Car Wash Sensory Bin

A Car Wash Sensory Bin is a wonderfully easy and creative sensory bin to get kids up to their elbows in a sensory experience.

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My boys are absolutely obsessed with cars.

If they don’t have car in their hands, it’s always somewhere nearby — including my purse.

Plus, because they play with them everywhere, they’re often dirty.

So why not make cleaning them a fun sensory activity

Car Wash Sensory Activity

We love doing this activity on a warm day.

You can set it up in the backyard so you don’t have to worry about the water splashing everywhere if you have young toddlers.

My boys are preschoolers so I just put down some paper toweling and easily wiped it up in one fell swoop.

Car Wash Sensory Bin Materials

• 2 plastic bins
• Clean dish scrubber (to help your kids get into the nook and crannies)
• Dish Soap
• Paper towels or cloth towels for drying

How to Play

I encourage you give your kids some suggestions but also to let your kids decide how they want to make this sensory activity work.

I gave my boys two bins with water, and encouraged them to add some dish soap to one of the bins and use the other as a rinsing station.

Once the cars were clean, they put them on the paper towels to air dry for a while and then to wipe off.

Sensory Play Benefits

There are a number of benefits to this sensory activity.

1. Fine Motor: From holding the cars to scrub them so managing the scrubber, kids will get loads of fine motor activity.
2. Sequencing: This play order is a great way for kids to learn how to follow sequences – from washing to rinsing to drying.
3. Messy Play: Some kids have a hard time managing any kind of messy sensory experience. Playing with the water and suds is a positive way to get more comfortable.

Want more sensory ideas? Be sure to check out our other fun sensory activities for kids!