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Living the pandemic life, moving through phases of lockdowns and consequent unlocks have been hectic for moms! You have to juggle a ton of things simultaneously, multitasking your way through being a mom and a working woman at the same time. And we can imagine it’s exactly as tough as it sounds!
In such a situation, if you find a new way to keep your kids entertained and occupied, wouldn’t you be happy? Especially if it’ll help your kids learn, grow and have fun at the same time? Well, that’s exactly what sensory bins do!
What Are Sensory Bins?
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Sensory bins are bins or boxes full of child-friendly things that help engage all five senses (specifically touch) of children through playtime.
Commonly available in stores and online, sensory bins contain a host of items in a multitude of colors. Expect to see clay dough, squishy dice, Lego-like blocks, water beads, troll figures, and a shoveling scoop, among other things.
Sure, all the items in a sensory bin are quite simple and nothing extraordinary, but the fact of the matter is these simple toys can be quite educational.
Notice something about the items included in a typical sensory bin? They’re all of different textures and sizes, and it’s this difference that helps in the sensory development of your child as they learn to identify different shapes, textures, and colors. Amazing, isn’t it?
The Benefits Of Sensory Bins
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Besides being a lot of fun to play with, sensory bins have a ton of other benefits! Now we’re not saying things won’t get a bit messy in this sort of learning process (scattered beads everywhere and playdough stuck to the couch are any mom’s worst nightmare), but the benefits will far outweigh the negatives. Let’s see how:
1. Enhanced Motor Skills
Playing with sensory bins calls for making a lot of different types of movements — scooping up items from one to the next, molding play dough, using building blocks, etc. Each of these movements can help in the development of the fine motor skills of your child. This enhancement will consequently help your child in mastering other skills such as handwriting, using scissors, snapping buttons, etc.
2. Sensory Stimulation
The wide array of colors and textures and endless possibilities of them all can greatly help stimulate your child’s senses! What’s more, sensory play can actually help your child learn more complex tasks such as building something via clay or blocks. Such learning is more deeply ingrained in their brains as well due to its practical nature.
3. Less Screen Time
Give a child a sensory bin, and you’ll see them get busy playing on their own for a long time! Not only will this help you tend to your other chores, but it’ll also ensure less screen time for your kids. Really, it’s a win-win for everybody!
4. Calming Interactive Play
Some moms have really energetic children who take a lot to calm down and just be! If you’re one of them, sensory bins can be helpful for you and your child. The fact that playing with a sensory bin does not require tremendous amounts of energy can help your child unwind and relax. The motion of sifting through kinetic sand or pouring liquids can calm their little nerves and help them feel at ease.
DIY-ing Sensory Bins At Home
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There’s no doubt that sensory bins can get a little expensive. So if you’re reluctant to buy them because of their price tag, don’t worry. You can still DIY them at home!
You can build your sensory bins with things lying around at home. From beads and marbles to dough, cookie cutters, pom poms, pipe cleaners, small figurines, and colored sand — you can put anything in the sensory bin you create as long as it’s kid-friendly.
If you’re the kind who’s a little extra creative, you can create themed sensory bins to really attract and engage your child in some therapeutic playtime. Think themes like “Dinosaurs”, “Aquatic Life”, and more.
All in all, sensory bins are an educational and fun way to keep your child engaged and happy. As a mom, we’re sure you’ll agree that playtime with a learning angle to it is the best kind of playtime! So if you have kids at home who need new activities to indulge in, consider getting them a sensory bin and thank us later!
