I’m loving all the Christmas activities we’ve been doing! I had several bags of these jingle bells and thought they’d be great in a sensory bin. This one is simple. All you need is:
- filler (I used red rice that I already had on hand but you could also use crinkle paper)
- jingle bells (dollar tree)
- magnetic wand (Amazon)
- sorting buckets (Michael’s or dollar tree)
Pour everything in your bin and set your buckets up. I put a bell in each bucket to get Grady started.
Then, they use the magnetic wand to scoop the bells out and sort them into the matching buckets.
Sorting for toddlers is actually a very important skill and falls into a strand of mathematical discipline. A simple activity like this is algebraic and it encompasses patterns and relationships. Toddlers that can sort are able to see categories and groups that are alike but it’s also important for developing numerical concepts when they are older. This activity enabled Grady to recognize relationships between the sets of objects, compare the sets for similarities and differences, understand what rules apply to the sets (red goes here, green goes here) and make matches. Kinda crazy to think you get ALL that in just this little activity…
I eventually gave him a set of tongs I got from the Dollar Tree and that kept him busy for even longer.
Great activity. Low mess. Just a little vacuuming and you’re done!
Merry Christmas!
~Ashley