Changing up the filler in your sensory bin frequently can help maintain interest while providing a variety of fun experiences for your preschoolers. Sometimes, just using colored fillers or items can be enough to relate to a theme and not require a lot of extra materials. This Christmas sensory bin uses green, red, and white water beads. Children will enjoy handling, scooping, and pouring the beads to enhance their fine motor skills and improve hand-eye coordination.
Christmas Water Beads Sensory Bin
Here are the materials you will need to set up this sensory experience in your own classroom.
- Water beads – I found the “Christmas” water beads in my bin at the Target Dollar Spot. They are only Christmas because of their color. Change the colors and the sensory bin can be used any time or with any theme.
- Handy Scoopers and/or other tongs
- Measuring cups – from the dollar store
- Silicone Muffin Baking Cups
Put the water beads in your sensory bin and add water (to hydrate the beads). Then, add the various tools to the bin.
In addition to the tongs, measuring cups, and muffin cups, you can add other sensory bin tools.
Sensory Bin Play
Invite preschoolers to scoop and pour the beads. My children love to fill the muffin cups and pour them out. The scoopers, tongs, and measuring cups will encourage different types of play and different types of motor skills. Using a variety of tools will help preschoolers gain more control over the muscles in their hands and fingers. Developing these muscles aids in writing, cutting, tying shoes, and other important life skills.
Check out this research-based, playful learning unit in our curriculum shop!
The Ultimate Pre-K Christmas Activities Bundle
19 of our most popular Christmas theme resources, including math, literacy, and dramatic play! Make learning fun with this hands-on bundle!
Also encourage children to scoop and pour using their hands. Water beads have an interesting texture and feel. Handling the water beads can be a soothing experience, especially for those children who crave tactile input.
To extend the activity, add a few small toys for preschoolers to find among the water beads. Some children will enjoy finding the items and hiding them for others to find.
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More Christmas Ideas
Christmas Tree Sensory Bin Printable– Sensory bins are great ways to engage preschoolers in exploring and to build conceptual knowledge. This Christmas sensory bin builds pre-literacy skills. Children can find and match alphabet letters. They build visual discrimination skills, identifying the differences among letters. And they have so much fun digging in the bin to find the letters.
Five Senses Activities for Christmas – The five senses are key tools for preschoolers to explore and understand the world around them. When teachers can engage one or more of the senses, the learning experience becomes more concrete and more memorable. Here are over 20 activity ideas that will engage the senses as you invite preschoolers to learn more about Christmas.
Salt Dough Christmas Ornaments Kids Can Make- Salt dough ornaments are a classic Christmas craft, but they’re also tons of fun for kids and super easy to make. The best part? You probably already have the ingredients you need sitting in your pantry at home!
Printable Gingerbread House Recipe
You can get access to the free printable gingerbread house sequence cards below. Simply fill out the form and the printable will be emailed to you.
More Christmas Activities
