This Color Sorting Sensory Bin is a fun way for young kids to play during your next color theme.
Use it to practice color matching, fine motor skills and more.
Adult supervision is required for all activities at all times. Some of the links provided in this blog are affiliate links. I will be paid a commission if you use this link to make a purchase.
If you want to make your Color themed lessons a breeze, then check out the Color Activity Pack. It’s filled with math and literacy centers, fine motor activities and arts and crafts templates. All of which are aligned with preschool learning standards. Check it out today.
Table of Contents
Materials Needed
- A large plastic tub
- Items in different colors
- Sensory bin tools (cups, bowls and spoons)
- Different colored bowls
How to Make a Color Sorting Sensory Bin
1. Gather your materials
You can choose whatever colorful items you already have to include in this sensory bin. As long as they are the color of the rainbow.
I used:
- Buttons
- Popsicle sticks
- Foam letters
- Pom Poms
- Pipe cleaners and
- Scrunch up piece of paper
If you want to try this activity with babies, then make sure that you choose items that are large enough to not be a choking hazard. Large color blocks or ball pit balls would work perfectly.
2. Place them in the tub
Pour all of the items into the large tub and mix them together.
3. Set up your bowls
My tub wasn’t large enough to fit both the sensory bin fillers and the bowls. So instead I placed the colored bowls on the sensory table, next to the tub instead.
4. Enjoy playing
Grab a pair of tongs or a spoon and move the items from the tub to the same colored bowl. For example, the orange craft sticks go inside the orange bowl.
If you don’t have any colored bowls to use, you can always use colored paper instead. The items from the tub can sit on top of the bright colors.
Different Ways to Play
1. Color Sorting Activity
Sort the sensory materials into matching colors. This is a great way to teach young children color recognition and all of the color names while they play.
2. Making Words
Use the foam letters to make words. This activity can be as challenging as your child needs. Very young children can start by just recognizing the letters. Slightly older kids can word on CVC or sight words instead.
3. Sort into Hard and Soft
Sort and group the different items into their qualities, like hard and sort, or small and large. This is an easy way to get kids to practice sorting and grouping, which is a math skill kids need to learn before school.
4. Making Shapes
Use the different items to make 2D shapes, or even pictures. This is always a lot of fun, I love seeing the different pictures that my kids can come up with using the different materials.
More Color Activities to Try
If you are looking for different play ideas that focus on teaching young kids their colos, then try some of these other amazing ideas.
- Taste-Safe Rainbow Spaghetti
- Push Pin Color Matching ACtivity
- Color Wheel Art for Kids (Free Printable Template)
- Oil and Water Discovery Bottles
- Color Sorting Printable
For more ideas, take a look at these 25 Colors Crafts and Activities for Kids.
Colors Activity Pack
Educational printables to help teach toddlers and preschoolers all about the different colors.
Are you going to try this Color Sorting Sensory Bin withy our kids? Don’t forget to pin the idea for later.