Do you need an easy sensory bin idea with items you already have in your house?
Here’s a great way to get kids to look at crayons and coloring in a new way. And keep them busy!
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Items you need for this sensory bin idea
You’ll need some sort of bin or box to contain everything. You can use almost anything. Even a cardboard box.
I like to use the bins from my daughter’s toy organizer as sensory bins. They’re easy to clean up and just the right size.
Once you have a box or a bin you just need:
- Paper
- Crayons
- Scissors
Optionally you can add:
- Different kinds of paper
- Construction paper
- Paper towels
- Tissues
- Paper cups like Dixie Cups
- Scotch tape
- Pencils
- Markers
- Stamps
- Stickers
Basically you can add any kind of art supplies or household items you have on hand that can be colored on.
Looking for more sensory bin ideas? Right here.
How to set it up
Start by cutting some paper into small squares.
You could also do circles or other shapes. I just stuck with squares and rectangles.
Layer the paper to cut multiple at once.
I started with notebook paper because I had a lot of it on hand.
Fold up some paper.
It adds some depth to the sensory bin. And a fun way to explore.
Crinkle or wad up paper.
I only added one crinkled piece of paper, but she enjoyed playing with it.
Your child might want to crinkle their own paper.
Cut long strips and add in other kinds of paper.
I used some heavy card stock paper to make long strips.
I also made some smaller rectangles and squares with it.
Add in other types of paper you have in your house.
Try paper towels or tissues to add some texture.
Anything you can color on would work.
Have extra wrapping paper lying around? Try that.
Newspaper? Sure.
Construction paper? YES. Definitely.
Scrapbooking paper? If you’re willing to part with it.
Try cutting up cardboard boxes from cereal or other food boxes. It’s thinner than an Amazon box so it will work better.
Find other small paper objects you can use to color on.
Dixie cups are great to play with. I put two in the bin and she came up with several ways to use them.
Add crayons!
The most important part is adding in something to color with.
It doesn’t have to be crayons. You could use colored pencils or markers.
The crayons don’t even have to be whole. This sensory bin is a great way to use broken crayons.
Mix it up.
Give the bin a good stir to mix everything together and separate the pieces of paper.
How to play with a crayon sensory bin
Really, the possibilities are endless with this creative sensory bin. Your child can do whatever they want with it.
Toddlers will probably scribble. That’s fine.
Preschoolers might have better motor control and draw little pictures or patterns.
Toot worked on patters by making swatches of colors on the long strips.
Stuff crinkled paper in the cups.
My four-year-old also had fun folding the paper up and setting everything up to be a little world.
I also gave her some scotch tape which she used to tape the long strips into circles and tape pictures to the side of the bin.
What can your child create with the crayon sensory bin?
I love this sensory bin idea because it’s so simple and you can make it with things already in your house.
It also kept my preschooler busy for a long time and let her create a little world out of paper.
It’s a novel way of looking at paper and crayons. So it’s not JUST coloring. It’s something new!
Let me know in the comments below how your toddler, preschooler, or other child played with the bin you made.
And let me know if you used any other items!
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