Magical Shaving Cream Sensory Bin for Kids
This simple Shaving Cream Sensory Bin is a fun way to let toddlers and preschoolers engage in some sensory exploration. Shaving cream is a simple way to provide sensory play for toddlers, which also allows the kids to explore different colors, textures and smells all in one fun activity.
If you’ve got siblings at home don’t worry, this is a whole lot of messy fun that kids of all ages can join in and enjoy. It’s a great sensory activity that can be extended in different ways, I’ll show you how below.
Disclosure: Adult supervision is required for all activities at all times.
Table of Contents
- More Sensory Activities to Try
- Materials Needed
- Watch the Video
- Instructions
- Extended Play Ideas
- Frequently Asked Questions
Sensory Activities for Toddlers
I don’t know about you, but I love how toddlers can engage with sensory play ideas for such a long time. If your kids love this shaving foam sensory play idea, then be sure to try some more of these toddler friendly sensory activities.
- Taste Safe Rainbow Rice
- Thunderstorm Sensory Bin
- Shape Sorting Sensory Bin
- Flour Sensory Play
- Sticky Sensory Art Project
- …
For more ideas, visit 50 ideas for sensory play for toddlers.
Materials Needed
- Shaving foam
- Food coloring
- A large tub
- Something to mix with, like a craft stick, paint brush or just your hands.
Watch the Video
How to Make a Shaving Cream Sensory Bin
1. Fill a large plastic tub with a layer of shaving cream.
Empty a can of shaving foam over the bottom of your plastic tub. If you are doing this activity with an entire group in your class, you may need more than one can of shaving foam.
2. Spread and smooth out the foam.
Use the back of a spoon to smooth out the foam. This is optional, I only did it because I preferred the way the activity looked when the cream was smoothed out.
3. Place drops of food coloring over the shaving foam.
I used different colors of food coloring, but use what you have on hand. Or don’t use any food coloring at all.
One idea that I would like to try, is to hide some small toys in the foam for my kids to find. Like a little shaing cream scavenger hunt.
4. Enjoy Playing
Use spoons or popsicle sticks to mix the colors and the foam all together. Mixing the colors makes a beautiful marbled pattern and it’s mesmerizing to watch.
Extended-play ideas
1. Paint the Furniture
As always, my kids found ways to extend this activity beyond what I had initially planned. (I love it when their creative thinking kicks in). They grabbed the paintbrushes and decided to paint our outdoor furniture, making it a bit of an impromptu shaving cream craft.
This was a fun shaving cream activity that could be used on windows or an outdoor chalkboard too.
2. Add in Some Water
When we finished painting the furniture, we grabbed a tub of water and proceeded to wash the furniture and the paintbrushes.
Mixing the shaving cream into the water was so much fun too, and added a new element to the sensory experience. The shaving foam kind of melted, and we ended up splashing the bubbles around.
I have to admit that when thinking of ways to extend an activity, my go-to idea is usually to add water. My kids love water, and it’s so easy to grab a tub and see what happens.
FAQ’s
Yes. Exploring different textures is a great way for little hands to strengthen their fine motor skills. You can also add different items, such as pool noodles, small bowls, foam blocks and water beads so that the children can scoop, pour and discover even more textures hiding inside the shaving cream.
Shaving cream is a wonderful sensory material because it’s designed to be safe on skin. It’s also easy to clean up once the messy sensory play has run its course. All you need is to wipe it up with a damp cloth and put any messy clothes in the washing machine.
Yes and no. Shaving cream is safe for toddlers to play with as long as they don’t eat it or get any in their eyes. If this is something you worry about, you can always use goggles to protect your child’s eyes. Alternatively, you can use taste-safe sensory activities, or a sensory bag with babies and toddlers instead of shaving foam. And of course, always supervise your children.
If your kids are sensitive to shaving foam, or you have a serial taster, then you can substitute the shaving cream with Cool Whip or aquafaba instead. With these alternatives there’s no need for your kids to miss out on any shaving cream activities.
Are you going to try a shaving cream sensory bin for kids?
Don’t forget to pin the idea for later.
Print the Instructions
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