Learning happens through play at the sensory table. It can be hard to come up with new ideas. So, I’m here to share my favorite sensory tables for different themes.
In each bin, add tools like scoops or tweezers. Include containers for the filler, like trays or bowls. You can also add items for sorting or counting, like mini erasers or pom poms. Sometimes, adding toys for pretend play is a great idea.
Remember, red kidney beans are poisonous if not cooked. Don’t put them in the sensory table!
1️⃣ Black beans + alphabet soup sorting cans
Make learning letters fun with this Black Beans & Alphabet Soup Sorters Sensory Table! Kids will search through black beans to find colorful alphabet pieces from the Learning Resources Soup Alphabet Sorters. It’s a great way to learn letters, match, and sort while having fun.
Materials Needed
- Black beans (enough to fill your sensory table or bin)
- Learning Resources Soup Alphabet Sorters (includes letters and cups for sorting)
- Scoops, spoons, or ladles (for added play)
- Small bowls or cups (to hold sorted letters)
- Sensory bin or large container
This activity is great for preschoolers or early learners. It helps them practice literacy and sorting skills through play!
2️⃣Flower pots + flowers (Mother’s Day gifts!)
Create a fun and thoughtful sensory table with the Flower Pots & Flowers Sensory Table. Kids can plant colorful flowers in mini pots. This helps them with fine motor skills, creativity, and play.
These cute flower pots make great Mother’s Day gifts. They show thought and care.
Materials Needed
- Mini flower pots (plastic, terracotta, or painted pots)
- Artificial/Real flowers (various colors and sizes)
- Foam blocks or floral foam (to hold flowers in place inside pots)
- Small scoops, trowels, or shovels (for pretend planting)
- Play soil or shredded paper (optional for added sensory fun)
- Decorative craft items (like stickers or markers to personalize the pots)
This sensory table is also a place for kids to make gifts. They can create something special for moms, grandmas, or caregivers!
3️⃣Kinetic Sand + alphabet molds
Let learning get messy — in the best way! This Kinetic Sand & Alphabet Sand Mold Sensory Table mixes fun with learning. Kids can dig, mold, and shape letters in the kinetic sand. This helps them practice letter recognition, spelling, and fine motor skills.
It’s a great hands-on activity for curious learners!
Materials Needed
- Kinetic sand (any color, enough to cover the bin)
- Alphabet sand molds (plastic molds of uppercase and/or lowercase letters)
- Scoops and small shovels (for extra sensory fun)
- Sensory bin or large tray
- Brushes or small tools (to “excavate” and reveal letters)
This sensory table offers endless opportunities for kids to explore letters in a playful, hands-on way. It supports literacy development!
4️⃣Popcorn + silk flowers, pots, gardening gloves, shovels
Let your little ones explore gardening fun with this unique Popcorn Garden Sensory Table! The soft, fluffy popcorn acts as “dirt.” Kids can dig, plant, and create their own mini flower gardens. This hands-on activity engages their senses, promotes creativity, and enhances fine motor skills.
It’s perfect for indoor play, rainy days, or themed learning sessions about nature and gardening.
Materials Required:
- Popcorn (unpopped or popped) – to act as soil for digging and planting.
- Silk flowers – to “plant” in the popcorn garden.
- Small flower pots – for kids to pot their flowers.
- Gardening gloves – to add a realistic gardening touch.
- Small shovels or scoops – for digging and filling pots.
This sensory table idea encourages imaginative play while providing a safe and mess-friendly gardening experience indoors! 🌸
5️⃣Popcorn + tractors and fruit counters
Bring the farm to life with this Popcorn Farm Sensory Table! The popcorn acts as the farm’s soil. Kids can use little tractors to scoop and move it around.
Fruit counters add a fun twist, teaching kids about counting and sorting. They get to gather and “harvest” fruit from the popcorn soil. This sensory table boosts imaginative play, fine motor skills, and early math concepts.
Materials Required:
- Popcorn (unpopped or popped) – to create the farm soil for digging and moving.
- Toy tractors – for scooping and moving the popcorn around like a farmer.
- Fruit counters – small, colorful fruit-shaped items to “harvest” and sort.
This setup is a fun, engaging way for children to explore the farm environment. They practice counting, sorting, and imaginative play! 🌽
6️⃣Green rice + “Easter egg” carrots and scoops
Set up a carrot garden sensory bin for your kids to explore. It’s perfect for your Easter activities for toddlers and preschoolers or just for fun.
This sensory bin fits into many thematic units or your spring lesson plans. Your students will have a great time, no matter when you plan it.
Carrot-themed sensory play can help with many early learning skills. Kids can learn about sensory exploration, math, and literacy. The possibilities are endless.
Materials Required:
- Green rice – to simulate garden soil.
- Easter egg carrots – small, colorful toy carrots that can be buried and “harvested.”
- Scoops or tongs – for digging up and sorting the carrots.
One fun suggestion – make the green rice in batches so you can have a variety of shades. If possible, have the children help you with this.
7️⃣Green rice + farm animals and fences
Step into the farmyard with this Farmyard Fun Sensory Table! The green rice looks like grassy fields. Farm animals like cows, sheep, and pigs are all around. Kids can make their own farm scenes, build fences, and care for the animals.
This activity boosts creativity and fine motor skills. It also introduces kids to farm life in a fun way.
Materials Required:
- Green rice – to create the grassy farm fields.
- Toy farm animals – cows, pigs, sheep, chickens, etc.
- Toy Tractors
- Small toy fences – to build farm enclosures.
This sensory table lets kids explore farm life. They can develop their creativity and motor skills! 🌾
8️⃣Colored water, ice cube trays, eye droppers for color mixing
Introduce little scientists to the world of colors with this Color Mixing Water Sensory Table! Use colored water and ice cube trays for kids to see how colors mix and change. They can drop colors with eye droppers, watching as they create new shades.
This activity boosts experimentation, fine motor skills, and curiosity about color theory and science.
Materials Required:
- Colored water – different colors in small containers.
- Ice cube trays – to hold the colored water and provide sections for mixing.
- Eye droppers – for precise color mixing and transferring water.
This fun, hands-on activity promotes creativity and learning through sensory exploration and color discovery! 🌟
9️⃣Oatmeal + Goldilocks house and bowls
Make the tale of Goldilocks and the Three Bears come alive with this Goldilocks Oatmeal Sensory Table! The oatmeal is like the porridge for kids to touch and feel. Miniature bowls stand in for the bears’ bowls, where kids can play and learn.
They can fill the bowls with different amounts of oatmeal. This activity is a great way to make storytelling fun. It also boosts creativity and fine motor skills.
Materials Required:
- Oatmeal – to represent the porridge for sensory exploration.
- Miniature bowls – for the “three bears,” where children can fill and compare.
- Goldilocks house (optional) – a small toy house or figure to add a storytelling element.
This sensory table combines play and learning. It lets kids dive into a story while learning about textures and basic math. 🍚
🔟Blue beans (dyed lime beans and chick peas) + wooden word puzzles
Make your playtime colorful and fun with the Blue Bean Puzzle Play table. It has dyed blue lima beans and chickpeas for digging and sorting. Wooden word puzzles add a learning twist, teaching kids to match letters and form words.
This table is great for creativity, improving fine motor skills, and learning to read. It’s a hands-on, enjoyable way for kids to learn.
Materials Required:
- Dyed blue lima beans and chickpeas – for digging and sorting.
- Wooden word puzzles – for matching letters and simple words.
This table encourages kids to use their imagination. It also helps them learn letters and improve their fine motor skills. It’s a fun way to learn! 🌟
These spring sensory table ideas will spark creativity and hands-on learning in your little ones. By changing up the themes and adding different tools, you can keep things exciting and fresh. So, grab your materials, set up your sensory table, and watch your children explore, learn, and grow! Happy playing!
