, and sticks so your kiddos can design their very own snowman.

Christmas Sensory Bin Ideas

So many families around the world celebrate Christmas. If your kiddo has questions about the history of the holiday, check out this great resource that shares how to explain Christmas to kids for Christian, interfaith, and secular families. Below I’ve gathered various Christmas sensory bin ideas so your kiddos can learn about the holiday through play. Head over to my blog post, Fun Christmas Messy and Sensory Play Activity Ideas for Kids, for more fun seasonal sensory ideas!

Christmas Tree Sensory Bin

Use instant snow, white rice, blue magic sand, or white flour as a base to look like snow. Then throw in a few fake pine trees, small toy ornaments and presents, and glitter snowflakes to make a Christmas Tree Sensory Bin.

Santa’s Workshop Sensory Bin

Choose your favorite snowy base, then add toy reindeer, elves, Santa and Mrs. Clause, and a sleigh for a fun Santa themed sensory bin!

Nativity Sensory Bin

Teach your kiddos all about the story of how Jesus was born. Use dried oatmeal or brown rice as a base for the ground of the manger. Then add farm animals, stars, and the Nativity characters so your little ones can reenact the story. You can also add spices like frankincense and myrrh to give the sensory bin the same scents that the Magi gifted the new baby!

12 Days of Christmas Sensory Bin

Fill a sensory bin with all of the characters from the 12 Days of Christmas song! Your kiddo can practice singing along as they play with partridges in pear trees, turtle doves, golden rings, and small drummers. 

Winter Holiday Sensory Bin Ideas

So many families celebrate winter holidays other than Christmas. Make winter sensory bins with the holiday themes below to celebrate your family’s tradition or to teach your kiddos about other holidays observed during this time of year. 

Hanukkah

Hanukkah is a Jewish celebration of the Festival of Lights. To make a Hanukkah themed sensory bin, fill your container with your little ones’ favorite base, then throw in some play dreidels, candles, a menorah, Star of Davids, presents, and toy coins! Share the significance of the symbols with your kiddos as they play.

Kwanzaa 

The primary symbols of Kwanzaa, the celebration of African heritage in the United States, are the seven candles in black, red, and green, the candle holder, the unity cup, the placemat, crops, corn, and gifts. Fill your bin with all of these symbols in the form of small toys. Corn kernels can be used as a base.

New Years

Various New Year holidays are celebrated during different times throughout the winter season. Many commemorate the beginning of the year with the earth’s cycle around the sun, while others celebrate the Lunar New Year. Make your kiddos’ sensory bin look like night by adding dyed chickpeas, black eyed peas, or black rice to the bottom of their bin (black beans are unsafe if eaten uncooked!). Then add glitter fireworks or the animals of the Chinese Zodiac!

Winter Solstice 

Yule Traditions celebrate the winter solstice or Midwinter. This is the darkest part of the year, so many gather to feel light and hope. The Yule colors are red, green, white, silver, and gold, so begin your bin with these colors. Split peas or oatmeal can be used for the base. Or any black bases can be used for night. Add pine, holly, and mistletoe to include other Yule symbols. Finish with candles or sparkly things like large gems, stones, or glitter for light!

No matter how and where your family celebrates the winter holidays, I hope that you enjoy this season with lots of love, laughter, and of course, messy play!