Scissors Practice Sensory Bin
You know those days when the kids are home that REALLY test your endurance? This scissors practice sensory bin granted me a full hour of sanity on one of those lucky days. Disclosure: this post contains affiliate links.
I know I do need to apologize for not sharing this entertaining AND educational activity perfect for preschoolers sooner. We did it back in January – or was it February? – when M was on mid-winter break and I still had to get work done.
We were still in the process of getting him evaluated and knew he can use some scissors practice so when we did our “pre-vacation dollar store run” this fun sensory bin came to be.
The idea is a combined sensory AND scissors practice activity. I included different textures in the bin to make it more fun. If you want you can hide little toys (trucks, plastic dinosaurs – whatever your child is into!)
M dug right in, but he also had fun handling the scissors. If your child is not yet ready for regular kids’ scissors, you can stick to easier-to-cut items and use safety scissors. Either way make sure you’re present and supervising! You’ll still be able to relax enough to drink that fuel (read: coffee) to take you through the day…
What we put in our scissors practice sensory bin:
I started with a plastic “shoebox” container – use something larger like an underbed box if you want to upgrade this! I have cases of these containers that I use for organizing every closet in my home, so I just pulled out an empty one.
I placed it on our play mat to make for easy cleanup (just roll the thing up and pour the bits back in.) I placed his favorite scissors next to it.
Next, I added some shredded paper filler. This is the easiest for him to cut, so if you’re working with safety scissors, you can simply add this in different textures.
I threw in a bag of purple and silver tinsel to add a bit of sparkle.
And then tossed in some yarn and baker’s twine scraps – which are a little more challenging to cut but that challenge is what encourages M to handle the scissor better.
I mixed it all together so that he can hunt and cut!
From here on, I let him at it. I did NOT give him any instructions, because that takes away the fun. He dug his scissors into the bin and cut. He pulled the pieces out of the bin and cut. He plowed his hands into the mix and enjoyed just feeling it – “Mommy, it’s cozy!”
I love an open-ended activity that grants me a few moments of sanity and this scissors practice sensory bin was perfect!
Cleanup was easier than most sensory activities, and the best part: M was happy.
When we were done, I simply covered the container and stored it away until the next time we needed an easy screen-free boredom buster.
