Creepy Crawly Halloween Sensory Bin
Get ready for some creepy crawly fun with this fun Halloween sensory bin, perfect for little exploring hands! What’s not to love about lots of textures, pretend insects and bugs, and googly eyes?
Be sure to check out all my favorite Halloween preschool activities at the end of this post.
Fun-Filled Halloween Sensory Bin
Halloween is always an exciting time for kids. From dressing up and trick-or-treating to all the delicious Halloween-themed treats, it’s no wonder our kids love Halloween so much.
While celebrating Halloween is so fun, it’s important to also ensure that we keep things on the not-so-spooky side. We may have some families that don’t celebrate or participate in Halloween activities which makes this Halloween sensory bin a safe bet since it is “creepy-crawly” themed.
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Halloween Activity Pack$5.00
Frequently Asked Questions about Teaching a Halloween Theme
There are so many different themes perfect for teaching preschoolers during the Halloween season! Pumpkins are a top pick with endless opportunities for little hands to get messy in the stringy pumpkin pulp, carve funny faces, or use for science experiments.
Kids love spiders and insects making this time of year perfect for learning about creepy crawlies. Ghosts, mummies, bats, and friendly monsters also make for a not-so-spooky learning theme.
It’s important to check with parents and your administration to make sure they are ok with celebrating a non-spooky Halloween in preschool. Ensure that Halloween activities are lighthearted and fun and don’t include scary creatures or situations.
Use this opportunity to get hands-on and messy by exploring ooey-gooey sensory materials, like the inside of a pumpkin, some borax-free slime, or dyed spaghetti noodles. Or add in some fun pumpkin STEM learning!
Sensory bins are so much more than play! It’s one of the best play-based fine motor activities ever!
Play in early childhood, including sensory play, helps builds skills from language to motor skills and and everything in between! Since sensory bins are often open-ended, they allow children to problem-solve, develop creativity, and challenge their minds. Plus, they are SO fun and kids adore them!
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Pumpkin Activity Pack$5.00 -
Halloween Activity Pack$5.00
The Ultimate Creepy Crawly Sensory Bin
With less than five minutes to set up, this sensory bin is the perfect festive Halloween activity for your preschoolers! It’s just one of many sensory bin ideas for Halloween.
Materials
- dried black beans
- black glittery foam balls (vase filler)
- orange glittery foam balls (vase filler)
- googly eyes
- creepy crawlies (insects, spiders, worms, etc)
- scoops, spoons, or small bins
- black cauldrons (optional)
- orange, purple, or lime green items (optional)
Make this a Halloween water table activity by substituting the dried black beans with black water beads.
If you can’t find the glittery foam balls for the sensory bin filler, you can also use something like these Halloween colored pom poms.
Set Up
To set up this crazy fun, non-creep halloween sensory play idea, simply pour the dried black beans into a large container or bin. This is going to be your sensory bin base. I love using large under-the-bed storage containers that have wheels. It makes moving the bin a breeze, plus there is plenty of space for lots of little hands.
Add in the glittery foam balls, googly eyes, and creepy crawlies.
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Halloween Activity Pack$5.00
Don’t Forget Halloween Picture Books!
Nothing says Halloween like spooky stories, right? Well, I don’t have any scary stories for kids to add here (nor do I think I would want to), but I do have a Halloween book list that your preschoolers will love!
Related
Time to Play in the Creepy Crawlies
Encourage free play and watch how play and learning unfolds as they dive into these Halloween sensory activities. In fact, for younger children and toddlers, you can add thee things into a sensory bag. Just leave some extra air in the bag so the foam balls don’t get squished.
Ask ‘what’ or ‘how’ questions to find out more about what the children are doing and how they are discovering the contents of the bin.
Some questions might include:
- What kinds of textures do you feel? (Bumpy, smooth, rough, soft, etc.)
- I see that you are taking some of the creepy crawlies out of the bin… Tell me more about your thinking.
- What kinds of creatures do you see? Why might those creatures be in this bin?
Sensory tubs provide an excellent situation for fine motor skill work, oral language development, and are all-around fun Halloween activities for kids. even my elementary aged children still love sensory activities.
Encourage students to be creative!
Invite them to count all the orange or black balls they can find. Invite them to dig out all the creepy crawly bugs and sort them by size or by type. This sensory bin provided a natural environment for learning loads of Halloween math concepts.
Above, my preschooler is collecting all the creepy crawly Halloween animals and just playing pretend with them. This is fantastic for his language development.
WHY SHOULD I USE SENSORY BINS IN PRESCHOOL?
You might be wondering what is the educational value of a sensory bin. It’s definitely visually appealing to little eyes and hands and sure looks like fun!
Beyond that, what is the point? Here are a few great reasons why a sensory bin has an intentional purpose.
- Sensory bins give children opportunities to practice fine motor work, like scooping and pouring.
- Sensory bins develop language skills as children learn about the contents of the bin and communicate with each other. They also encourage social communication.
- Sensory bins encourage children to take turns and share.
- Sensory bins stimulate multiple senses at once.
- Sensory bins allow children to explore and learn through play, which is how they learn best.
Ever met a preschooler who doesn’t like fun? Exactly. They learn really well when something is fun.
Creepy Crawly Sensory Bin
A sensory bin filled with dried black beans for the base and glittery balls and googly eyes makes for the perfect Halloween not-so-spooky activity!
Materials
- dried black beans
- glittery foam balls (vase filler)
- googly eyes
- creepy crawlies (insects, spiders, worms, etc)
- scoops, spoons, or small bins
- black cauldrons (optional)
- orange, purple, or lime green items (optional)
Tools
- sensory table or sensory bin
Instructions
- To set up, simply pour the dried black beans into a large container or bin.
- Add in the glittery foam balls, googly eyes, and creepy crawlies.
Notes
Be creative with your Halloween sensory bin. Anything Halloween colored and themed can be included.
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Need some Preschool Halloween Printables?
Here are some free Halloween activities all listed out in tidy (and still free) preschool Halloween lesson plans.
Looking for More Halloween ideas for preschool?
There are so many hands-on learning activities in these posts that will complete your Halloween lesson plans for preschoolers. You’ll find more Halloween sensory bin ideas, too and slime recipes and activities using pumpkin guts! Loads of sensory ideas in these educational Halloween activities.
I’m Sarah, an educator turned stay-at-home-mama of five! I’m the owner and creator of Stay At Home Educator, a website about intentional teaching and purposeful learning in the early childhood years. I’ve taught a range of levels, from preschool to college and a little bit of everything in between. Right now my focus is teaching my children and running a preschool from my home. Credentials include: Bachelors in Art, Masters in Curriculum and Instruction.
