This Halloween Pom Pom Sensory Bin is a great way to get your kids learning this spooky season. Toddlers and preschoolers will have so much fun while they strengthen their sensory, fine motor and math skills, all while they play.
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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 Themed Sensory Activities
If you have toddlers and preschoolers, then take a look at these other fun sensory ideas for Halloween. These are some of my most popular ideas that my kids just loved.
- Skeleton Sensory Activity
- Halloween Spaghetti Sensory Bin
- Jello Eyeballs Sensory Bin
- Halloween Sensory Bottles
- Halloween Fizzing Science Sensory Bin
For more great ideas, take a look at these 26 Sensory activities for Halloween.
Materials Needed
- A large plastic container
- Dried black beans
- Pom poms (white, purple, green and orange)
- Buttons (optional)
- Mini cauldrons
- Sensory Bin tools (cups, spoons, bowls etc.)
Although it’s not essential, if you want to make your sensory bin ideas mess-free, get a Play Mat and Toy Storage 2-in-1 Combo.
It makes it so easy to pour the sensory bin right back into the container. Cleaning up takes 2 minutes with this easy mom hack. Check out the Play Mat here to see how it can help you keep your house tidy.
How to Make a Halloween Pom Pom Sensory Bin
1. Fill your large container with dried black beans.
2. Sprinkle your poms poms and buttons on top.
3. Add in the mini cauldrons and sensory bin tools.
4. Enjoy playing.
Different Ways to Play
Scoop and pour
Use the different tools inside the sensory bin to pick up and transfer the items from one container to another. My kids enjoyed scooping up the beans using bubble tongs, spoons and their hands.
They also then poured the contents into different containers as they played.
Sorting
There are a few different ways you can sort and classify the contents in this easy sensory activity. You can group the items by:
- Color (orange, green or white)
- Size (large, medium or small)
- Item (button or pom pom)
Sequencing or Patterns
If you are going to sort the pom poms by size you can also play around with sequencing them. Select three different sizes and then sort them from smallest to biggest.
You can also make an AB pattern using the different color pom pom. For example, set up a purple, white, purple white pattern and ask your children to identify the next color in the pattern.
Making shapes
Gather the black beans together and make some 2D shapes. You can also make shapes by lining up the beans or pom poms in a line instead.
Making letters
Line up the pom poms to form some letters. This is a wonderful activity for preschoolers who are learning to recognise their ABC’s.
Making Potions
Engage in pretend play and use the items in the sensory bin to make your own potions. You can even set up a potion shop and use the buttons as pretend money.
Playing with sound
Dropping the black beans into various containers will make different sounds. Let your kids drop a handful of beans from different heights and into different containers to see what happens.
Counting and Measuring
If you want to practice counting with your toddlers or preschoolers. Here is the perfect opportunity to do so. Count how many scoops it takes to fill up a small bowl with beans. Not only can you practice counting to 10 or 20 by doing this, you’ll also be practicing one-to-one correspondence at the same time.
This is also an example of informal measuring. Instead of using exact measuring tools, like an ounce or a cup to measure how many beans your container holds, you’re using spoonfuls.
For example, this small cup takes 15 spoons of beans, but the large cup takes 30 spoons.
What You’re Learning
Sensory
Tactile – there are a variety of different textures inside this sensory bin. From the roughness of the mini cauldrons to the soft pom poms and the smooth black beans.
Visual – Not only does this sensory activity contain different colors, since the items inside it also have different sheens you can explore how they reflect light.
For example, the buttons are high sheen, and you can see the light bounce off of them when you change the angle of the button. (you’ll see it as a bands of white that moves across the surface when the button moves)
However, pom poms are low sheen, and do not have the visual white band of light, no matter how you move it around.
Auditory – Dropping the beans into different containers will make different sounds. If this is an aspect that you really want to explore with your kids, then I recommend getting a wooden, plastic and metal bowl, because they all make obviously different sounds when the beans are poured into them.
Fine Motor Skills
Fine motor skills refer to the small muscles in the hand and fingers. Developing these skills are important in being able to write when the kids go to school, as well as being able to complete tasks independently. (For example, dressing and feeding themselves).
Picking up the items in the sensory bin, as well as using the various tools are all going to help young kids develop:
- Palmar grasp
- Pincer grip
- Hand-eye coordination
- Dexterity
- Hand strength
Math
There are a lot of different math skills explored inside this one easy sensory activity. These include:
- Colors
- Shapes
- Sorting and classifying
- Patterns
- Sequencing
- Counting
- Informal measuring
- One-to-one correspondence
Are you going to make this Halloween Pom Pom Sensory Activity with 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.
