We’ve had such a great time playing with various sensory bins and activities since the school year started! I love being able to integrate upcoming holidays into our play this way – and it really helps keep my 1 year old occupied while his brother is in virtual school.
I am incredibly excited for sensory play in December! I hope you enjoy these fantastic ideas that we’ve collected below.
You can take a look at my previous posts for toddlers here:
- 10 Toddler Learning Center Boxes – Perfect for At-Home Learning
- 4 Colorful Sensory Bins to Prep for Back to School
- 4 Spooky Sensory Activities for Toddler Playtime in October
- Festive November Sensory Activities for Your Toddler
I will list the supplies for the sensory activities next, but you may want to take a look at all of these ideas and then jump back up to supplies once you decide what you want to do.
You can jump down to the five bins and come back and review supplies later.
Supplies for all 5 bins
Large sensory bin containers
If you already have a plastic bin or sensory table at home, you can make any size work for these bins. I like to use a bin that has a lid so that I can make them in advance and store them. These two bins are good options:
- Sweater Box (15-5/8″ x 13-1/8″ x 6-3/4″ h)
- Modular Storage Box (16. 25″ x 13″ x 6. 125″) – this is for a 4-pack, so you can prep an entire month in advance!
Frozen PomPoms
- Large PomPoms – get several packs based on the size of your container
- Squeeze bottles
- Brush
Scoop the Ornaments
Christmas Water Sensory Play
- Plastic globe ornaments
- Food coloring
- Glitter
- Sequins
- Sensory tools (you can use the same as above)
Christmas Gift Wrap Sensory Bin
- Shredded crinkle paper
- Bows
- Jingle bells
- Small gift boxes
- Safety scissors
- Self-stick gift tags
- Tape
- Any other gift wrap items you have left
Hot Chocolate Sensory Play
- Cocoa Puffs (or other chocolate cereal)
- Mini marshmallows
- Coffee cups
- Measuring cups + spoons
- Whisk
This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Affiliate + Michael’s Affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases. (This does not change the price that you pay at all!) Regardless, all product recommendations are my own opinions.
Ideal Age Range:
Ideal age is 1 – 3. Know your child and adapt as needed, some things are harder for really little kids and some things will lose the interest of older kids. (Always reach out in the comments if you need suggestions on how to adapt activities!) And as always, supervise your kids closely as they do these activities.
Mess Factor:
Low to Medium. This month’s activities are not too mess-heavy. There is always the high probability that small sensory items will get everywhere, but they shouldn’t leave a lasting mess.
Prep Time:
Varies per activity. Ranges from 2 – 20 minutes.
How to Prep:
So many of these activities can be done with whatever fun Christmas or Winter items you already have (or toys you might have). You don’t need to copy pictures below exactly – simply find items that are on sale, that are in your grocery store, or that are lying around and incorporate those.
Below you can see the posts that inspired all of the activities that I am going to be making. We’ll come back and update you on our play with more pictures!
Let us know what questions or comments you have below!
Frozen PomPoms
Happy Toddler Playtime always sees into my soul because they have so many options that involve pompoms! (We LOVE pompoms in our house.) This one is a simple Christmas spin on something we tried over the summer.
Scoop the Ornaments
We are big on scooping and transferring here. This bin from Toddler Approved is incredibly simple but still festive!
Christmas Water Sensory Play
This activity from Little Bins for Little Hands is very similar to the ornament scoop above. I love when I can switch up sensory bins slightly and get extra life out of these activities!
Christmas Gift Wrap Sensory Bin
This bin uses your wrapping paper scraps and other odds and ends that you have left over from gift wrap! Genius. This makes it the perfect bin to easily set up in that no-mans land between Christmas and New Year’s Eve when time ceases to exist.
Check out Pre-K Pages original post for all of the details on setting up this bin.
Hot Chocolate Sensory Play
This bin from ABCDee Learning is fun play for your kids and smells delicious! Bonus – it is edible, so not worry for kids that are still putting everything in their mouths.
You can jump back to supplies to review what you need.
We’re excited to keep up our sensory play this December and experiment with new things. Let us know what you are playing with!
I would love to hear about the sensory activities you are putting together for your toddlers for this holiday season. Leave us a comment below!
If you would like to pin this activity, please use the image below.
