Thanksgiving is the perfect time to practice gratitude with your kids! Using dry beans, cardboard, and construction paper, kids will create an adorable sensory bin that builds fine motor skills and practices gratitude.
And, if you’re looking for more Thanksgiving activities, try this fork painted turkey craft!
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Thanksgiving Books For Kids
There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Turkey – “Celebrate Thanksgiving with a twist on the classic song from the bestselling There Was an Old Lady series for kids! You’ll never guess what she’ll swallow next!”
Ten Fat Turkeys – “A fun, silly, bouncy rhyming book that teaches little ones how to count backwards! Perfect for fall, or all-year-round!”
What You’ll Need For This Thanksgiving Sensory Bin
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How To Make This Thanksgiving Sensory Bin
1. Make the Tree: Cut a large tree trunk with several branches from cardboard.
2. Make the Leaves: Cut several leaf shapes from fall-colored construction paper.
3. Add Gratitude: Talk with the child about things they are thankful for. Write one thing the child is thankful for on each leaf.
4. Set Up the Bin: Add dried beans to the sensory bin. Then add the cardboard tree. Scatter the thankful leaves throughout the beans.
5. Start Exploring: Give the child a scoop and let them scoop and pour the beans as they search for the leaves.
6. Build the Thankful Tree: As the child finds each leaf, have them place it on one of the tree’s branches. Talk about the thing written on the leaf and why they are thankful for it.
7. Keep Going: Continue adding leaves until the tree is filled with thankful thoughts.
Benefits Of This Thanksgiving Sensory Bin
- Encourages gratitude and positive reflection
- Builds fine motor skills
- Strengthens hand-eye coordination
- Encourages scooping and transferring practice
- Supports language development and conversation
- Introduces children to Thanksgiving traditions
- Provides sensory exploration through dried beans
More Thanksgiving Activities
PrintThanksgiving Sensory Bin
Make an easy Thanksgiving sensory bin for toddlers and preschoolers with fall-themed fillers, fun tools, and simple ideas for hands-on holiday play.
- Prep Time: 10
- Total Time: 10
- Category: DIY, Thanksgiving
- Method: Assembly
Materials
- Sensory bin or shallow container
- Dried beans
- Cardboard
- Brown construction paper or kraft paper
- Fall-colored construction paper
- Scissors
- Marker
- Scoop or spoon
Instructions
- Make the Tree: Cut a large tree trunk with several branches from cardboard.
- Make the Leaves: Cut several leaf shapes from fall-colored construction paper.
- Add Gratitude: Talk with the child about things they are thankful for. Write one thing the child is thankful for on each leaf.
- Set Up the Bin: Add dried beans to the sensory bin. Then add the cardboard tree. Scatter the thankful leaves throughout the beans.
- Start Exploring: Give the child a scoop and let them scoop and pour the beans as they search for the leaves.
- Build the Thankful Tree: As the child finds each leaf, have them place it on one of the tree’s branches. Talk about the thing written on the leaf and why they are thankful for it.
- Keep Going: Continue adding leaves until the tree is filled with thankful thoughts.
