Okay, let’s talk about Valentine’s Day sensory play—because if there’s one thing we love, it’s a sensory bin that’s easy to set up, totally engaging, and full of fun textures. Enter: the Marshmallow Love Sensory Bin! My kids looove marshmallow, maybe a little too much! had to promise to make Rice Krispie squares after they played with this bin! Think squishy mini marshmallows, pink-colored rice, sparkly hearts, and all the scoop-and-pour goodness your little one could ever want.
Why You’ll Love This Sensory Bin
Honestly, this bin checks all the boxes:
- Super easy to set up – You probably already have most of the ingredients at home.
- Multi-sensory fun – Kids can touch, scoop, sort, and smell their way through this bin.
- Great for fine motor skills – Scooping, grabbing, and transferring materials builds hand strength and coordination.
- Open-ended play – Kids can use their imagination to create all kinds of pretend play scenarios.
And the best part? It’s totally taste-safe (because let’s be real, marshmallows will end up in someone’s mouth).
Materials You’ll Need
- Mini marshmallows (the squishy star of the show)
- Rice (for that satisfying pouring and scooping action)
- Pink food coloring (to dye the rice because everything is cuter in pink)
- Ziplock bags (for easy rice dyeing)
- Pink and red foam roses (because, hello, it’s Valentine’s Day)
- Bowls (for sorting and transferring fun)
- Sensory bin (or any large container)
- Scoopers & spoons (for those little hands to dig in)
- Glitter hearts (because sparkle makes everything better)
- Candy hearts (for sorting, counting, and maybe sneaking a few to eat)
How to Set Up Your Marshmallow Love Sensory Bin
- First thing we need to do is make the pink rice! Grab a ziplock bag, pour in 1-2 cups of rice, and add a few drops of pink food coloring. Seal the bag and shake it like crazy until the color is evenly distributed. Spread the rice out on parchment paper and let it dry for at least 30 minutes or until it’s completely dry.
- Time to assemble the your marshmallow love sensory bin. Dump the pink rice into your sensory bin. Add in mini marshmallows for some soft, squishy texture. Toss in foam roses, glitter hearts, and candy hearts for a Valentine’s Day touch.
- Place scoopers, spoons, and bowls around the bin for easy play. And let the fun begin!
- My kids loved scooping, pouring, and mixing the materials. They sorted the hearts by color and stacked marshmallows to build tiny “heart towers.” I loved watching as they dug, explored, and played!
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.
