So what do you think of when you think of winter? I think of snow, snowmen, penguins, polar bears, ice crystals, snowball fights, snow angels, and even hot chocolate. Brainstorming from these possible themes can lead to the creation of some exceptional sensory bins to supplement any book unit or play opportunity.
In this post, I want to share with you my winter sensory bin and give you a few ideas on sensory bins you can create around your winter themes.
The first thing you will need is a bin, tub, or container. I use a large under-the-bed box in my speech therapy office and then I also have a portable sensory bin that I take with me to my off campus preschool setting with 3 and 4 year olds. I purchased a Latchmate Turquoise Storage Box from Michael's. This box has a tray and latches on the sides for easy storage and transporting. The tray is perfect for organizing picture cards and small items you may want to keep separated. Amazon also has a similar 2-Tier Craft Supply Box. The prices are very comparable.
Be creative in what you add next to your sensory bin. Depending on your theme or related book, you can add story props, stuffed animals and toys, ice cream scoops, cups, mini erasers, or felt pieces with sticks to create your own snowmen.
Here are a few of my favorite winter books that can easily be paired with a winter sensory bin. Book units for There was a Cold Lady Who Swallowed Some Snow!, Sneezy the Snowman, and Bear Snores On are available in my Teachers Pay Teachers store. Articulation cards, story visuals for sequence and retell, comprehension questions and story props can easily be stored in the portable tray.
Some of my other winter favorites are Snowmen at Night, The Biggest Snowman Ever, and Tacky the Penguin.
Pairing adapted interactive books with sensory bins is a great way to facilitate interest in books. I take the pictures off of the Velcro(TM) and hide them in the beans. Students search for the pictures and attach them to the book during reading activities.
Click HERE to link to my winter adapted book.
In this post I've given you some fun ideas for creating winter sensory bins. There are many ways to connect literacy with sensory bins in your speech therapy sessions. Have you used sensory play in your therapy? Leave a comment and share this post with someone you think can benefit from these ideas.
If you enjoyed this post, link to these related posts on using play and sensory-based learning activities to build language skills.
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*To purchase gently used copies of books mentioned in this post search Thriftbooks by clicking on the following link: Used books for as low as $3 each
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Lisa, SLP
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