Easter is almost here! Which means colorful eggs, fluffy tailed bunnies and cute little chicks. Kids are in the mood for spring time exploration and making spring inspired sensory bins and task hand toys is the perfect solution. These activities are great for calming children and engaging them in imaginative play for hours of fun. I love that they also provide educational opportunities to try out new vocabulary words and language development. Sensory bins and task hand toys are also amazing because they are super cheap and easy to make. All my supplies were either up cycled or from the dollar store! So without further ado, I’m going to show you a few ideas that cost under $5 to make.

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SENSORY BIN #1-  EASTER SCAVENGER HUNT

What you need:

  • 1 Bin/container
  • Rice
  • Easter themed Erasers

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How to setup:
For the element of surprise, I like setting up the bins when the kids are not around. I love watching their faces light up, playing with a new sensory bin is like opening a new present! First, you want to pull all the tags or stickers off the bin, wash and dry it. Next you want to pour rice into the container until it is half way full. Than you take your items and push them down under the rice. This way they really have to hunt and dig for the treasure. I created and printed off a scavenger hunt sheet to make it extra fun.

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Ideas for play:

Go on a scavenger hunt and challenge them to find all the pieces. They can match the pieces to the paper. They can also practice scooping and digging. Talk about how the rice feels. You can even fill plastic eggs with rice and shake them to hear the sounds they make. As you can see the list goes on and on with possibilities. You can also pair it with a favorite spring or Easter book.

Sensory Bin #2- Egg Hunt

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What you need:

  • 1 Container/Bin
  • Easter grass
  • Plastic eggs
  • Soft little chicks
  • Easter themed toys

How to setup:

Remove stickers and tags, rinse and dry the container. Take Easter grass and place it in the bottom of the bin.  Stuff the Easter eggs with chicks or other themed toys and add them to the grass.

Ideas for play:

Invite your kids to lead you through the sensory bin and talk about the items they see and feel. This is a great way to talk about colors, shapes, and texture with your little one. Play a hide and seek chick game. The plastic eggs can also help them practice fine motors skills  by opening and closing the eggs with their hands or they could even use tongs to pick up the eggs for even more fine motor practice and hand-eye coordination skills.

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TASK HAND TOYS

What you need:

  • 1 Empty Clorox Wipes Container
  • 1 Empty Wipes Box
  • Toy Rubber Ducks
  • Plastic Eggs
  • Decorative Tape

How to setup:

First step is to thoroughly rinse out your wipes containers. Next decorate the two containers with colorful tape (optional.) Depending on the size of the ducks or eggs compared to the container you wont need to cut back the lid. It’s important for your child to push the objects through the hole in order to work on gross motor skills. The last step is to put the ducks in the container. That’s it, this project is really simple.

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Ideas for play:

When you give the toy to your little one, they may need help pulling the lid off to dump out the ducks or eggs. Encourage them to put the objects back into the container. Depending on their level you can have them count the ducks or eggs. With the egg container they can identify different colors too.

Article By: Kristy