Easy Sensory Bin with Oats for Babies and Toddlers

Easy Sensory Bins are so fun for your toddler

Sensory bins like this easy sensory bin with oats are so helpful for toddler development. It allows them to explore their world through their senses, touching and feeling. It also allows them to work on their motor skills. Scooping, stirring, and pouring may seem basic to adults, but we've been doing it for decades! For your little one, it's learning through play. I grew up with Mr. Rogers, who famously said that "play is really the work of childhood".

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Cool. So how can I make one of these easy sensory bins using what I already have?

Sensory bins can sometimes feel overwhelming for us moms. When I first learned about them, I thought I would need a bunch of stuff and space to store it. When I was trying to figure out what to do with an egg carton, I had an idea. There is already SO much stuff in my kitchen. What if I didn't need a big plastic container? What if I could use stuff I already had?

So I got out a 9 x 13 baking pan, and sure enough, the egg carton nested inside it perfectly! I added about 3 cups of oats (rice, corn meal, or uncooked beans would all be great too) that I had in the kitchen, and a few measuring scoops. After breakfast instead of letting my son down from his booster seat at the table, I handed him the sensory bin. He LOVED it, and played with the oats and scoopers for a solid half an hour.

That's what I call a win-win. He had a blast doing something that's great for his development, AND I had some time to get the kitchen cleaned up and dinner marinating.

All you need are 4 things you probably already have in your kitchen right now: a baking pan, the bottom half of an egg carton, a tablespoon or similar sized measuring scoop, and some oats (or another fun food item). I also recommend having a ziploc bag to store the oats in for next time.