4 Holiday-Themed Sensory Play Ideas

Since children learn through hands-on experiences, you may want to consider a sensory table as part of your child’s home playtime. This time of year can be ideal to help your child use their senses to celebrate the holidays.

Fill your sensory table or bins with materials to scoop, pour, and mix, and mediums to help your child interact with the materials. Here are four holiday-themed sensory play ideas.

Christmas Magnet Science Sensory Play Activity

This unique science-focused sensory bin is an ideal way for your child to learn about magnets in a fun, hands-on way. Purchasing some items is required, but you can also use some household items as materials and mediums. This sensory bin is Christmas-themed, but can be interpreted in other ways throughout the year.

Sensory Play with Gingerbread Scented Rice

The gingerbread rice in this sensory play idea not only provides a classic holiday scent, but it’s also a fun material that can represent snow. You can add ornaments, scoops or measuring spoons, animal toys, rocks, foil, and other items to enhance the winter scene.

Hanukkah Sensory Bin

Children can celebrate Hanukkah by mixing and exploring the different textures of candles, dreidels, gelt, and even cookie cutters. You can also add water beads, sparkles, and white and blue yarn.

Christmas Tree Sensory Bin

With this sensory bin, you can deconstruct the components of a Christmas tree in a way that encourages your child to explore the varying textures and sounds of the holidays. This sensory bin can be customized to suit the age of your child.

You can set up your child’s sensory play area in a dedicated sensory table with small built-in bins, or in small tubs and bins you have at home. Sensory play may get messy, so take precautions for spills or splashes. As always, make sure that all sensory bin items do not pose a choking hazard.