Between Thanksgiving (the Canadian one at least!) and Halloween, October is the perfect month for doing all of the pumpkin theme activities. That might mean carving a pumpkin or two together. Or it might mean a trip to the pumpkin patch, some pumpkin pie (yum!), and/or enjoying a little pumpkin sensory play.
It's that last part that we're obviously going to focus on here. The title does say pumpkin sensory bins after all.
Below you will find lots of great pumpkin sensory play ideas to keep toddlers and preschoolers busy. I focused primarily on bins that used pumpkin manipulatives or real pumpkins versus ones that showed you how to make pumpkin spiced fillers like cloud dough and whatnot. That would have made this list gigantic otherwise!
Your Kids are Going to Love these Pumpkin Sensory Bins!
1. Acorn & Pumpkin Sensory Bin with Water (pictured below and in collage) - Super simple to set up, but loads of fun. Perfect for kids who love to scoop and pour.
2. Pumpkin Scoop Sensory Bin from Happy Toddler Playtime - Similar to my sensory bin above, but with real mini pumpkins. My kids would love this!
3. Pumpkin Wash Sensory Bin from Busy Toddler - Bubbles, water, pumpkins. Need I say more? My nieces just tried this activity out on Thanksgiving weekend and had a blast. It's so simple, yet engaging.
4. Washing Pumpkins Sensory Bin from Elated Momma (pictured in collage) - This activity expands on the idea above. However, instead of just using soapy water, this activity uses colorful soap foam (a favorite around here!). So it provides a neat texture alongside the pumpkins.
5. Pumpkin Guts Sensory Bin from Childhood Beckons - This activity is exactly what you think it is...The inside of a pumpkin as a sensory bin! While it might get a bit messy and many kids might not enjoy the texture, it looks like tons of fun! Plus, it's a great way to reuse the waste when it's pumpkin carving time.
6. Pumpkin & Kinetic Sand Sensory Bin from 3 Dinosaurs - We're huge fans of kinetic sand around here. It's just one of those sensory bin fillers that is great for kids of all ages. This activity pairs it with some little acrylic pumpkins, which happen to be perfect for stamping in the kinetic sand too.
7. Letter Pumpkin Sensory Bin from Planning Playtime - The inclusion of letters in this sensory activity make it perfect for hyperlexic kids. I also love the creative DIY pumpkins that were used for this idea.
8. Pumpkins & Oobleck from Busy Toddler - Here's another messy sensory activity to try, if you're up for it.
9. Mini Pumpkin Scented Sensory Play from Fun-A-Day! - Here's an adorable fall twist on my rainbow dyed chickpeas. I love that they're scented too!
10. Pumpkin Boats Fall Sensory Play from Frugal Fun for Boys and Girls - I think this idea is so adorable and perfect for kids who love boats. It's also a great way to explore science concepts.
11. Pumpkin Sensory Bin with Rice from 3 Dinosaurs - This activity is super easy to set up. It uses plain white rice so no extra prep or setup required.
12. Harvesting Pumpkins Sensory Bin from Preschool Toolkit - Your hyperlexic kid will love that numbers are included in this activity.
13. Sight Word Pumpkin Path Sensory Bin from Simple Fun for Kids (pictured in collage) - I love the combination of textures and colors in this bin. It looks so inviting! Plus, the words will make it extra enticing for hyperlexic kids. Too bad there isn't a free printable included.
14. Pumpkin Path Sensory Bin from Views from a Step Stool - Such a cute way to bring the pumpkin patch indoors at home.
15. 3 Pumpkin Sensory Bins (& Other Activities) from Mrs. Plemons' Kindergarten - If you scroll down, you'll find 3 different sensory bins to try. There's one that has black and orange shredded paper as the base. There's another that uses glowing water beads. And then there's one with black beans. All of them look awesome!
16. 5 Little Pumpkins Sensory Bin from I Heart Crafty Things - This bin is great for working on fine motor skills.
17. Pumpkin Sorting Sensory Activity from Fun-A-Day! - Work on color sorting with another fun twist on my rainbow dyed chickpeas. This activity is great for working on fine motor skills!
18. Pumpkin Patch Sensory Bin for Matching from Life Over C's - I like that there is a specific purpose for this activity so the items included are selected intentionally.
19. Edible Pumpkin Patch Sensory Bin from Our Five Ring Circus - This activity is perfect for kids who are still in the mouthing stage or like to chew on everything (even beyond the toddler years!). I also love the base for this sensory bin.
20. Pumpkin Water Bead Sensory Bin from 3 Dinosaurs - I love the contrast between the clear water beads and the colorful pumpkins in this activity. Looks fun!
21. Pumpkin Patch Small World Sensory Play from Buggy and Buddy - This pumpkin activity is great for imaginative play. The kids will love telling stories with it while playing.
22. Muddy Pumpkin Patch Sensory Play from Nerdy Mamma - This idea is cute and I bet it smells amazing!
Which one of these pumpkin sensory bins are you going to try out first? Are you going to start simple or try something messy? Either way, have fun!
