Okay, if you know me at all, you know I have found lots of joy in creating sensory bins for my daughter! I’m all about finding easy (and often mess free ways) to bring sensory bins into my home, and these bins would work great in the classroom as well. These Christmas sensory bin ideas are perfect for the classroom because they are mess free! No water, food, or any other messy element involved. Win-win!
And while these Christmas sensory bins are pretty cute and fun, they also incorporate various skills, such as fine motor skills, counting, and so on.
Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree Sensory Bin
For this Christmas sensory bin, I used several different tactile objects: crinkle paper, puff balls, ornaments (plastic), bells, and Christmas bows. What I love about this sensory bin is the various sizes, textures, and sounds of the objects. Definitely a sensory experience!
Here are a few ideas I have for this bin:
- Bury the objects in the crinkle paper. Have students practice digging in search of the objects. This can test their patience and fine motor skills.
- Ask your students to describe different objects out loud in French (ie. loud, soft, etc)
- Have students arrange the items on the Christmas tree to decorate it. You can give them tweezers, chopsticks, or a spoon to use. This will challenge their fine motor skills.
Ba Rum Pom Pom Pom Sensory Bin
This Christmas sensory bin might look basic, but there is a lot of possibility! To bring this bin to life, you will need different coloured pom poms, loose cotton or fluff, and some type of large, child-safe tweezers.
Here are some fun ideas to use with this sensory bin:
- Continue practicing fine motor skills by scooping, moving, and dumping the fluff and pom poms
- Have students count the pom poms in French. You can add a challenge by asking them to count a certain colour or add together two bowls of pom poms.
- Have students arrange the pom poms in a line, and then use a ruler to measure the line. Have them tell the measurement in French.
- Sort the pom poms by colour and ask them to name the colours.
Deck the Halls Christmas Sensory Bin
For this Christmas sensory bin, you’ll need a lot of the same materials you’ve already used. Go ahead and pull out the plastic ornaments, puff balls, bells, crinkle paper, and as bonus, mini candy canes. When I designed this bin, I was thinking a lot about pattern making.
Here’s some of my ideas for this bin:
- Have students design various patterns with the objects. Then, have them write down their pattern in French.
- Practice French listening skills by giving students directions for creating a particular pattern. Have students create the pattern using the objects.
Jingle Bells Sensory Bin
I decided to get a little crazy with this bin and pull out the tinsel! This is such a fun texture for kids. For this Christmas sensory bin, you’ll need the following items: plastic ornaments, bells, and tinsel. Also, small bowls or bins can help with some of the activities.
Try out these fun activities for this Christmas themed bin:
- Have students count objects in French. For example, counting how many ornaments, counting ornaments of a certain colour, etc.
- Have students use the bells to sound out Christmas themed French words. They can sound the syllables by shaking the bell or placing the bells in a line.
- Do some simple addition. Place a certain number of bells or ornaments into a group (you can use a bowl if you want). Have students count the two bowls separately, then count them together.
All I Want for Christmas is Mittens Sensory Bin
Lastly, this Christmas sensory bin is perfect for practicing fine motor skills – in a new way! You will need crinkle paper, yarn or ribbon, little wooden Christmas themed items (like mittens), and clothes pins (bonus points if they come with little mittens, snowflakes, etc. on them).
Then, complete some of these activities:
- Have students clip the clothes pins onto the yarn or ribbon.
- Have students use the clothes pin to pick up the wooden items inside of the bin or move the pieces of crinkle paper.
You can find most of the materials I’ve posted about in my Amazon storefront. You can also find more material ideas for other Christmas-themed sensory activities there too! PS – Want more sensory and loose parts ideas? Click here
