Combining two loves: sensory sorting is a perfect activity!
It is well-documented that I have two loves in the kids activities world: sensory bins and sorting activities. BUT WHAT IF: What if we COMBINE them into one massively amazing sensory sorting toddler activity!
Insert my shocked and excited emoji HERE.
RELATED: Looking for more easy activities? Try this amazing list!
Why hello sensory sorting – you wonderful activity.
Sensory activities are some of my favorites with kids. They’re easy, they’re fun, they’re the stuff activity dreams are made of.
They don’t “have” to be messy. They don’t “have” to be outrageous.
Sensory activities are tactile moments from activities heaven.
RELATED: But how do you keep it tidy? I’ve got sensory bin tips here!
And then there’s sorting activities.
While sorting seems like such a mundane skill for us adults, sorting is a dynamic skill in early childhood.
When a child is sorting, they’re making decisions, looking at attributes, and categorizing.
So in this activity, we’ve merged the two ideas together
In this sensory sorting activity, my 2.5 year old is working so hard to sort his hidden counting bears by color.
He’s using his senses to dig through the bin.
He’s thinking and considering the bears he’s finding.
He’s sorting them by color.
This activity has a little bit of everything – and it’s the perfect “while I’m making dinner” type activity.
RELATED: Need a full list of easy toddler activities? Check out this one!
What happens when he’s done?
He hides the bears back into the rice!
He can either play this again OR change it how he sees fit (and just play with the bears and the rice).
There’s no set finish or exact science to ending this activity – open it up to the toddler and let them make their decision!
A quick supply list for this activity:
- Construction paper
- Sensory bin (this one is from the Dollar Store)
- Counting Bears
RELATED: Looking for more activity supplies? Check out my list here!
Remember, the best toddler activities are the easy toddler activities
You don’t have to have the fanciest or flashiest activity to be a great toddler activity,
Sometimes the simplest ideas (like tossing some bears into a dollar store bin with some rice) can be the best ideas.
It doesn’t have to be complicated to be effective.