Teaching toddlers about rain doesn’t have to be complicated. A rain sensory bin combines learning and sensory play into one fun activity. It’s perfect for curious little ones who love hands-on fun and one of the easiest rain activities for toddlers to set up. Best of all, it’s something you can enjoy creating together, with imaginative play leading the way. Find more Sensory play ideas here.
In this post you’ll learn how to create a Spring Rain Sensory Bin which is a fun and engaging hands-on activity that brings the gentle, refreshing feel of a spring shower to life.
Ad – This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. If you purchase through the links I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
What you’ll need:
You only need a few items to create this super fun rain sensory bin and I suspect you might even already have some of the items in your home.
- * Blue vase filler pebbles – These represent puddles and raindrops
- * Rubber ducks – Kids can used these to play in the “water” and add a playful element
- * Drink umbrellas – These mimic tiny parasols for springtime showers
- * Cotton wool balls – These are the fluffy clouds
As always, since most of these items are not toys, please supervise your child at all times and ensure nothing goes in their mouth.
Once you have all these items and your container that you plan to use. I love these * sensory bins with lids. This means you can put the lid on, put the bin out of reach and you can get this out again tomorrow.
How to set up your rain sensory bin
This is really simple. Collect together all your items and then start to add the vase filler pebbles and then add some cotton balls. Once you are happy with the base you can start to add your ducks and umbrellas, spreading them around the tray.
How to use this rain sensory bin
This sensory bin is really flexible and depending on the age of you child it can either simply be a fun sensory bin or you can use it as part of your teaching them about the weather and in particular the rain.
You might well choose this to do this activity on a rainy day in which case you can talk about the rain as they are playing.
This is my favourite book about rain for young children – * Rain
Ways to play with the rain sensory bin
Some children will dive straight in and not need any suggestions for how to play but if you do need inspiration, here are some ideas.
Pour and scoop – Kids can run their hands through the pebbles, scoop them, or let them trickle down like raindrops. You could extend this activity with some cups and scoops if your child particularly enjoys this activity.
Make it rain – Children can carefully drop pebbles from above and pretend a raincloud is releasing gentle showers. You might need to show them how to do this to get started. Encourage kids to describe the sound of the pebbles hitting the bin.
Duck pond fun – The rubber ducks can “swim” around as kids move them through the water-like pebbles.
Umbrella play – Children can open and close drink umbrellas, shading the ducks or using them to “catch” the rain.
Storytelling – This setup encourages imaginative play, where kids can narrate a duck’s adventure on a rainy spring day.
However you choose to use this sensory bin, kids are sure to have a great time.
Benefits of this rain sensory bin
There are so many benefits of sensory bins like this for young children. These include:
Sensory Exploration – The mix of textures (smooth pebbles, soft cotton, rubber ducks) stimulates the senses. Also the sound of falling glass pebbles mimics the sound of rain on a tin roof. Put on video of ambient rain sounds, or find something on a music streaming service. Don’t forget to keep talking to your child about what they can see, feel and hear.
Develop fine Motor Skills – Scooping, grasping, and manipulating small objects strengthen hand muscles and coordination which is so important.
Imaginative Play – The open-ended nature of this sensory bin allows children to create their own stories and scenarios.
Emotional Regulation – The calming sensory experience can help with focus and relaxation.
More weather activities for toddlers and preschoolers
Perhaps you could set up a weather station or record so that you can notice and record the weather daily.
There are so many gorgeous weather books available. Find our favourites here – Books about weather for toddlers.
Find loads more Weather activities for preschool here.
More sensory bins to explore
If you are looking for more sensory bins here are a few more we love.
5 simple Spring sensory play ideas
Find more Nature activities for kids here.