Simple Dinosaur Sensory Bin for Kids of All Ages
Check out our simple dinosaur sensory bin that’s easy to make and so much fun to play with! My son is obsessed with dinosaurs, so naturally he wanted to create a sensory table worthy of a budding paleontologist. Here’s an easy way to put together fun dinosaur sensory play!
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Dinosaur Sensory Fun
Themed sensory bins are popular at our house, but I know they can seem intimidating to parents, especially ones with sand. We have a whole post about tips for minimizing the mess and teaching kids to use sensory bins you can read here. Sensory and imaginative play like this is so beneficial for young kids that it’s worth the learning curve and mess in the meantime to us.
Our best advice for this one is to start outside if your child is pretty young or not used to sensory bins. If you can’t get outside, place this sensory bin on a bed sheet thats on an uncarpeted floor to make clean up much easier. And always start with adult supervision with sand because it shouldn’t get into their mouths.
This bin is only being used on our kitchen table because my kids are very used to sensory bins after lots of practice. Even then there’s still a little bit of mess we vacuum up or sweep back into the bin.
Build Fine Motor Skills
Sensory bins are one of my kids favorite things to play with, and this sensory exploration is also so beneficial for them at this age. Young kids need opportunities like this to build fine motor skills as they practice using their hands and fingers for coordination and control. The fine motor skills learned in sensory bins are just what kids need as they grow (while having so much fun!).
Letter D Activities
If you’re looking for sensory activities that go with the letter D, this is the perfect activity! We pull this bin out for our week with the letter D and for our separate dinosaur week.
Materials We Used
We ordered our kinetic sand on Amazon, but ended up finding the pack of dinosaurs and the mini cups at the dollar store. You can also find regular sand at the dollar store occasionally if you want to make this as cheap as possible. Here’s everything we used:
- Green Kinetic Sand
- Small Dinosaurs
- Rocks
- Trees
- A Volcano
- Mini Cups
- Any Small Container
Some other things you can add:
- Dinosaur Fossils
- Dinosaur Bones
- Shells
- Dinosaur Eggs
- Utensils for Scooping
- Sticks
- Brushes (like real paleontologists)
Your Own DIY Dinosaur Sensory Bin
Now just put everything together in your bin! You can let your child play with this one on their own or do a couple guided activities. We love doing a dinosaur dig where I bury the dinosaurs or fossils while my son isn’t looking, and then he has to go find them.
Another fun activity we do is making dinosaur tracks. It sounds simple, but this is a great way for young kids to learn cause and effect along with comparing and contrasting the dinosaurs they have. Help them see how the footprints are different or the same.
More Dinosaur Fun!
Along with our sensory bin during dinosaur week, we love to do this dinosaur art activity! This is a great craft for any child who loves dinosaurs, and the best part is that it’s process art that really can’t be messed up.
Just Starting with Sensory Bins?
The best way to introduce sensory bins to your little ones, even babies, is with a bin of water while they’re sitting in the empty bathtub. They can make all the mess they want while you help them learn to try to keep everything in the bin. One of our favorite water based ones is this ocean themed sensory bin.
