Fine Motor Fall Sensory Bin

What is it about fall leaves that folks just can’t resist? Is it the spectacular colors? Or the sounds of the “crunch” when you walk through them? Either way, this Fall Sensory Bin is going to be a hit with your little one. And because it uses silk leaves, you can use this bin again and again or turn them into an art project!

Kim from The Resourceful Mama is bringing her family’s love of fall leaves to this fun Fine Motor Fall Sensory Bin that also works on a child’s visual and descriptive skills! This post contains affiliate links.

I was recently at Walmart and spied a display with several little bags of fall items: leaves, pumpkins, gourds, pine cones and acorns. They were the perfect size for a small fall sensory bin.

I got out one of our storage bins and layered the leaves in the bottom and then added the pumpkins, gourds, pine cones, and acorns.

I let my 3 year old daughter sort through the bin as I named each of the items.

We then incorporated some learning into our sensory bin. I gave her a pair of tongs and asked her to find the following:

• Yellow leaf
• Red leaf
• Orange leaf
• Large, small, and medium item
• Pumpkins that look alike
• Pumpkins that look different
• Big pumpkin and small pumpkin
• Pumpkin with stripes
• Pumpkin without stripes
• Big gourd and small gourd
• Gourd with stripes
• Gourd without stripes
• Big pine cone and small pine cone
• Big acorn and small acorn
• Something with a rough surface
• Something with a smooth surface
• 2 of each item
• 2 things that are big and 2 that are small
• 2 things that are smooth and 2 that are rough

This is a great activity incorporating aspects of development and learning.  We strengthened fine motor skills by using the tongs. We worked on comparative and descriptive skills. We worked on colors and counting. We explored textures.

You could also look for items for your fall inspired sensory bin at dollar stores and/or craft stores.

This post is part of the Fall Sensory Play series, hosted by The Jenny Evolution in partnership with The Sensory Spectrum. Go to the Fall Sensory Series to get the latest sensory fun for your kiddos!

About Kim: Kim is the mama behind The Resourceful Mama. She is a medical social worker turned SAHM mom to 3 wonderful kids. As a mom she wears many different hats. You will find that reflected in her blog. On The Resourceful Mama, you will find a little bit of everything related to being a mom: kids crafts and activities, parenting, traveling, meal planning, and more.