DIY Sensory Bin

Hey y'all.  About a year ago, one of our therapists told us about sensory bins.  I had heard a little bit about them from "Pinterest" but I did not know much about them in the context of a child with sensory processing disorder.  She helped us understand that getting a sensory bin full of one type of material (sand, beans, water, cotton balls) would be a good way to help Whitaker regulate and manage his sensory need.  She said that we could use it as a tool to help get him ready to do therapeutic activities, as a reward for therapeutic activities and just as something to help us transition from activity to activity a little bit better.  So, we gave it a shot.

we got a big 66 quart bin-big enough for him to actually climb in and 20 lbs of lima beans to put inside.  We thought lima beans would be a good option, especially since we had a baby in the house and they weren't too tiny.  We also liked them because they had a little bit of weight so he would get more input from beans versus cotton balls.  Once we dumped the beans in the bin-it was like Christmas morning.  Whitaker loved it!

Honestly-for the winter months this is something great to help kids regulate-really any kid.  Chins loved it too-even at 4 months.  The possibilities are endless with sensory bins too.  You can do water, dried noodles, sand, cotton balls, oatmeal-really whatever you want.  Our therapist also suggested have the bin be full of one material-she said if we wanted to change up his sensory play, we could get large plastic bags and have different choices to put in the bin.  

Why is regulating important? If we can get children to regulate their sensory input and organize it-then the activity that we are doing will, or skill we are trying to teach, will come easier.  If a child is sensory overloaded/under stimulated this type of input can either help them organize their input in order to calm down or give them the input they need so they can learn.

So have at it! Good luck!