Check out this Sweetheart Scoop & Sort Sensory Bin as a fun and easy way to keep your little one busy this Valentine’s. It’s hands-on sensory fun and a great way for toddlers and preschooler to explore textures, colors, and sorting skills while celebrating the holiday. With dyed chickpeas, pink beans, and heart-shaped tools, your little ones will love scooping, pouring, and sorting as they play.
Why You’ll Love This Sensory Bin
The Sweetheart Scoop & Sort Sensory Bin is more than just a fun activity—it’s packed with learning opportunities making it an excellent option for preschoolers and toddlers. Here’s why you’ll love it:
- Simple-to-set-up activity encourages fine motor skills.
- Practice early math concepts.
- Sensory exploration of the smooth texture of chickpeas, crunchy beans, and shiny beads.
Materials You’ll Need
- Sensory bin (or any large tray)
- Dried chickpeas
- White beans
- Red, silver, pink and white acrylic paint
- Red and pink beads
- Heart-shaped scoops
- Measuring cups
- Silicone cupcake liners
- Scooper
- Tweezer or tongs
How to Set Up the Sweetheart Scoop & Sort Sensory Bin
- Prepare the Dyed Chickpeas and Beans
Place dry 2 cups of dried chickpeas in a ziplock bag and add a few drops of red. Shake the bag until the chickpeas are evenly coated, then spread them on parchment paper to dry. Once fully dry, they’re ready to be used in the sensory bin! Repeat with silver or white acrylic paint. And then repeat with white beans with pink paint.
- Assemble the Sensory Bin
Fill the bin with dyed chickpeas, pink beans, and red and pink beads. Add heart-shaped scoops, measuring cups, and silicone cupcake liners to encourage interactive play. If you don’t have silicone cupcake liner just use regular ones or head out to the dollar store and grab little Valentine’s themed boxes like we used!
- Sort and Play
Encourage kids to scoop and pour using the tools provided. Challenge them to sort the items into different cupcake liners based on color or size. Add counting fun by asking them to count how many of each color they find. Also add scoopers and tweezers or tongs.
Tips for Success
- Make It a Game – Set sorting challenges like “Find all the pink beans!” or “Sort the big and small beads!”
- Use Different Tools – Add tongs, spoons, or tweezers to work on grasp strength.
- Incorporate a Sensory Bottle – After playtime, place some chickpeas and beans in a clear bottle to create a calming sensory tool.
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.
