Must Try Non Food Sensory Bin Fillers - Little Bins for Little Hands (2024)

Wanting to know what to use instead of food in your sensory bins? Although rice and dried beans may be common sensory bin fillers, you don’t have to use food items! Take a look at all the awesome non food sensory bin fillers below that are just as simple to find and set up!

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The Benefits Of Sensory Bins

Are sensory bins worth it? Yes, they are worth it. The more basic you keep the sensory bin, the better off you are. Remember, you create a tactile experience for your kids, not a Pinterest image. While we have fantastic pictures of sensory bins, they only stay that way for a minute!

Sensory bins are awesome hands-on tools for children to learn about their world and senses! Sensory play may calm a child, focus a child, and engage a child.

Note: Adult supervision is always advised for kids who may try to eat the materials.

Here’s what children can learn from sensory bins:

Practical Life Skills ~ Sensory bins let a child explore, discover and create play using practical life skills (dumping, filling, scooping) and learn valuable play skills.

Play Skills {emotional development} ~ For both social play and independent play, sensory bins allow children to play cooperatively or side by side. My son has had many positive experiences with other children over a bin of rice!

Language Development ~ Sensory bins increase language development by experiencing all there is to see and do with their hands, which leads to great conversations and opportunities to model language.

Understanding 5 Senses ~Many sensory play bins include a few of the 5 senses! Imagine a bin of brightly colored rainbow rice: touch the loose grains against the skin, see the vivid colors as they mix together, and hear the sound of sprinkling over a plastic container or shaken in a plastic egg!

Did you add a scent like vanilla or lavender? Please do not taste uncooked rice, but there are plenty of sensory play options that you use edible ingredients like our worms in magic mud!

However, sometimes sensory bins can create a little or a lot of mess! This is where we have you covered. Read on for all the tips and tricks for making setting up and packing away sensory bins much easier!

Get Your Free Non Food Sensory Bin Guide

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Favorite Non Food Sensory Bin Fillers

Here are our favorite nonfood sensory bin fillers to try! They are easy to find, inexpensive, and just as fun as their food counterparts.

Click on the links below to find great ways to play with these non food sensory bin fillers! I am sure you will find the perfect non food sensory bin filler to use right away!

The possibilities are endless for ideas to fill your sensory bins or tubs with non food sensory bin items! Soapy water is also fun too!

SAFETY: We no longer support using water beads for sensory bin filler due to the increased safety issues.

Aquarium Rocks

This non-food sensory bin filler is a fantastic play material for various themes, including construction, ocean, and space, due to the variety of colors available! Add a favorite book, puzzle, or STEM activity for a fantastic afternoon of hands-on learning! Find it in your local pet store!

TRY: Space Sensory Bin

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Here is a combination of aquarium gravel and craft sand! Keep in mind that these materials will get mixed together very quickly. While multiple fillers make for a fun presentation, I would consider adding just one type of sensory bin filler to your bin.

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Birdseed

An easy non-food sensory bin filler, and you can make these birdseed ornaments when finished. This is a great sensory bin to bring outside for easy clean-up!

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Craft Sand or Moldable Sand

Play sand, beach sand, colored craft sand, and moldable make a great nonfood sensory bin filler that you can use repeatedly. Make DIY Kinetic Sand!

Dinosaur Sensory Bin

Tropical Summer Sensory Bin

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Use a combination of craft sand and aquarium rocks or just craft sand to create an ocean sensory bin.

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Live near a beach? Grab a bag of sand! Want to simulate a beach in a bin? Buy a small bag of play sand! You can find bags of shells at a craft store like Michaels.

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Sand Dough

Create a squishy moldable sand dough for a fantastic non food sensory bin!

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Clean Mud

A little messy but a little clean! Learn how to make clean mud for a unique sensory play experience.

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Epsom Salts

Want to make your own colored Epsom Salts? How to Color Salt for Sensory Play

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Fake Grass (Garden)

Try this easy garden sensory bin with simple materials from the dollar or craft store!

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Rocks, Pebbles, Stones

Craft and dollar stores often have bags of vase rocks, stones, or pebbles used as vase filler. This is a fantastic material to add as a sensory bin filler or to add to other sensory bin fillers. Go ahead and add water, too…maybe a few plastic frogs.

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Crinkle Paper

You can add crinkle paper to any non food sensory bin, or it can be the main sensory bin filler! The crinkle paper creates an ocean theme sensory bin with plastic seashells (table scatter). This type of paper is considered a gift wrapping material and can be found in the dollar store

Making paper with shredded paper is also a fun sensory experience!

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Fake Snow

Fake snow is easy to make and perfect for winter theme sensory play! See here how to make fake snow. Or you can easily purchase fake snow that simply needs water added!

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Wooden Beads

We used wooden beads to create these fun fall theme sensory bins!

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Nature Materials

Go on a nature hunt in your backyard or a local park for fallen items you can use in a sensory bin. You may find some real bugs, or you can add plastic bugs. However, just in case, you may want to enjoy this sensory bin outside!

Nature Sensory Bin

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Soap Foam

Water makes one of the easiest non food sensory bin fillers to use. But what about soap foam as a fun alternative?

Soap Foam

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Pom Poms

A colorful and inexpensive craft material that makes a fun non food sensory bin filler! Use pom poms to make this colorful Ice Cream Sensory Bin.

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Poly Pellets or Stuffing Beads

With the size and texture of rice, these stuffing beads are a good alternative for a non food sensory bin filler.

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Water

Remember one of the best sensory bin filters… water and ice! You can add so many fantastic themes to a water sensory bin. Below we started with frozen flowers to create this flower water sensory bin.

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We hope you have found a fun new Non Food sensory bin filler to try or new ways to use the non food sensory bin fillers you already have! Happy playing!

Non Food Sensory Bin Fillers To Avoid The Mess

While nothing is wrong with these fillers, I find them extra messy to clean up!

  • Fake snow that is used for Christmas displays
  • Styrofoam bits, beads, or pellets
  • Bulk confetti

Check Out These Helpful Sensory Bin Resources

There’s so much more to learn about sensory bins and sensory play.

  • Sensory Bin Ideas and Themes
  • How To Make A Sensory Bin
  • Best Sensory Bin Fillers
  • Rice Sensory Bin Ideas
  • How To Clean Up A Sensory Bin In A Snap
  • Sensory Play Recipes You Can Use

Click on the image below or on the link for more fun and easy sensory activities for kids!

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Must Try Non Food Sensory Bin Fillers - Little Bins for Little Hands (2024)

FAQs

Why do people use sensory bins? ›

Sensory bins provide children with the opportunity to explore and learn through hands-on tactile play that engages their senses. These bins encourage and support various types of development and are great activities to have in your home. Sensory bins can be themed for holidays, seasons and academic skills.

What are the learning outcomes of sensory bins? ›

Sensory bin activities promote social skills development in many ways. These activities teach children how to take turns and work as a team, especially when playing with peers or siblings. They also learn how to coexist peacefully and respond to social situations.

What can you put in a sensory bin instead of rice? ›

You can also use small children's plastic or inflatable pools for a giant indoor or outdoor sensory bin. Fillers: The choices for fillers are endless! Rice, kinetic sand, beans, dry pasta, foam letters, foam stickers, cut up pool noodles, water, confetti paper, aquarium rocks, water beads, popcorn, snow, and poms-poms.

How do you fill a sensory bin? ›

Fill the bin or bowl with dry pasta, rice or beans. Add spoons, scoops, toys and whatever else you have on hand into the bin. Play!

How to make sensory bins for autism? ›

To create a sensory bin for a child with autism, you should start by selecting materials that are safe, non-toxic, and appropriate for the child's age and developmental level. You can then fill a container with the materials and add in tools and toys that encourage exploration and play.

What do you do with sensory bins? ›

Sensory bins provide opportunities for your child to explore multiple senses, including sight, sound, touch, and smell. They'll enjoy running their hands through the filler material and watching what happens as they pour it out. Many materials you can put in a sensory bin provide a wonderful tactile sensation.

Are sensory bins worth it? ›

Sensory bins are a great way to allow children to explore multiple senses at the same time in a fun way. This includes touch, smell, sight, and even sound. Learning to engage with and stimulate several senses at once in a healthy way is incredibly beneficial and loads of fun!

What age to start sensory bins? ›

At the toddler stage, from ages 2 to 3, kids are typically ready to engage with more toys. A great place to start are sensory bins—literally, a bin or box filled with various materials meant to stimulate the senses.

What do children gain from sensory play? ›

Sensory play encourages learning through exploration, curiosity, problem solving and creativity. It helps to build nerve connections in the brain and encourages the development of language and motor skills.

Are sensory bins cognitive? ›

Sensory Bins, bags and trays offer so much to small children and whilst playing with them, they are learning so much. Cognitive development. A sensory bin which includes hide and seek activities or filling and pouring helps to develop their cognitive skills for learning.

What are the five senses learning outcomes? ›

The main objective is for students to recognize and appreciate the five senses (touch, taste, sight, smell and hearing). These five senses make it possible for people to interact with others and get around in their lives. This lesson will also help students develop the oral communication skills.

How many cups of rice for a sensory bin? ›

Put 3 cups of white rice into the bin, followed by each bag of the colored (pink and purple) rice. Put the lid on the bin and SHAKE.

What can you put in a sensory bin for picky eaters? ›

You can start with dry sensory bins by using foods like oatmeal, rice, macaroni, cereal and beans. If your child is showing interest in tolerating and exploring more messy textures, you can use jello or pudding. Place toys or items of interest in the sensory bins to encourage your child to play and explore.

What to put in a sensory break box? ›

Tactile Sensory Input: Include materials that offer a variety of tactile sensations, such as soft, rough, smooth, or bumpy textures. Examples include sensory balls, fabric swatches, sand, or water beads. Visual Sensory Input: Incorporate visually stimulating materials to engage your child's visual senses.

What is a sensory bin for special needs? ›

Sensory bins are containers of a base item, such as rice, sand, water, bubbles, etc, and items that you can manipulate the base item with, like scoops and toys. Sensory bins are all about stimulating a child's senses, which include sight, taste, smell, touch, and hearing.

What can we put in a sensory bin? ›

Remember that you can use things you already have around the house as sensory items for kids to create easy sensory bins!
  • Dry rice, beans, and/or pasta.
  • Unpopped popcorn.
  • Sand.
  • Cotton balls.
  • Shredded paper.
  • Raffia/crinkle grass.
  • Corn Meal.
  • Craft feathers for a feather sensory bin.
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Why do people use sensory rooms? ›

A sensory room is a space of any size, designed to help an individual with sensory processing disorder develop coping skills and regulate their brain's response to stimuli. In some cases, a sensory space can be a whole room, or it can simply be a space set aside in a corner of a larger room.

What is the point of a sensory table? ›

Sensory tables allow children to actively explore materials using a variety of tools and their hands. Sand and water are frequently used in sensory tables, but there are endless possibilities for materials such as wood chips, leaves, gravel, or fabric swatches.

What is the point of sensory play? ›

Sensory play encourages learning through exploration, curiosity, problem solving and creativity. It helps to build nerve connections in the brain and encourages the development of language and motor skills.

Why do adults need sensory toys? ›

Sensory toys for adults are designed to help relieve symptoms of sensory processing disorders, such as autism and ADHD, as well as other conditions like dementia.

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