Fine Motor Snowflake Sensory Bin for Kids

Need winter sensory bin ideas? Well, this snowflake sensory bin is a perfect for toddlers and preschoolers. Your kids will love this peppermint scented winter sensory bin!

We have fallen in love with simple water sensory play or "sensory soups." They are so easy to put together and they encourage lots of fine motor practice.

Now I know playing with water might seem more like a summer sensory bin activity, but my kids love playing with water, regardless of the temperatures outside.

This winter sensory bin is a perfect way to work on fine motor skills while providing tactile and olfactory sensory input too!

Snowflake Sensory Bin for Kids: What You'll Need

As with most of the sensory bins I have made for my kids, I like to keep it simple with a dump and play kind of approach. Simply dump all the materials into a large plastic container and then it's ready for play time!

For this peppermint scented snowflake sensory bin, I used:

Water

Peppermint essential oil - Use peppermint extract instead for really little kids.

Metallic pearl white liquid watercolor - I use a brand from Michaels.

Foam snowflakes

Silver snowflakes - I cut up a cheap snowflake garland for these.

Kitchen utensils - We like to use a whisk, a ladle, a large spoon, and a plastic bowl. The boys eventually added some measuring cups and an ice cream container to extend the play.

I used a generous amount of metallic pearl white liquid watercolor to achieve this shiny white water. It hid the silver snowflakes perfectly as these snowflakes don't float. They just sit on the bottom of the sensory bin. The foam snowflakes, in blues and white, float perfectly on top of the water.

I also put in two drops of the peppermint essential oil for two reasons. First, we were all recovering from being sick with colds so we were all still a bit stuffed up. Second, I just associate peppermint with winter and Christmas time. Please note that peppermint extract may be used instead and is actually preferred for really small kids. Peppermint essential oil is not recommended for use with small children, but we have used small doses of it with my children with no ill effects.

Winter Sensory Bin: Time to Play!

The boys loved to scoop and pour the shiny snow-colored water and the different snowflakes.

Fun fact: K thinks snowflakes look like the maple leaf he sees on the Canadian flag so he kept saying, "Oh! A Canada flag!" every time he picked up a snowflake. I have tried correcting him, but he still insists that they're little Canada flags. Ha!