Sweet Valentine’s Day Sensory Bin with Practical Life and Math Activities

Valentine’s Day is such a fun holiday that I just had to create a sweet Valentine’s Day sensory bin for my 2-year-old granddaughter, Zoey. I already had my DIY sensory table and was able to easily put together a few activities within the table.

 

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Sweet Valentine’s Day Sensory Bin with Practical Life and Math Activities – YouTube Video

Now this is TOO SWEET!!!

Sweet Valentine’s Day Sensory Bin with Practical Life and Math Activities

Materials Used for Valentine’s Day Sensory Bin

• • metal mailbox I got at the Target dollar spot a couple of years ago
  • white rice from the Dollar Tree
  • red food coloring or liquid watercolor
  • DIY sensory table (I totally love this. It’s been very durable and the perfect container for our sensory bins. Of course, you can use a bin on the floor.)
  • heart-shaped glass jar
  • 10 mini heart-shaped containers
  • small heart-shaped bowl from the grocery store
  • measuring cups and spoons
  • free printable valentine numbers from Confessions of a Homeschooler (The valentine numbers shown in the video are no longer available, but these are great, too.)
  • free heart numbers with matching bead bar cards

Feel free to adapt your sensory bin for your family. These are just the materials I used. If your toddler mouths objects, be sure to use large enough objects or only have the sensory bin available when you are closely supervising your toddler.

How I Dyed the Rice

I mixed my ingredients in a jumbo-sized Ziplock bag. I used approximately 2 tablespoons of water to wet each 2 lb. bag of rice and then added red food coloring until it reached the color I wanted. Some parents and teachers use rubbing alcohol instead of water, but I recommend using water if you have a toddler who might want to taste the rice. Liquid watercolor can be used instead of food coloring, but again I recommend food coloring of some sort if your toddler might taste the rice.

Practical Life Activities of Opening/Closing, Scooping/Spooning, and Pouring

Valentine Scavenger Hunt and Number Identification Activity

I like to add a special hands-on activity using a free printable to the sensory bins I prepare. Update: The valentine numbers I used for this sensory bin are no longer available, but you might like the free heart numbers with matching Montessori bead bar cards from Green Tree Montessori Materials at TPT. You can print them out at 75% or whatever works if you want them to fit in mini heart-shaped containers. I simply hid the the valentine numbers in the rice where Zoey would find them.

Heart Sorting and Matching Activity

I also hid 2 of each color of white, pink, and red foam hearts. This even has a bit of sensorial activity with the color matching. Again, I just let Zoey decide what to do with the hearts she finds.

Zoey loves her Valentine’s Day sensory bin! She’s spent a long time with it already, and I’m sure she’ll spend a lot more time with it before Valentine’s Day.

I’d love to hear about any sensory bins you have right now. 🙂

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