A candy cane sensory bin is the perfect way to bring holiday cheer into playtime! My kids were immediately drawn to the bright red and white colors, the textures of the rice and pasta, and the fun of scooping and sorting. Adding the peppermint candies and decorations made it feel extra festive, and it smelled amazing too! This sensory bin kept them entertained for ages, and I loved watching their imaginations take over as they pretended to make candy cane “recipes” and decorations.
This sensory bin combines holiday magic with hands-on learning. The contrasting red and white rice, striped pasta, and foam balls create a visually stunning setup, while the scoopers and bowls encourage imaginative play. It’s festive, fun, and a great way to keep kids busy during the holiday season.
Why You’ll Love This Christmas Sensory Bin
You’ll love this sensory bin because it’s easy to set up, uses simple materials, and is endlessly engaging. It’s not just fun—it also helps kids practice fine motor skills, sorting, and sensory exploration. Plus, the candy cane theme adds a festive touch that makes it perfect for the holiday season.
Materials You’ll Need:
- Red colored rice
- Regular white rice
- Sensory bin or shallow container
- Red and white Christmas foam balls
- Rigatoni pasta (painted with red and white stripes)
- Scoopers (measuring cups or spoons)
- Bowls
- Candy canes (optional)
- Peppermint swirl candy or decorations (optional)
How to Set Up the Candy Cane Sensory Bin
1. Prepare the Rice
Dye half of the rice red by placing it in a ziplock bag with a few drops of red food coloring and a teaspoon of vinegar or rubbing alcohol. Seal the bag and shake until the rice is evenly coated. Spread it out on parchment paper to dry completely. Leave the other half of the rice white. Find the complete recipe here.
2. Paint the Rigatoni
Use red and white paint to create candy cane stripes on the rigatoni pasta. Let the paint dry completely before adding the pasta to the sensory bin.
3. Set Up the Sensory Bin
Pour the red and white rice into the sensory bin, alternating layers or mixing them together for a striped effect. Add the painted rigatoni pasta, foam balls, candy canes, and any peppermint swirl decorations.
4. Add Scoopers and Bowls
Include scoops, spoons, and small bowls for kids to use as they explore the bin.
How to Play
Encourage your kids to explore the sensory bin by scooping, pouring, and sorting the different materials. They can use the bowls to “make candy cane soup” or fill them with a mix of red and white rice for a pretend recipe. The painted rigatoni pasta is perfect for stringing or stacking, and the foam balls can become pretend peppermint candies in their play. If you’ve included real candy canes or peppermint decorations, kids might enjoy counting them or using them as “stirrers” in their pretend play.
For older kids, you can add some learning challenges like sorting the materials by color, size, or type. They can also practice pattern-making with the red and white rice or create candy cane designs with the rigatoni pasta. The possibilities are endless, and the holiday theme keeps everything festive and fun.
This Candy Cane Sensory Bin is a great way to bring some Christmas spirit into playtime. It’s festive, creative, and helps kids develop important skills while having fun. The vibrant colors and textures will capture their attention, and the open-ended nature of the bin allows for hours of imaginative play. Enjoy making and playing with this holiday-inspired sensory activity!
Play2Learn Toddler & Preschool Programs for Curious Toddlers
There is no limit to your toddler’s energy and curiosity. That energy and curiosity although a joy can be challenging at times. Their interest in just about everything around them is what makes them great learners. One and two year olds can soak up so much just from their senses!
But as a teacher or parent that thirst for learning can be exhausting. That is why I created this toddler and preschooler program. To help you get the most out of this time with your curious toddler without having to come up with creative ways to play and interact with them.
Play2Learn for Toddlers includes 20 Units for toddlers. Each 2-week toddler unit has 20 super easy to set up and engaging activities for toddlers 18 months to 3 years.
Play2Learn Preschool which includes 20 Units for preschoolers. Each 2-week preschoolers unit has 20 unique and easy to set up and engaging activities for preschoolers 3 years to 5 years. That’s over 800 learning activities for your toddler and preschooler at your fingertips! So many ideas you and your child will never be bored again!
These toddler and preschool lesson plans and activities will definitely keep you and your toddler and preschooler busy playing and learning!
Click here for more information: Play2Learn
Book: Exciting Sensory Bins for Curious Kids
Did you know I wrote a book of sensory bins? Click here for more information Exciting Sensory Bin for Curious Kids. Or grab your copy at Amazon.
Boring afternoons are made exciting with awesome animal-based bins, like Salty Shark Bay or Yarn Farm. Pretend play bins like Birthday Cake Sensory Play or Bubble Tea Party encourage creativity and imagination. And your kids will have so much fun they won’t even know they’re getting smarter with STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) activities like Sink or Float Soup, Magnetic Letter Hunt or Ice Cream Scoop and Count.
Designed for toddlers 18 months and up.
Book: Super STEAM Activity Book for Kids
Learning all about science, technology, engineering, art, and math sets kids up for scholastic success―and it can be so much fun! Watch kids enjoy building STEAM skills as they color friendly fish, help water find its way to tree roots, solve math problems with mazes, and more.
Find out more and grab your copy here.
Designed for preschoolers 3 years old and up.
Book: Big Book of Riddles for Kids
Riddle me this: What’s an exciting way to practice critical thinking while having a blast? The Big Riddle Book for Kids, of course! From hilarious puns to tough brain teasers, kids can build problem-solving skills with hundreds of riddles tha. t show them how to think outside the box.
- 350 riddles for kids—Have hours of fun with riddles, puns and jokes, and math and logic puzzles that’ll get their wheels turning!
- Level up their skills—Riddles get trickier as kids progress through the book, challenging them as they get better at solving puzzles!
- Double-check their work—Kids can check their answers in the back of the book with a handy answer key.
Help children expand their minds while having fun with this puzzle book for kids!
Designed for kids ages 6 years old and up.
TV Show: Curious Crafting
I’m so excited to share my crafting TV show Curious Crafting which launched in July 2022 on TVOkids and TVOkids YouTube! Season 2 aired in August 2023! My show was also nominated in 2023 for Best Live Action Preschool Series by the Youth Media Alliance Awards of Excellence.
Curious Crafting Season 1 is also now airing in Australia on ABC! Watch it here!
Set in the ultimate crafting space, Curious Crafting is a short form pre-school age series about the joy of making crafts. I lead a rotating cast of adorable little preschoolers (including my own) making magic out of common household objects.
In each episode we transform recycled items into magical crafts like a milk carton school bus, paper bag puppet or cotton pad turtle. The crafters learn and laugh their way through each activity while demonstrating what their young imaginations can create.
Curious Crafting shares the adventure and joy of making art with takeaway lessons for creating crafts at home.
This show designed for toddlers and preschoolers 2.5 years old and up.
