March has lots of fun themes for therapy! March sensory bins are the way to go with therapy planning. I don’t know about you all, but the month of March is booked with assessments and IEP meetings (just held 6 yesterday during our all day IEP meeting day). Having some easy, versatile March sensory bins for on the go therapy is the best!
What is a sensory bin?
Sensory bins are a tactile experience in a contained area such as in a plastic bin or box. You can add different textures and tactile items into the box that help keep a child focused, motivated and engaged on an activity.
Why should I use a sensory bin in therapy?
Sensory bins are a great way to build speech and language skills with a hands on approach! I think sensory bins are great for many different ages, but they are especially awesome for those guys and gals that need to move and be active in therapy. I love them because they help build schema, incorporate motor movements and play as well as give lots of opportunities for building speech and language!
To make a sensory bin this is what you will need (amazon affiliate links for your convenience):
- plastic box (I got mine at Target for under $4), but if you are anything like me, you can order through amazon prime to get a 15-Quart See-Through Latch Box with White Lid .
- A filler such as dried beans, water, popcorn seeds, cotton balls, etc. (I like using dried black beans because they can be dirt, roads, or just the filler for the activity.)
- Anything that relates to your sensory bin theme. For my March bins, I have rainbows made from craft paper, gold coins, any toys that are green, pinchers to pick up the items.
Make a “green” sensory bin for St. Patty’s day! Gather up all your toys and items in one bin. Each student can describe their item by attributes or follow directions with basic concepts. I got the green filling from the Dollar Store in the gift bag area.
I got these foam shamrocks and gold coins from the dollar store. The kids had to pick a shamrock and name the category group for the three items I wrote on the shamrock. If there was the “lucky” word on the back, they got to get a gold coin. We also used these in articulation therapy. The shamrock gave them directions for how many sounds to say and if they got it right, then they got to grab a gold coin.
We sorted categories with my rainbow sensory bin! You could also stick different colored items in the bin and have your students sort by colors.
We also went searching for gold at the end of the rainbow! After my students found a piece of gold, they had to follow a direction with a basic concept. I would have my articulation and wh-question students complete their target and then roll a die to see how many gold coins they could collect.
If you need more sensory bin ideas follow my Speech Therapy: Sensory Bins pinterest board. Stay tuned for my spring sensory bin ideas!! I am pretty excited to share what I have in store for my little speechies. What do you like about sensory bins? Which ones have you tried out in therapy?
Love this idea!! Definitely going to make one. Thanks for sharing!
Love these ideas! Where did you get the pictures in the rainbow category bin??
They were at the school that I had last year. I didn’t purchase them and I don’t know where you would find them!
I bought those little tiny green trinkets from the Dinky Doodads Etsy store. I buried them in a bin of dry rice and had my students close their eyes, search with their hands, and pull out one tiny item (harder than it seems to find those things in the rice!). Then we used the EET strategy to define and describe the items. Super engaging and fun!