If you’re looking for a Christmas activity that’s quick to set up, budget-friendly, and keeps little hands busy… a pine cone sensory bin is it! There’s something so inviting about scooping, whisking, and dunking pine cones into water. It feels a little bit like nature play and a little bit like holiday magic all rolled into one. We did this recently after collecting mini pine cones on a chilly afternoon walk, and it instantly became a new December favorite.
You can pull this out any time during the Christmas season—after nap, before dinner, on a snow day, or when the excitement level needs a fun outlet. And the best part? Kids don’t even realize they’re building fine motor skills, exploring scientific concepts, and engaging their senses the entire time. They just think they’re having FUN!
Why You’ll Love This Pine Cone Sensory Bin
This Christmas sensory activity checks so many boxes:
- Keeps toddlers and preschoolers engaged longer than most holiday crafts
- Encourages creativity and imaginary play
- Strengthens finger muscles needed for writing
- Offers hands-on exploring with REAL nature materials
- Easy to modify for different ages
- Set up takes less than 5 minutes
Plus, the combination of pine cones, water, and colorful pom poms is seriously aesthetic — like a cozy winter wonderland they can scoop and stir!
Materials You’ll Need
Here’s what we used for our pine cone sensory bin:
- Sensory bin (a storage bin, baking tray or even a deep dish works!)
- Mini pine cones (store-bought or collected from the yard)
- Red, green & white pom poms for a festive touch
- Water
- Scoops & ladles
- Whisk
- Small bowls or cups
If you want to keep it mess-free on a carpeted area, place a towel or mat underneath.
Safety note: Supervise young children around water and ensure pom poms don’t become a mouthing hazard.
How to Set Up Your Pine Cone Sensory Bin
- Fill the bin with a shallow layer of water — just enough for splashing and scooping.
- Add in the pine cones and watch them plop and float!
- Sprinkle in pom poms for pops of bright Christmas color.
- Place bowls, scoops, and a whisk beside the bin to encourage play invitations.
- Optional: Add a drop of peppermint extract or a tiny pinch of cinnamon for a seasonal scent!
That’s it — the easiest seasonal setup ever!
How They Played
The play evolved SO naturally — and lasted way longer than expected.
- Scooping + Pouring: My kids loved filling bowls with pine cones, then transferring them back again. Classic sensory joy!
- Whisking Pom Pom “Soup”: They pretended to cook for elves at the North Pole… adding pom poms as “marshmallows” or “berries.”
- Watch the Magic: Pine cones sometimes float but once they absorb water, they slowly sink — huge excitement!
- Sorting by Size + Color: They started placing the red pom poms in one bowl and the green ones in another — hello, math skills.
- Pretend Christmas Decorating: Pine cones became mini Christmas trees to decorate with pom poms as ornaments.
It was one of those activities where I could sip a warm tea in peace while watching happy play unfold. Total mom win.
Clean-Up + Extensions
Clean-up is just as easy. Let the pine cones dry on a towel and save everything to play again tomorrow.
Try these fun add-ons:
- Freeze the pine cones first for icy winter play
- Add scoops of snow or ice cubes for an outdoor version
- Include jingle bells for more sound exploration
- Switch to red water for peppermint-inspired fun
- Every variation brings a whole new layer of excitement!
This Pine Cone Sensory Bin is holiday play at its easiest — minimal prep, tons of learning, endless imagination. If you try it, tag me! I love seeing your little ones dive into Christmas sensory fun.
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.
