Sensory Play Idea For Valentine’s Day

In honor of the upcoming lovestruck holiday – today’s post is ALL about the Valentine Scented Sensory Bin I recently put together for my son.

Yes, you read that right – it’s SCENTED and smells pretty amazing for Valentine’s Day. You seriously won’t believe how easy it was to accomplish and put together. But before I get into the crafty details, let me brush you up on what a sensory bin is exactly.

If you don’t know what a sensory bin is – it’s basically a small plastic bin full of different materials that stimulate the various senses {touch, smell, hear, see and sometimes taste} and allow the child to explore in a small contained area. Sometimes these bins have a theme but they don’t necessarily have to have one. I personally love the ideas of doing themes though so I can center them around books & certain holidays. I like to tie things in so it’s like a full day of learning.

Besides keeping my son occupied for a good 30 minutes – sensory bins are great for developing his fine motor skills, thinking skills, vocab and also giving him a creative outlet, with problem solving as well. Best part is that a lot of times you can find the materials/supplies for the bins for cheap and you can reuse them in several different themes.

So follow my step-by-step tutorial below, so you TOO can pull this EASY Valentine Scented Sensory Bin together in minutes! Then let your little baker have at it and create some “yummy” treats!

PLEASE SUPERVISE YOUNG CHILDREN WHILE THEY PLAY WITH THEIR SENSORY BIN

Sensory Bin Supplies:

Scented Rice:

Dried Rice {about 6-8 cups}
Rubbing Alcohol
Large Plastic Baggie
Duncan Hines Frosting Creations Flavor Mix – White Chocolate Raspberry {or any flavor}

Other Sensory Bin Items:

Large Plastic Bin
Spoons/Plastic Cups/Tins/Muffin Cups
Plastic Heart Containers {Dollar Tree}
LARGE Heart Buttons

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Directions:

For the scented part – place your rice in your large plastic bag. Empty the contents of the Duncan Hines Frosting Creations Mix into the bag, as well as a few drops of rubbing alcohol. Then close off the bag and shake, shake, shake {shake it off!} until all the rice is completely covered. {You can’t see it in my pictures, but our rice turned a light pink color}
Next, empty out the contents of the bag on a cookie sheet and let the rice dry overnight.
To assemble the sensory bin – place the rice and all the other items in a large plastic bin. Then let your child explore and create!

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