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Simple Counting Pumpkin Seeds Sensory Bin for Fall

Learn some math skills with this Counting Pumpkin Seeds Sensory Bin. This is an awesome way to help toddlers and preschoolers learn to count through a fun sensory experience. Perfect for a pumpkin theme or a fall unit in your early years classroom.

If you want to make your Fall themed lessons a breeze, then check out the Fall 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.

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 Fall Themed Sensory Activities to try

Here are some more sensory play ideas to try this Fall season. Toddlers and preschoolers will have so much fun with these easy activity ideas.

  1. Corn Sensory Bin for Fall
  2. Rainbow oats sensory bin for fall
  3. Apple tree sensory bin
  4. Pumpkin Boats
  5. Pumpkin Guts Sensory Bags

For more ideas, take a look at these 25 Fall Sensory Activities.

Materials Needed

  1. Pumpkin seeds
  2. Egg Carton Pumpkins
  3. A sharpie pen
  4. Sensory bin tools (such as spoons, bowls, and jugs)

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 Counting Pumpkin Seeds Sensory Bin

1. Make your egg carton pumpkins.

I made egg carton pumpkins with my kids as a fun fall craft, and I’m so glad that I did because they ended up being the perfect size for this pumpkin sensory bin.

Make as many pumpkins as you want. I made 10, because my kids were very little and that was the number we were working towards. If you’re doing this activity with preschoolers, you can make up to 20 pumpkins and get them to count to a larger number instead.

Each pumpkin will need a top and a bottom half, so make sure that you double up your egg cartons to make the entire vegetable.

2. Write the numbers 1 – 10 inside the pumpkins.

I used a black marker to write the numerals 1 – 10 inside the bottom half ( not the top half) of my pumpkins.

If you don’t have that many egg cartons available, you can always just make the top half of the pumpkin, and write the number in the top of the small cups. This is a great idea because it will still allow your kids to place the pumpkin seeds inside the cup, but you won’t be able to close the lid and shake the pumpkin around.

3. Pour the pumpkin seeds into the tub.

Take a large plastic container, or a water table and pour your pumpkin seed along the bottom.

4. Place the pumpkins inside the seeds.

Arrange your completed mini pumpkins inside the sensory bin filler, along with some classic sensory tools (such as spoons, cups and bowls)

5. Enjoy Playing

Different Ways to Play

Counting Seeds

Pick a pumpkin and read which numeral is written on the inside. If you pick up pumpkin number six, then place six pumpkin seeds inside your pumpkin.

You can then close the pumpkin up and give it a shake, listening to what six seeds inside of a pumpkin sounds like.

Scoop and Pour

Use your spoons and bowls to scoop up and pour the pumpkin seeds into various containers. You can also use the pumpkins themselves as containers for scooping and catching the seeds.

Writing Tray

Use your sensory bin as a writing tray for additional fine motor work. This is particularly useful if you have a container that is a solid color. Then you can use your finger or a paintbrush to make patterns in the seeds.

This is also a great way for kids to practice their number formation. All you need to do is to pick up a pumpkin, see which numeral it has written inside, and try to copy that number in the pumpkin seeds with your finger.

Alternatively you can also use this idea to practice writing sight words, uppercase and lowercase letters or just for regular mark making.

What You’re Learning

Math

There are a number of different math skills that young children are going to be learning with this fall sensory bin. For example, practice counting from 1 – 10 or to 20. You can count the individual seeds, the number of pumpkins or even how many scoops of pumpkin seeds it takes to fill up a small bowl.

Other math skills include:

  1. Counting
  2. Number – numeral matching
  3. One-to-one correspondence
  4. Number formation
  5. Informal Measuring

Science

Talk to your kids about all things pumpkin while playing with this simple sensory bin. This is a fun way to explore some science concepts behind pumpkins such as:

  1. How pumpkins grow
  2. What they need to grow
  3. What we use them for

Sensory

This activity encourages kids to explore a variety of different textures and sounds.

The pumpkins, pipe cleaner stems and seeds themselves are very tactile. And once you shake the filled pumpkin around it will make a noise. Additionally, pouring the seeds into the tub from different heights will also make slightly different noises that children can enjoy experimenting with.

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 seeds, and placing them into the pumpkins are all going to help little hands develop:

  1. Pincer grip and/or tripod grip
  2. Hand-eye coordination
  3. Dexterity

Are you going to make this Counting Pumpkin Seeds Sensory Bin for your kids?
Don’t forget to pin the idea for later.

Make your Autumn themed lessons easy with the Fall Activity Pack. Print and play activities for preschool and kindergarteners.

Fall Activity Pack

87 Pages of Fall themed play based learning activities. Perfect for preschool and kindergarteners.