If your kids love cars (and honestly, what toddler doesn’t?), this LEGO Car Wash Sensory Bin is about to be a big hit. It’s simple to set up, packed with hands-on play, and one of those activities that keeps little hands busy for a long stretch of time—yes, really.
This sensory bin combines water play, pretend play, and fine motor practice all in one. Toddlers get to scoop, scrub, pour, and rinse their LEGO cars over and over again, building focus and coordination while having so much fun. It’s also a great way to introduce simple routines like washing and caring for toys in a playful, low-pressure way.
Best part? You probably already have everything you need at home.
Water Sensory Bins
I love a good water sensory bin and this LEGO car wash sensory bin is no exception. When I had the idea I honestly couldn’t believe that I hadn’t though of it before! Of course! Washing LEGO! So fun! I have frozen lego before but never washed it like in this activity.
We used our DUPLO LEGO set for this activity. This was perfect because we had a number vehicles with that set to use in the activity. So many that there was a line up of cars to get into the car wash (pretty much exactly like a real car wash!)
What You’ll Need:
- LEGO DUPLO
- Sensory Bin
- Sponges
- Water
- Bubble bath or mild dish soap
- Foam sheets
- Marker
- Duct tape
How to Set Up Lego Car Wash Sensory Bin
- I wish I had thought about letting my toddler build the car wash themselves before doing this activity. For preschoolers, I would let them build it themselves. They can design their own car wash. You can show them this picture for inspiration.
- Using foam sheets create the foam washing brushes so iconic to car washes. I also created a small sign saying Car wash.
- Attached these to the front of the car wash using duct tape. NOTE: As my toddler played the adhesive on the tape started to give and I eventually removed the the foam washing brushes. But it did not effect how much fun they still had with this activity.
- Next prepare two squeeze bottles. The first will have a small amount of washable brown paint and the rest with water to create the “dirt” your child will put on the cars and trucks. (If you are doing this activity outside your could create a watery mud solution for them to squeeze on. The second squeeze bottle will have soapy water in it.
- Hand your toddler or preschooler a few sponges and let them play!
How They Played with the LEGO Car Wash Sensory Bin
First off, this was an instant hit and I had to refill the squeeze bottles with “dirt” and soap several times. I didn’t want to give them larger containers of these materials since it would have created a large mess. The squeeze bottles are a great fine motor tool and they also helped to contain the mess.
They loved dirty up the cars and then scrubbing them clean again with the soapy water and sponges! We did this activity inside in the winter but I plan to do it again this summer outside!
Age Suitability
This activity is good for kids 2.5 years and up . My kids are 3, 3, and 6 year old.
Looking for more summer and outdoor activity ideas? Check out of these other round-ups for more ways to keep your toddler or preschooler busy this summer:
- 25+ Outdoor Water Activities to Keep Kids Cool This Summer
- 40+ Awesome Outdoor Learning Activities for Kids
- 30+ Easy Outdoor Art Projects for Kids
- 60+ Awesome Outdoor Activities for Kids
- 45+ Awesome Water Sensory Bins for Toddlers & Preschoolers
- 40+ Water Table Activities for Toddlers
- 21+ Spray Bottle Activities for Toddler
- 20 Amazing Backyard Obstacle Courses
- 21+ Amazing Summer Sensory Bins
- 25+ Adorable Summer Crafts for Toddlers
- 40+ Ice Sensory Play
- 12 Healthy Smoothie Recipes for Toddlers + Kids
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.
