Calming Lavender Soap Foam Sensory Play

Looking for calming sensory activities for kids? Then you need to try this calming lavender soap foam sensory play activity.

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While lavender isn't my favorite scent, it is known for its calming benefits. It's a scent that can help kids (and adults!) wind down at the end of the day.

For this sensory activity, I decided to pair the calming scent of lavender with one of our favorite sensory bin materials: soap foam.

Now, if you've never played with soap foam before, you're missing out. I personally find the texture of soap foam to be calming and soothing. It's bubbly and silky feeling. And it's a great sensory material for kids who actively avoid gritty and rough textures such as sand.

So grab some liquid soap and get ready to try this calming lavender soap foam sensory play activity. It's great for kids of all ages and ridiculously easy to make.

Lavender Soap Foam Sensory Play: What You'll Need

For this lavender soap foam sensory bin, you'll need:

• Liquid soap

• Lavender essential oil

• Purple liquid watercolor or food coloring

• Electric hand-mixer, stand mixer, or blender

• Large sensory bin container

Before we can put the sensory bin together, we'll need to whip up some lavender scented soap foam. Don't worry, it's quick and easy to do!

How to Make Lavender Soap Foam for Sensory Play

Start by putting a big squirt of soap (I use castile soap) in a large container. Next, add a splash or two of water. Then start mixing the soap and water using an electric hand-mixer until you get a thick, frothy foam.

If you're using a blender or stand mixer, add the water and soap to the blender or the stand mixer bowl and mix it up until foamy.

Once you have the soap foam mixture, add a couple of drops of lavender essential oil and some purple liquid watercolors. Then mix it one last time. How much you will use depends on the size of the container and how purple you want the soap foam to be. So just eyeball it.

And that's it! You'll end up with a lovely foamy concoction like this:

This Lavender Soap Foam is a Wonderful Calming Sensory Activity for Kids!

You could certainly add some scoops and spoons to this sensory bin. But, honestly, both of my boys really enjoy just playing with the texture of the soap foam, swishing the bubbly mixture back and forth between their hands. Keeping things simple goes a long way!

Seriously, soap foam on its own is extremely calming and relaxing to play with. It's such a satisfying texture, in my opinion (and as I discussed earlier). But the vibrant purple hue and the added olfactory component? It really elevates things.

Just look at all those wonderful bubbles! You can almost touch it right through the screen...Honestly, I think I could seriously play with soap foam all day. So could my kids, I bet.

So that's our lavender soap foam sensory play activity. Are you going to give it a try?

Lavender Scented Beans Sensory Bin

Looking for calming sensory activities for kids? Try this lavender scented beans sensory bin and learn how to dye beans for sensory play.

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Sometimes our sensory bin activities can get a bit messy, with sensory bin fillers like rice or chickpeas going everywhere. So it would be nice to have something a bit more calming...

And that's where this lavender scented beans sensory bin comes in.

While this sensory activity does require some prep, it's well worth it because the lavender beans are so engaging. The color. The scent. The feel of the beans. There's just something about it all of it combined together that make it so inviting and soothing to play with. I mean don't you just want to dig in when you see the picture below?

Lavender Scented Beans: What You'll Need

Here's what you'll need to make your own lavender beans for sensory play:

• Dried navy beans or similar - How much you will use will depend on the size of sensory bin container you plan to fill.

• 4 drops of lavender essential oil - They can't be lavender scented beans without the scent, no?

• Food coloring or liquid watercolors - Although you could probably also use acrylic paint too. How much you use will depend on how many beans you use and how rich you want the color to be.

• Resealable plastic bag - To shake up all the materials and get the beans coated with paint and essential oils.

• Paper towel - For drying the beans.

Once you gather all of the materials, it's time to dye the beans. Please keep in mind that you will need to prep these ahead of time, but, once they're made, you can reuse them as they last for a long time.

How to Dye Beans for Sensory Play & How to Make them Scented!

To make lavender scented beans, I put a generous amount of dried navy beans and added 4 drops of lavender essential oil into a resealable plastic bag. Then I added quite a few drops of food coloring to the bag. I probably did anywhere from 15-20 drops.

Once everything was added, I sealed the bag and shook it all up. I kept shaking until all the beans were coated. If all the beans aren't coated, feel free to add a few more drops of food coloring.

Unfortunately, I ran out of purple food coloring while dyeing these beans so I had to do some mixing on the fly with red and blue. As a result, my beans ended up not being uniform in color with some beans looking more blue than purple and others looking darker in color than others (see below).

Anyway, the dyed beans smell amazing even if the color isn't quite perfect. Besides, the kids don't care if the color isn't uniform. The beans were still a blast to play with!

Once all the beans are mixed up, spread the beans into a single layer and let them dry for a few hours. I usually put them on a pan lined with paper towel and put them out in my sunroom to dry.

Once dry, add all the beans to a large container and pair them with some measuring spoons, cups, or scoops.

This Lavender Scented Beans Sensory Bin is Perfect for Toddlers & Preschoolers

As you can see, I paired the lavender beans with some measuring spoons and plastic cups for the boys, hoping they would engage in some quiet, calm sensory play.

And guess what?! It totally worked! For once, the sensory filler wasn't tossed around like we were celebrating someone's birthday. Instead, simple scooping, pouring, and measuring took place. Some bean sandcastles were also attempted, but, of course, they didn't turn out like my oldest J had hoped.

My youngest K insisted on helping me get some close up pictures of the lavender scented beans. He made sure I took lots of pictures of the beans he scooped into his cup! Here he is filling up his cup.

I think K wants you take a whiff of these lovely lavender beans. Too bad computer screens aren't equipped for scents yet, hey? But take my word for it, they smell really nice.

When done playing, you can seal the dyed beans in an air tight container and they will last for a long time. We've had these lavender beans in rotation for a number of years now.

So are you going to give this lavender scented beans sensory bin a try?

Cinnamon Soap Foam Sensory Play

This cinnamon soap foam sensory play recipe makes for a great base for a construction sensory bin for toddlers and preschoolers.

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Of all the soap foam sensory bins that we have made and played with over the years, I think my favorite might be this cinnamon one.

Not only does this sensory bin smell amazing, but the cinnamon gives the soap foam a really unique texture and look. It almost looks like sand, making it a great sensory bin filler for construction themed sensory bins.

So, if you're looking to switch things up and try something new, this cinnamon soap foam sensory play activity might be just what you need. You can let kids explore it on its own or pair it with some vehicles - anything goes!

Cinnamon Soap Foam Sensory Play Activity: What You'll Need

This sensory bin comes together super quick and smells delicious (although please don't eat it). Here's what you'll need to recreate it yourself:

• Soap foam - Made from mixing liquid soap with a splash of water and whipped until bubbly and foaming.

• Ground cinnamon - Add a few sprinkles and mix it up. Continue to add more cinnamon until the soap foam looks a bit like dirt. How much you use will depend on how much soap foam you make.

• Construction trucks and/or tractor toys (something like these would work great) - Optional, but fun.

To make the soap foam, simply combine liquid hand soap with a splash of water and mix thoroughly using a hand mixer, electric mixer, or stand mixer. Whip until foamy and bubbly. Then add a generous amount of cinnamon and mix until well incorporated.

Alternatively, you can use a foaming hand soap dispenser to make soap foam and then add the cinnamon afterwards. My boys like this method because they like to pump the soap dispenser. However, this method usually takes a bit longer to fill your sensory bin container, especially if you are using a large container.

Since the cinnamon soap foam ends up looking like fluffy dirt or sand, I decided to pair it with some tractors and a construction truck. After all, I really think that this soap foam would be a great base for a construction themed sensory bin.

A Simple Construction Sensory Bin Idea with Cinnamon Soap Foam "Dirt"

Both of my boys really enjoyed the addition of tractors to the sensory bin. They especially loved driving the tractors through the soap foam so that their wheels would get all dirty.

And they also loved "washing" the tractors with the soap foam (their words, obviously). But considering the base of this sensory bin is soap, the vehicles are sort of getting cleaned...right?

Speaking of cleaning, here's an easy clean up tip for this sensory bin. Keep a bucket of clean water and a towel handy so that kids can clean their hands (or toys!) along the way. I also like to use a shower curtain underneath all of our sensory bins to help contain the mess. Then you can toss the shower curtain into the washing machine for easy clean up!

Overall, this cinnamon soap foam sensory play activity was a huge hit. It smelled amazing and was tons of fun for both of my boys.

Chocolate Soap Foam Sensory Play

This chocolate soap foam sensory play recipe makes a perfect base for a hot cocoa or hot chocolate sensory bin for kids. Plus, it smells amazing!

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One of our favorite activities from our book Pop! Squirt! Splash! is this chocolate scented soap foam recipe. My kids are completely obsessed with it!

So much so that every time they see the copy of our book, they flip to the page with chocolate soap foam and ask to make it.

Seriously, this chocolate sensory bin is as decadent and velvety as it looks and sounds. And the smell? It's incredible! It's almost good enough to eat...but don't, it's soap, after all.

Well, are you ready to dip your hands into this chocolate soap foam sensory play activity? Then let's get you ready to whip up a batch!

What You'll Need for this Hot Chocolate Sensory Bin

You bet this sensory bin smells amazing! It also comes together super quick. Here's what you'll need to recreate it yourself.

• Soap foam - Made from mixing liquid soap with a splash of water and whipped until bubbly and foaming. I actually used almond castile soap for ours so our soap foam actually ended up being chocolate and almond scented.

• Cocoa powder or hot chocolate mix (whatever you have on hand) - How much you'll need will depend on how much soap foam you want to make and how big your container is. I used a teaspoon of cocoa powder in a fairly large container.

To make the chocolate soap foam, simply combine liquid hand soap with a splash of water and a teaspoon of cocoa powder (or hot chocolate mix) and mix thoroughly using a hand mixer, electric mixer, or stand mixer. Whip until foamy and bubbly.

Alternatively, you can use a foaming hand soap dispenser and add the cocoa powder afterwards. My boys like this method because they like to pump the soap dispenser. However, this method usually takes a bit longer to fill your sensory bin container, especially if you are using a large container.

Once it's all whipped up and ready to go, it should look something like this. As you can tell, little hands were eager to dive right in!

Your Kids Will Love this Chocolate Soap Foam Sensory Play Activity!

We technically made chocolate almond soap foam thanks to the almond scented castile soap we used. And geez, did it ever smell divine! No wonder my kids keep requesting this activity afterwards. It's a sensory delight both for the tactile input and for the olfactory input.

Amazing scent aside, the feel of soap foam is so luxurious. It's honestly one of my favorite sensory bin fillers. You can't help but swish it around!

I mean just look at all those foamy bubbles, tempting you to dip your hands in...

My boys absolutely love covering their hands in soap foam. Seriously, the texture of soap foam is so soothing and satisfying. So you don't really need to add any scoops or spoons or anything to this bin. It's lovely to explore as is.

The boys loved to slowly scoop and juggle the foamy mixture between their hands...

...and let it drip back into the bin to start all over again. They would repeat this process over and over.

Messy Sensory Play Tips for this Chocolate Sensory Bin

While this hot cocoa inspired sensory bin can get a bit messy (especially as the kids cover their entire hands and arms with it), it cleans up really easy. After all, it's made mostly out of soap.

However, here are some useful tips to keep in mind when it comes to messy sensory play activities like this:

• Lay down a shower curtain underneath your sensory bin container to protect the floor and contain the mess. Simply toss the shower curtain in the washing machine after playtime.

• Keep a bucket of clean water and some towels handy to allow for quick and easy clean up.

While a bit messy, I do hope you'll give this chocolate soap foam sensory play activity a try. After all, it was a huge hit for my boys. 

By the way, this activity is one of many awesome hands-on activities for kids from the book Pop! Squirt! Splash! So definitely check it out if you want more hands-on sensory activity ideas for kids.

Minion Sensory Bin with Lemon Soap Foam

Looking for fun Minion activities for kids? Then try this Minion sensory bin with lemon soap foam!

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My youngest really likes all things Minions. He also really likes to play with soap foam. I mean I don't blame him for loving soap foam as it's ridiculously fun to play with!

So on a whim, I combined the two to make a simple Minion sensory bin with lemon scented soap foam.

The bin itself looks like one giant Minion. Plus, it smells SO good!

What You'll Need for this Minion Sensory Bin

To make the Minion soap foam sensory bin, I used:

• Soap foam - Made from mixing liquid soap with a splash of water and whipped until bubbly and foaming.

• Yellow liquid watercolor or food coloring - I prefer to use liquid watercolors because it's washable and doesn't stain.

• Lemon essential oil - A few drops is all you need.

• White craft foam - Cut it into two large circles. They'll be the minion's eyes.

• Permanent markers - To draw the minion's eyes on the craft foam.

To make the lemon soap foam, simply combine liquid hand soap (I use castile soap) with a splash of water and mix thoroughly using a hand mixer, electric mixer, or stand mixer. Whip until foamy and bubbly.

Then add a generous amount of yellow liquid watercolor and 4-5 drops of lemon essential oil. Then mix it up some more until it looks like a big bin of bright yellow bubbles.

Next, it's time to make the Minion's eyes. To do this, simply cut out two large circles of white craft foam. Then draw black pupils, as well as the black (or gray) rims of the goggles using permanent markers.

Then I added the eyes to the yellow soap foam to make the sensory bin look like one giant minion.

Minion Soap Foam Sensory Play in Action!

For some reason, three year old K's first instinct was to poke the Minion's eyeballs. And, naturally, he would time that instinct with the exact moment I snap a picture of the sensory bin...so here's how it looked before he really got playing with.

When the boys play with soap foam, I always set out a bucket of clean water and some towels alongside in case they want to rinse their hands off while playing. This is optional, but it's something my boys enjoy.

Instead of washing his hands, though, K washed the Minion's eyeballs many times in the bucket of water and then returned them to the lemony soap foam.

As a result, this play of washing the eyeballs meant that water was gradually being added to the soap foam mixture. So, as the boys continued to swirl the lemon soap foam around, the Minion slowly began to appear as if it were melting.

This minion sensory bin was certainly a lot of fun for both of my boys. It smelled delicious and the giant eyeballs were a big hit!

Rainbow Scented Matching Game with Essential Oils

When my oldest is having an off day and needs help calming his body during sensory overload, I usually grab my essential oils. I always have a spray bottle of my DIY calm and focused essential oil blend ready on the kitchen counter in preparation for these moments, but sometimes a simple sensory activity can do the same trick. Well, this rainbow scented matching game is one of those calming sensory activities. It just happens to use a lot of the same essential oils found in my homemade blend too. Obviously when in a pinch, I wouldn't have time to make the beautiful rainbow dyed cotton pads to go along with the game. Yet, the colorful pads are a wonderful addition and are a great way to sneak in some extra fine motor practice.

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For this scented sensory matching game, I used:

• Essential oils (I use Aura Cacia brand) in the following scents: grapefruit, mandarin orange, lemon, vetiver, frankincense, lavender
• Liquid watercolors
• Cotton pads
• Eye dropper & water to dye the cotton pads - We use the eye dropper from the helping hands fine motor tool set.

To dye the cotton pads, I diluted a drop of liquid watercolors in a tiny bit of water. Then my boys used the eye droppers to thoroughly soak the cotton pads. We did one color per pad in rainbow colors. Then we set them out in the sunroom to dry. It took a few hours for the cotton pads to fully dry. Once dry, you will have puffy, beautiful dyed cotton pads.

Once dry, I placed one drop of essential oil on each dyed cotton pad:

• Grapefruit for red
• Mandarin orange for orange
• Lemon for yellow
• Vetiver for green
• Frankincense for blue
• Lavender for purple

I then placed one drop of essential oil on one matching plain cotton pad.

To play the game, I mixed up all the dyed cotton pads into one pile. Then I mixed all the non-dyed cotton pads into another pile. Then I encouraged the boys to pick one color and smell it. You can see that they really got into it!

Then they have to smell the non-dyed cotton pads until they have found the matching scent, which isn't an easy feat. However, both of my boys were pretty good at the game. Meanwhile, they were breathing in lots of calming scents, which is a bonus!

Don't forget to try these other scented sensory play ideas for kids!

Lavender Scented Beans

Summer Scented Soap Foam

Scented Felt Hearts

Messy Pretend Play with Lemon Play Dough

Chocolate Peppermint Cloud Dough

Cinnamon & Pinecone Sensory Bin for Kids

Looking for pinecone activities for toddlers or preschoolers? Then try this cinnamon scented pinecone sensory bin!

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Playing with water is always a hit for my boys. And the boys particularly love when I set up water sensory soup bins for them.

I personally like water based sensory bins because they're super easy to set up (simply dump and play) and are extremely versatile. We've done sensory soup bins with apples, fall leaves, buttons, LEGO bricks...the list goes on and on. Sometimes we add color or scents and sometimes we don't.

In this particular case, we add some natural materials (i.e., pinecones) and a scent (i.e., cinnamon) to our water base. The colored water came naturally from these two materials.

The end result is this lovely cinnamon scented pinecone sensory bin. And goodness did it smell good!

What You'll Need for this Pinecone Sensory Bin

You don't need much to put this cinnamon and pinecone sensory bin together. We simply used:

• Pinecones - How many you need will depend on how big your container is. We used the same pinecones that we used for this Reggio math tray.

• Ground cinnamon - A couple of sprinkles should do the trick, but it will, again, depend on the size of your container. You could also toss in a cinnamon stick or two, if you'd like.

• Water - You want enough for the pinecones to be partially covered.

• Kitchen utensils - I added some plastic cups and bowls, a whisk, a ladle, and a large plastic spoon. Other items to consider adding: measuring cups, measuring spoons, or a funnel.

Start by mixing some cinnamon into the water. Then add the pinecones. You can keep the kitchen utensils to the side of the container or add them if you'd prefer.

I know the water appears dirty, but I prefer to call it rustic. And when I showed my husband the pictures, he described it as "definitely fall colored." Ha! But here's how the sensory bin should look when you have everything added to the container.

And now for some close ups of the pinecones. Don't they look lovely?!

Toddlers & Preschoolers Love this Pinecone Sensory Soup Bin!

As with our other sensory soups, the boys loved scooping and pouring using the big spoon and ladle. They'd scoop up a pinecone...

Add it to the bowl...

And top it off with more water.

They also loved to mix up their concoction with the whisk. As you can see, adding real kitchen utensils like these to sensory bins are such a simple way to work on fine motor skills. And they make sensory bins much more engaging! That's why I like to include them with water sensory bins, in particular.

Anyway, continuing on...Once their bowl of pinecone soup was full and/or thoroughly mixed, the boys would dump their soupy mixture out so that they could make a new batch. Sensory soup bins like these are always dump and pour on repeat. My boys love doing that (as do most kids, I'm guessing).

So, that's it. I love how this cinnamon scented pinecone sensory bin turned out. It was so simple to put together, smelled great, and the kids loved it. Will you be giving it a try?