Let’s dig into a garden sensory bin for some hands-on play, learning, and fun! This flower sensory bin is a great introduction for toddlers and preschoolers to explore planting and tending to a garden, all while learning about flowers. Turn it into a fun summer unit with some garden picture books, flower crafts, and nature walks.
How to Make a Garden Sensory Bin
Summer is the season for picking fruits, growing gardens, and planting flowers! Bring nature into your home with some fun garden sensory play. Make it a summer or spring unit since there is so much you can learn:
- How to plant
- Parts of a flower
- Plant life cycle and stages
- How to garden
- Gardening tools
- Supplies for planting
- Creatures in the garden
- Varieties of plants, flowers, and vegetables
We used whole coffee beans for this activity because it resembles dirt and potting soil. Plus, there is a lovely aroma that taps into the sense of smell!
Materials for Garden Sensory Bin
Before you start this project, make sure you have all the right supplies.
Watch the Video Tutorial
Learn how to make this sensory bin by watching our step-by-step video.
Directions for Garden Sensory Bin
A garden sensory bin filled with coffee beans and toy flowers is a fun way for kids to explore textures, practice fine motor skills, and engage in imaginative play. They can scoop, pour, and arrange the flowers, creating their own mini garden while enjoying the rich scent of the coffee beans. Follow the directions below to learn how to make it!
STEP 1: Pour whole coffee beans into a clear plastic bin. The amount of coffee beans you need depends upon the size of your bin. I buy our small, square bins from Target or The Dollar Store. They are perfect for tabletop sensory bins!
STEP 2: Place the stems. Invite your child to press the stems and leaves into the coffee beans. Kids can stack as many leaves as they want to!
STEP 3: Stack the flowers. After arranging the leaves, stack the colorful flowers. The Green Toys kit even includes stamens and pistils, which makes it perfect for learning about the parts of a flower.
STEP 4: Enjoy your sensory bin! Your garden sensory bin is complete! Some ideas for play include:
- Pouring
- Scooping
- Patterning
- Digging
- Fine motor work
- Imaginative play
- Planting
- Reading about gardens
- Exploring the parts of a flower
What Ages are Sensory Bins Good For?
Sensory bins provide great stimulation for babies through early elementary stages. Of course, babies should use water, edibles (maybe cheerios), or other age-appropriate materials.
Sensory bins are a great way to develop the senses, especially the sense of touch. This tactile experience exposes kids to various textures. Some kids may love to pour and hear the filler falling into the bin. There are countless meaningful benefits to using sensory bins:
- Open-ended play that ignites imagination and creativity and exploration
- Sensory processing
- Attention span development
- Calming play opportunity
- Develops critical thinking skills – what happens when?
- Language development – expressing observations
- Social skills – sharing, taking turns, communicate
- Fine motor skills – pour, scoop, pattern, dig, plant, arrange
Take it Further
Add in some activities to extend your unit:
- Get a pile of children’s gardening books from the library
- Purchase a gardening tool set for kids and plant a real garden
- Visit a farmer’s market
- Buy some local produce at a farm
- Go fruit picking with your family
- Take an in-person (or virtual) field trip to some famous gardens
Want to take your garden sensory bin one step further? See if your child can arrange things by identifying parts (following directions) in a specific order. Can she make a pattern of flowers using select colors or styles? Talk about size and plant small, medium, and large flowers in your bin. Introduce some critters that you might find in a garden!
More Sensory Bin Ideas for Kids
Looking for more sensory bin ideas for kids? You may also enjoy:
Nicole says
This is adorable, I love the bright colored flowers. My 4 year old would love playing in this, thanks!