How to Make a Counting Carrots Sensory Bin for Easter

Watch the Video

If you prefer to watch the video tutorial on how to make this carrot sensory bin, then click below to see it on YouTube.

How to make a Counting Carrots Sensory Bin

1. Paint the egg carton green

Tear the lid off of the egg carton and keep the half that has the egg cups. Paint the outside of the cups with either green or brown paint.

I used green so that it would blend in with my rainbow rice, but you can also use brown instead so that it looks like the carrots are sticking out of the dirt instead. 

2. Cut it in half

use a pair of scissors to cut the egg carton in half, so that you are left with two rows of six. This step is optional, you don’t need to cut the carton at all. I just preferred to do it this way because I wanted all the numbers to be easy to read from the same angle.

3. Number each egg cup

I used dot stickers to number my egg carton. This is because my green paint dried fairly dark and it was more difficult to read the black marker against the paint. However, if you are using a lighter green, or if you have a white marker, then you can write the numbers directly onto the egg carton.

4. Make a hole in the top of each cup

I made the hole in the top of each cup by making the initial cut with the tip of my pair of scissors. Then, I used the handle of the paintbrush to make the hole larger and round. 

You’ll need to make the holes large enough for your carrots to fit into, so that your kids can insert and remove the carrots while they play.

5. Number each of the carrots

While I initially tried using my dot stickers on my carrots too, this failed miserably. The glitter on the carrots meant that the stickers would stay attached.

So I eventually gave up and used a black marker to label the carrots from 1 – 12 instead.

6. Fill the tub with rainbow rice

If you don’t know how to make your own rainbow rice, you can try this taste-safe rainbow rice recipe. It’s a great way to let young kids engage in sensory play, especially if they still love to put everything into their mouths.

7. Place the egg cartons in the tub

​I chose to line my egg cartons on one side of the tub in rows. This is so that the kids could easily see all of the numbers from where they stood.

8. Add in the carrots

Place your craft carrots around the green rainbow rice. You can also place one of the carrots into its matching number on the egg cartons as a way to demonstrate to your kids how to match the numbers.

When I first made this activity I also included some toy bunnies, which was a fun way to turn a regular carrot sensory bin into an Easter one.

9. Enjoy playing

This activity is great for regular sensory play as well as any type of matching activity. While I wanted my kids to practice number matching in this activity, you can also substitute numbers for shapes or letters. 

Perhaps you may want to try placing lowercase letters on the carrots and matching uppercase letters on the egg cartons, and turn this into a fun literacy activity instead.

Easter Sensory Activities for Kids

Here are some of my favorite Easter themed sensory play ideas. Perfect for toddlers and preschoolers, and a great way to celebrate the holiday without any need for chocolate.

1. Easter Pom Pom Sensory Bin
2. Easter Bunny Sensory Bin
3. Foam Sensory Bin for Easter
4. Calming Easter Sensory Bottle
5. Easter Sensory Eggs for Babies and Toddlers

For more ideas, check out this list of 20 Easter themed sensory play ideas.

Easter Activity Pack

Educational printables for young kids to enjoy this Easter.

Get it Here!