Find the ghosts inside this fun Halloween themed sensory activity. This Foam Ghosts Sensory Bin is perfect for toddlers and preschoolers to play with this October. Use it at home or in the classroom for a fun and easy play based learning activity.
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Disclosure: 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.
More Halloween Sensory Play Ideas to try
There are plenty of sensory activities to try this Halloween. Here are some more easy ideas that your kids will have so much fun playing with.
- Frozen Ghosts Sensory Bin
- Spider Web Sensory Bin
- Eyeball Soup Sensory Bin
- Ghost Sensory Bag
- Ghost Sensory Bottle
For more ideas, check out these 26 Sensory Activities for Halloween.
Materials Needed
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup bubble bath
- Handheld electric mixer
- 5 – 10 drops purple food coloring
- A large mixing bowl
- A large plastic container
- Pebbles in different sizes
- White and black paint pens
- Sensory bin tools (cups, spoons, bowls, ect)
For this project I used a black paint pen instead of a regular black marker. I prefer to use acrylic paint pens to draw over my craft projects because they’re paint based instead of ink based.
I find that when I use a sharpie to draw over paint it ends up ruining my sharpie rather quickly.
How to Make a Foam Ghosts Sensory Bin
Make the Ghosts
If you already have pebbles to use, then follow the instructions below. However, if you need to buy them, then I recommend buying white decorative pebbles instead.
If you get white pebbles, then all you need to do is draw a ghost face on with a black marker. Easy peasy.
1. Wash the pebbles.
If you’re grabbing pebbles out of the garden, make sure that you wash them first. Having a clean, dry surface will help the paint to stick to the pebbles more effectively.
2. Paint the pebbles white.
You may need 2 or 3 coats of white paint for this step. It all depends on how white you want your ghosts to look.
3. Draw the faces.
I used a black paint pen to draw eyes and a mouth on each of the pebbles.
Something that I wish I had thought of before doing this activity, is to draw different emotions on each of the ghosts. Having an angry, sad and happy ghost would have been a great opportunity to talk to my kids about their emotions.
4. Seal the paint.
When the paint is dry, brush a layer of mod podge over the rock to help seal the paint.
I made the mistake of not sealing the paint when I made this activity. Which meant that the ghosts’ faces washed off while my kids were still playing with them.
This isn’t a big issue if you’re at home and most likely will only do this activity once.
However, if you’re doing this sensory activity with your class, you’re going to want to save your ghosts. Because then you can make them once and use them again with next year’s class.
Make the Bubble Foam
1. In a large mixing bowl, add your water, bubble bath and food coloring.
If you have purple food coloring, use it. If not, just use red and blue together, or pick a completely different color instead.
2. Use the handheld mixer to mix the ingredients together, until the bubbles form.
I love using tear free bubble baths to make soap foam. Especially for younger children like toddlers. That way if any gets into their eyes by accident, they won’t get hurt.
Putting it all together.
1. Scoop the bubbles into your plastic tub.
2. Place the ghosts into the foam.
3. Enjoy playing.
Different Ways to Play
Scoop and Pour
Use the spoons and bowls to scoop the bubbles up and transfer them from one container to the other.
Ghost Soup
Engage in imaginative play and make some ghost soup. Pretend to create your own recipe and then sell them at a Halloween cafe.
Sort by Size
Having pebbles of different sizes means that you can do some sorting with your kids. Line the pebbles up from largest to smallest and learn some math.
Are you going to make a foam ghosts sensory bin for your kids?
Don’t forget to pin the idea for later.
86 Pages of Halloween themed play based learning activities. Perfect for preschool and kindergarteners.
