Engage your kids with playful sensory play ideas this spring

Engage your kids with playful sensory bins like this birds nest and eggs

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Many teachers and parents are incorporating sensory play into their kids activities and they are inviting kids to play in sensory bins and sensory tubs. Engaging kids in learning through play activities encourages speech and language skills, fine motor skills as well as imaginary and cognitive thinking skills. Originally I had bought the above nest to be used as a spring center piece on my table. I had planned to add some decorative eggs or something and have it sit untouched solely as a decorative piece. Yeah Right! What was I thinking! As soon as my kiddos saw this nest it was an immediate play object.

Throughout the last couple of weeks they have added foam eggs, birds, little chicks, worms (pipe cleaners) and even a dinosaur! The eggs started brand new, but over time some of them have been "eaten by dinosaurs" or started hatching. I was very happy to see that even the simplest of materials could create so much imaginative play.

Watching them play with the nest made me think of all the sensory bins I have seen other bloggers create. With only a couple of objects my kiddos were very engaged and played for long periods of time. I can only imagine what fun they would have if they had a bin full of things. A sensory tub can be made with buckets, plastic containers, sensory tables, drawers, sand and water tables, I have even seen them made with plastic pools.

Below are some examples of some fabulous and engaging sensory bins to inspire you.

spring sensory station digging in dirt activity

Growing a Jeweled Rose posted a bunch of spring sensory stations which I'm sure resulted in a ton of imaginative play. She has pictures of a digging in dirt station, a frog pond station, a barnyard station and more!!

spring sensory bin with play dough and craft supplies

Nurture Store posted about their spring adventures with playdough. Lots of fun playdough activities here.

spring sensory activity with grass and animals and flowers

Small Potatoes has a post about a wonderfully creative spring sensory activity that any kid in the room would be drawn to.

spring sensory activity using senses to smell flowers

The Good Long Road has a post about an Earth Day Scent-sory bin. I can smell spring by just looking at her photos!

spring sensory play ideas digging in noodles for pretend worms

The Imagination Tree has a ton of sensory play ideas. You've got to check these out, there is pulling, and stretching, and squishing, and pouring, and mixing, and digging, and painting and much more.

spring sensory garden made from play dough

famiglia&Seoul posted about a spring playdough garden that they made. They planted seeds and let the imagination grow!

spring sensory tub using all kinds of textures like plastic grass and feathers

Make, do & friend posted about a springtime tub that they created using all kinds of textures and materials. I don't know how a kid would be able to resist digging in! Or an adult for that matter!

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