Hold onto your crafting hats, because it’s time to dive headfirst into the enchanting world of pumpkin sensory bins and other exhilarating sensory activities! Picture this: the smell of cinnamon swirling in the air, the vibrant hues of oranges, yellows, and browns filling your space, and the delightful giggles and gasps as tiny hands explore and discover through touch, smell, and sight. We are venturing into a season bursting with colors and flavors, an absolute paradise for sensory play!

Pumpkin sensory bins take the lead, offering a rich and varied landscape for sensory exploration. Think gooey, slippery pumpkin guts, firm and cold pumpkin seeds, and the rough yet satisfying surface of the pumpkin skin. But oh, we aren’t stopping there. Imagine adding a sprinkle of autumn leaves, a dash of pine cones, and a handful of acorns to the mix for a feast of textures and sensations.

But don’t you worry; we haven’t forgotten about our little friends who prefer to keep their hands clean while they play. There’s room for everyone in this round-up as we introduce activities that are mess-free yet equally engaging. Picture a zip-lock bag filled with pumpkin puree, perfect for squishing and squashing without a single drop of mess. And who could resist a pumpkin spice-scented playdough station? It’s like having the best part of autumn right there in your playroom!

Now let’s talk about the added educational layer we’re incorporating into these sensory activities. Yes, it’s all about learning while playing! From honing fine motor skills as they grasp at slippery seeds to understanding cause and effect as they see colors mixing, every activity is a step towards becoming a little genius!

Tips for Successful Play

Before we unveil the plethora of activities that await, here are a couple of pro-tips to ensure a successful sensory play session:

• Safety First: Always supervise young children to ensure they are safe, especially when they are exploring with small items.
• Sensory Exploration: Encourage your little ones to use different senses; smell the spices, listen to the crunchy leaves, and feel the various textures.
• Guidance: Help them articulate what they are experiencing. Ask open-ended questions to encourage curiosity and exploration.

We have rounded up the crème de la crème of pumpkin sensory bins and other sensory activities, promising not just a sensory fiesta but a harvest of learning and laughter. So, roll up those sleeves and let’s bring a piece of the magical autumn indoors with our fabulous roundup of pumpkin sensory bins and beyond.

WILL YOU MAKE THESE PUMPKIN SENSORY BINS WITH YOUR KIDS? PIN IT FOR LATER!

Pumpkin Sensory Bins and Activities

Pumpkin Rice Sensory Bin for Kids

The essence of fall captured in a sensory bin – that’s the magic of this wonderful and easy Pumpkin Rice Sensory Bin!

Pumpkin Scoop: Halloween Sensory Bin

Let your toddler or preschooler scoop and pour in this mini pumpkin sensory bin this fall or Halloween for a great fine motor activity!

Flower Pumpkin Sensory Soup

Love pumpkin activities? Set up this beautiful Fall activity for your toddler or preschooler! It’s a wonderful sensory exploration of pumpkins and flowers.

Pom Pom Pumpkin Patch

The autumn season is in full swing, and what better way to embrace its charm than with a delightful Pom Pom pumpkin patch sensory bin? Dive into a world of tactile exploration and vibrant colors that promises both learning and giggles for your little ones. Let’s jump into the fun!

How to Make Pumpkin Pie Spice Playdough

October is the perfect time to make homemade pumpkin spice playdough for your kids! It’s soft and squishy and smells just like pumpkin pie!

Spaghetti Pumpkin Cutting Activity for Kids

Make a spaghetti pumpkin cutting activity for your child and let them practice cutting the strands of colourful spaghetti this Halloween!

Pumpkin Sensory Bottle Craft

Create a fun looking pumpkin sensory bottle craft with your kids this Halloween! It’s a fun craft using glitter, glue and stickers!

Pumpkin Patch Letter Hunt: Halloween and Fall Sensory Bag

Pumpkin Patch Letter Hunt Sensory Bag is a fun and easy fine motor letter recognition for toddlers and preschoolers for Fall.

Age Suitability

These activity are good for toddlers aged children 3 years old and up with adult assistance.

Mess Level

The mess level for these activities varies from low to high.

Difficulty to Create 

Varies.

Skills Developed

Language development, shape recognition, color recognition, hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills, imaginative play, creativity.

Toddler and Preschooler Curriculums, Books & TV Show!

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

Designed for toddlers 18 months and up.

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. 

The Best Sensory Play Kits for Kids

Play is at the core of learning during the early years and it can take many forms. One of the most important of these is sensory play because it engages all of a child’s senses (taste, touch, smell, sight and hearing) and has a enoumous positive impact on brain development.

Our Sensory Play Kits are some fun and easy ways to keep your child engaged while at the same time using sensory play to nurture their mind!

Shop our ready made play kits here.

Designed for preschoolers 3 years old and up.

WILL YOU MAKE THESE PUMPKIN SENSORY BINS WITH YOUR KIDS? PIN IT FOR LATER!