Using sensory bins in speech therapy is so much fun! You can use 1 bin for all ages to address just about any goal. Not only can you change out the target skills, but you can also set your bin up for the current theme/season/holiday. This week we had a snow sensory bin. Since I travel with mine, I have to make it portable and no mess!
Articulation Snowy Sensory Bin
This might be my most favorite sensory bin ever!! It was crazy easy to create too. I put cotton balls in a small plastic bin. The cotton balls served as snow. You could use white rice or even marshmallows!! Cotton balls are easier to clean up if the child spills the bin. I also added some silver and blue glitter to the “snow.” Instead of glitter, I would add confetti next time. Last spring, I found these carrots (Easter eggs) at a dollar store. I wrote numbers 2-5 on the carrots and hid them in the snow. I told the kids we had to find the snowmen noses in the snow. They loved it!!! I was able to get some quick drill reinforcement after completing our crafts. When they pulled a carrot out of the snow, they had to tell what number they found and say their word that many times. So if they found a 2, they had to say their word 2x.
Preschool Snowy Sensory Bin for Speech Therapy
Using the same bin as above, I removed the carrots and placed plastic animals in the snow. We worked on naming/identifying the animals as well as the concepts “in” and “out.” The child could make the animals jump in the snow and get them out of the snow to warm up. Plastic animals engaged the toddler/preschool population much better than pictures. They could take the animals out to play and count.
Language Snowy Sensory Bin for Speech Therapy
Again, using the same bin with cotton balls and glitter, place the cards in the “snow.” This setup is for your older clients. Just laminate and cut the cards apart. I had my clients tell me 3 things about a picture they chose from the snow. The kids were much more likely to participate and fully engage if they thought it meant digging in the “snow.” The pictures I used were winter/snow theme. You can find them for free here!
So go to the dollar store to grab your bin, cotton balls and glitter!! You will have a snowy sensory bin ready to go in no time! And done super cheap!
Needing some more fun snowy ideas? You can check out my theme review and snowmen crafts too!
