When my boys were little, water play was my number one sanity saver! In this post, learn how to make a simple Water Sensory Bin and how water play benefits a child’s growth and development.
Related: Summer Water Play Ideas for Kids
How Does Water Play Help a Child’s Development?
On hot summer days, children love cooling off in the sprinkler, pool, or around the water table. But did you know that water play helps kids grow and learn?
Water play provides many opportunities to develop fine and gross motor skills that may eventually lead to school success. As kids pour, scoop, squirt, and stir, they are also developing communication, language, and problem-solving skills. Some words to explore for speech practice include:
- Bubbles
- Stir it
- Float
- Sink
- Fish
- Turtle
- Scoop and pour
Cause and effect, floating versus sinking, making a hypothesis, and measuring liquids are just a few of the science and math concepts that kids will experience during water play.
Additionally, water play invites sensory exploration as kids feel the differences between wet and dry, no bubbles versus bubbly, and the bumpy or smooth surface of their water toys.
Using scented soap, adding ice cubes, and inviting your child to experiment with changing the color of their water invites a second layer of sensory play.
You May Also Enjoy: The Best Water Blaster Games for Kids
How to Make a Water Sensory Bin
Making a water sensory bin is easy and fun! When my children were small, much of their water play occurred outdoors at the water table. I also enjoyed creating colorful water sensory bins for them to enjoy outdoors under the shade of trees.
If you choose to use this water sensory bin indoors, don’t forget to protect your floor or table with towels and/or a shower curtain!
Follow along with our simple directions and video tutorial to make your own!
Related: How to Play Water Balloon Pinata
Supplies Needed for Water Sensory Bin
- Plastic bin
- Water
- Food Coloring
- Bath squirters
- Squirt bottle
- Bubble bath or dish soap
- Funnel
- Measuring cups
- Jumbo liquid droppers or pipettes
- Mesh strainer
- Scoopers
- Whisks
Directions for Water Sensory Bin
1. Pour lightly dyed blue water into a plastic bin. Lightly dyed water will not dye skin! I used about 1 drop of dye per 2 cups of water.
The amount of water 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!
2. Drop colorful bath squirters into the water. We used adorable ocean bath toys from Munchkin.
3. Squeeze a few drops of bubble bath or dish soap into a plastic squirt bottle, then fill the bottle the rest of the way with water. Shake the bottle well to create soap foam and bubbles!
4. Invite your child to spray the foam into a corner of the sensory bin.
5. Your water sensory bin is complete! Invite your child to play in the water! Some creative ideas include:
- Fishing for toys with a hand-held mesh strainer.
- Measuring water.
- Scooping and pouring water into cups.
- Picking up items with jumbo tweezers or plastic scoopers.
- Gently splashing to make waves!
- Whisking the water to make more bubbles.
- Using a liquid dropper to move the toys across the water.
- Filling up and squeezing the bath squirters!
- Pretending to make soup.
- Float boats!
6. To extend play, invite your child to add several drops of yellow food coloring into the water, then whisk. Your little one will be amazed at the color-changing water and want to keep on playing! Be sure to watch our video tutorial to see this step in action!
Changing the color of the water invites imaginative play! My son exclaimed that the water was now “polluted” and he had to save the animals. Try these basic color combinations for more fun:
- Blue + Yellow = Green
- Yellow + Red = Orange
- Red + Blue = Purple
Take it Further: STEAM Design Challenge: Build Something that Floats
More Sensory Bins for Kids
- Dinosaur Sensory Bin
- Pom Pom Sensory Bin
- Bird Sensory Bin
- Harvest Sensory Bin
- Halloween Sensory Bin
- Epsom Salt Sensory Bin
- Bug Sensory Bin
- Water Fun with a Marble Run, a guest post I wrote for Inner Child Fun
Water Sensory Bin
Learn how to make a simple Water Sensory Bin and how water play benefits a child’s growth and development.
Materials
- Plastic bin
- Water
- Food Coloring
- Bath squirters
- Squirt bottle
- Bubble bath or dish soap
- Funnel
- Measuring cups
- Jumbo liquid droppers or pipettes
- Mesh strainer
- Scoopers
- Whisks
Instructions
- Pour lightly dyed blue water into a plastic bin.
- Drop colorful bath squirters into the water. We used adorable ocean bath toys from Munchkin.
- Squeeze a few drops of bubble bath or dish soap into a plastic squirt bottle, then fill the bottle the rest of the way with water. Shake the bottle well to create soap foam and bubbles!
- Spray the foam into a corner of the sensory bin.
- Your water sensory bin is complete! Invite your child to play in the water!
Notes
Creative ideas for play include:
- Fishing for toys with a hand-held mesh strainer.
- Measuring water.
- Scooping and pouring water into cups.
- Picking up items with jumbo tweezers or plastic scoopers.
- Gently splashing to make waves!
- Whisking the water to make more bubbles.
- Filling up and squeezing the bath squirters!
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