The Best Sensory Bin Fillers for Kids

This big list of sensory bin fillers should inspire many sensory play ideas for you and your kids.

We have done our fair share of sensory bins over the years so I thought it was time to finally compile one great big list of sensory bin fillers for kids to try.

You can pretty much use anything in a sensory bin. There are the classics like rice, water, pom poms, or sand. Or you could try more unusual items such as cut up sponges, wood chips, or shampoo.

Whatever you choose, this list should inspire you to change up your sensory bins on a regular basis. The next great sensory bin filler for you is on this list!

Huge list of sensory bin fillers for kids

How to Pick the Right Sensory Bin Fillers for Your Child

It's a great big sensory bin world out there on the internet. Pinterest is literally filled with sensory bin ideas for kids.

But not all sensory bin filler ideas are created equal. Some just might not be a good fit for your child.

So before we get to the giant list of sensory bin filler ideas, there are a few things that you'll want to keep in mind. It's incredibly important to consider the following:

The age of the child - Some ideas for sensory bin fillers are just better suited for different ages. An older baby or younger toddler might do better with taste safe or edible options, for example.

Their development - How are their fine motor skills? Do they get easily frustrated? You might want to keep these in mind when picking materials for your next sensory bin. Maybe a pom pom sensory bin with some spoons might be a better fit than, say, water beads.

Their sensory preferences - Are there certain textures your kids love or hate? Do they get visually overwhelmed? You need to keep these things in mind. If you're not sure what they like or don't like, then I find that water is always a great first sensory bin filler. Or if they're likely to get visually overwhelmed, keep it simple.

Choking hazards - Is your child still putting everything in their mouth? Then maybe try some of the edible sensory bin filler options from the list below.

Their interests - What are your child's interests? What do they like to do? Can you build a sensory bin around that interest? For example, I once created a tissue paper sensory bin for my youngest since his favorite thing to do at that moment was rip stuff and I wanted to give him a safe space to do so. Seriously, tissue paper is such a fun sensory bin filler for toddlers. Highly recommend.

Your preferences and comfort zone - Don't feel creative? Afraid of the mess? Keeping it simple and just playing with plain white rice and some scoops it totally fine. Sensory play doesn't need to be complicated. There are tons of ideas for sensory bin fillers that will work for you and your child, no matter what your comfort level is.

The Best Sensory Bin Filler Ideas for Kids

While there are ways to use food for sensory play without being wasteful, not everyone wants to use play. That's why I've included both non food sensory bin fillers and food sensory bin materials on this list.

1. Rice

2. Oats

3. Sand

4. Dry pasta

5. Barley

6. Shaving cream

7. Beans

8. Pom poms

9. Cotton balls

10. Play dough

11. Straw/hay

12. Packing peanuts

13. Chickpeas