We love sensory play, and over the past few years, we have tried many sensory bin fillers! It is probably my toddler’s favourite type of play, so we’re always trying new fillers and sensory play ideas. We love every kind of sensory play that you can imagine, and we have tried A LOT. But, the questions I get a lot are “What about baby safe sensory play?”, “Is there any sensory play that isn’t so messy?”, “I hate wasting food, what types of non-food sensory play options do you have?”. or “What about taste-safe sensory play?”. All of these questions are great, and I totally get it. While we love almost all sensory play, not everyone does! Some people want less mess or have a child who loves exploring with their mouth so they need taste-friendly bases or options (I have been there). But don’t worry, I have you covered!
I wanted to put this list together as a giant sensory play resource where you can find exactly what you are looking for. You need to be able to enjoy the benefits of sensory play while also figuring out what works for you and your child.
I am going to break down 100+ sensory play bin fillers into 5 main categories: Little to No Mess, Edible or Taste Friendly, Baby Friendly, Messy but Worth it, and Non-Food Bases.
Okay, let me jump right in!
1 | LITTLE TO NO MESS SENSORY BIN FILLERS
- Sensory Boards
- A Ball Pit
- Silk Scarves
- Cut up straws
- Sensory Bags
- Sensory Bottles
- Outdoor Water Play (the water stays outside, no mess to clean up!)
- Pom Poms
- Bottles Caps
- Crinkled Paper
- Bubble Wrap
- Shredded Paper
- Cotton Balls
- Feathers
- Dry Pasta – You can even dye it! Find out how in THIS POST.
- Yarn
- Tinsel
- Tissue Paper
- Sensory Books
- Sensory Blocks
- Other Sensory Toys
2 | BABY-FRIENDLY SENSORY BIN FILLERS
- Sitting or Crawling on a Large Sheet of Bubble Wrap
- A large bin of Cheerios or Puffs (if baby is eating solid foods)
- Sensory Bags
- Sensory Bottles
- Water Play
- Contrasting Toys
- Bath Tub Time!
- Touch & Feel Books
- Large Balls of Crinkled Up Paper
- Silk Scarves
- Cooked spaghetti noodles
- Sensory Balls
- Sensory Blocks
- Sitting or crawling in the grass
3 | EDIBLE AND / OR TASTE SAFE SENSORY BIN FILLERS
- Cooked Pasta
- Cereal
- Fruit in Water
- Pudding
- Yogurt
- Whipped Cream
- Crushed Ice
- Water
- Jello
- Peas
- Oobleck
- Crushed Graham crackers
4 | MESSY BUT WORTH IT SENSORY BIN FILLERS
- Rice
- Water
- Slime
- Oats
- Jello
- Oobleck – Learn how to make Oobleck HERE
- Sand
- Yogurt
- Shaving Cream
- Split peas
- Black Beans
- Sunflower seeds
- Dry Lentils
- Shaving Cream + Water beads
- Chia seeds + water
- Mud
- Dry Chickpeas
- Dry Navy Beans
- Pudding
- Cloud Dough – Find the recipe HERE
- Kinetic Sand
5 | NON FOOD BASED SENSORY BIN FILLERS
- Silk Scarves
- Mud
- Water beads
- Pom Poms
- Sand
- Touch & Feel Books
- Large Balls of Crinkled Up Paper
- A Ball Pit
- Cotton Balls
- Shaving Cream
- Beads
- Bubble Wrap
- Shredded Paper
- Feathers
- Grass
- Sensory Balls
- Sensory Blocks
- Yarn
- Tinsel
- Tissue Paper
- Kinetic Sand
- Playdough
So there you have it! A giant list of sensory bin fillers to try with your little one(s). I hope you can find a few ideas that your child will enjoy and that you can add to your sensory play collection!
