We’re taking the bears on a winter sensory play adventure!
That’s right! These little bears ice skated thier way up and down the blue water in a storage bin for an entire afternoon. It is a winter sensory play win for preschoolers and toddlers alike.
This is a simple activity you can prep ahead of time and pull out when the clock begins to tick backward.
RELATED: Just introducing sensory play? You’ll want to start here with this simple sensory play guide.
We need indoor sensory play ideas in the winter.
With multiple ages, I understand the value of a suitable sensory bin.
Sensory play calls to many ages and invites them to collaborate, play, and work together. The time spent playing seems to be just the right amount for me to watch from the sidelines and catch my breath.
In fact, adding sensory play into our predictable routine has been everything for my three and five-year-old.
What makes this sensory play a win is the bears standing upright on the ice.
This calls for a little prep in advance, but it is a simple technique.
- Pour water 3/4 the way into the muffin pan.
- Freeze.
- Next, add the bears upright to stand on the frozen circles.
- Add cold water to fill the remaining 1/4 of the way.
- Freeze again.
Leave this in the freezer as long as you’d like. When you need something to pass the time, you are ready to play!
RELATED: Love sensory play? Check out how we use this bin with kinetic sand and colored cloud dough!
Let’s gather a few supplies to set up this winter play!
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- Storage bin – I use the bins listed in this toy storage post.
- Blue food coloring
- Muffin pan
- Counting bears
When it was time to play, I added a small amount of clue food coloring to the water bin and invited my toddler to play.
Keeping kid activities at home simple is the best way to play. And once you have the muffin tin, you can also try to rescue the bears using similar supplies!
As the boys played with their winter sensory bin, I had to chuckle.
This open-ended play had no directed start or finish. It was up to my toddler and preschooler to let the imaginary play unfold.
The bears skated.
They twirled, chatted, and sang.
The bears literally danced until the final melt.
When the boys finished, what is left is freed bears ready to take on the next round of play.
And believe me, there are dozens of ways to play with these little counting bears.
Almost every one of these ideas can be made in an instant!
When will you try this winter sensory play idea?
