As the Easter season hops into full swing, finding activities that are both fun and educational for toddlers and preschoolers can be a bit of an egg hunt. But look no further! Creating a Wash the Easter Eggs sensory bin combines the excitement of the holiday with a playful learning experience. This activity is not only a splash hit among the little ones but also a fantastic way to develop fine motor skills, sensory exploration, and a bit of independence. Plus, it’s a wonderful opportunity for kids to engage in imaginative play, as they scrub and clean their way through a pile of colorful Easter eggs.
Setting up this sensory bin is a breeze and can lead to hours of engaging play. It’s a perfect activity for both indoor and outdoor play, making it versatile for any day, regardless of the weather. Let’s get our little ones ready for some foamy fun and learning, all wrapped up in one delightful Easter-themed package!
Activity Overview
- Age Suitability: This sensory bin is good for toddlers aged children 2 years old and up with adult assistance.
- Mess Level: The mess level for this sensory bin is medium.
- Difficulty to Create: Low.
Materials Needed
- Sensory bin or large plastic tub
- Water
- Bubble bath or gentle dish soap for bubbles
- Sponges
- Scrub brush
- Towel for drying off hands and spills
- Spray bottle filled with water
- Plastic Easter eggs
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Fill the Bin: Begin by placing your sensory bin or large plastic tub in an area that’s okay to get a bit wet. Fill it halfway with water, ensuring it’s safe and manageable for your child’s age and height.
- Bubble Time: Add a generous squirt of bubble bath or gentle dish soap to the water. Mix it around until you see a good amount of bubbles forming. This is a fun step for the kids to help with, as they love seeing the bubbles grow!
- Prep the Cleaning Tools: Place sponges, a scrub brush, and a spray bottle filled with water alongside the bin. These are your little ones’ tools for their egg-washing adventure.
- Egg Drop: Scatter the plastic Easter eggs throughout the bubbly bin. You can open some of the eggs and hide small toys inside for an added surprise and motivation during the cleaning process.
- Dry Station: Set a towel next to the bin where cleaned eggs can be placed to dry or where little hands can be wiped.
How They Played
My kids dove right into this activity, each taking a different approach to the egg-cleaning task. One decided it was a car wash for eggs, using the spray bottle to rinse and the brush to scrub, while the other enjoyed filling and emptying the eggs with water, marveling at the bubbles and the way they could make the eggs “swim.” They both loved finding the hidden surprises inside the eggs, which turned the activity into a treasure hunt.
This sensory bin offers endless opportunities for learning and play. Children can practice counting the eggs, sorting them by color or size, and even engaging in imaginative play as they pretend to run their own Easter egg spa. The act of scrubbing and cleaning also teaches them about cause and effect and gives them a sense of accomplishment.
Tips for Success
- Water Safety: Always supervise children closely around water, even in small amounts.
- Mess Management: Play with the bin in an area that’s easy to clean, or place a waterproof mat underneath to catch splashes.
- Temperature Check: Make sure the water is a comfortable temperature for little hands.
- Variety is the Key: Offer various tools for cleaning to keep the activity interesting and cater to different stages of fine motor skill development.
Skills Learned
- Fine Motor Skills: Grasping sponges and brushes helps develop grip strength and coordination.
- Sensory Exploration: Feeling the difference between wet and dry, soft (bubbles) and hard (eggs), provides rich sensory feedback.
- Cognitive Development: Sorting eggs by color or size enhances cognitive skills like categorization and comparison.
- Independence: Handling tasks like scrubbing and rinsing fosters a sense of independence and accomplishment.
- Emotional and Social Skills: Taking care of their eggs can foster empathy and responsibility, especially when playing alongside peers.
This “Wash the Easter Eggs” sensory bin is an egg-cellent way to blend festive fun with developmental learning. It’s a reminder that sometimes the simplest activities provide the most valuable learning experiences. So, grab those sponges and let the egg washing begin!
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.
Wash the Easter Eggs Sensory Bin Summary
Materials
- Sensory bin or large plastic tub
- Water
- Bubble bath or gentle dish soap for bubbles
- Sponges
- Scrub brush
- Towel for drying off hands and spills
- Spray bottle filled with water
- Plastic Easter eggs
Instructions
- Fill the Bin: Begin by placing your sensory bin or large plastic tub in an area that’s okay to get a bit wet. Fill it halfway with water, ensuring it's safe and manageable for your child’s age and height.
- Bubble Time: Add a generous squirt of bubble bath or gentle dish soap to the water. Mix it around until you see a good amount of bubbles forming. This is a fun step for the kids to help with, as they love seeing the bubbles grow!
- Prep the Cleaning Tools: Place sponges, a scrub brush, and a spray bottle filled with water alongside the bin. These are your little ones' tools for their egg-washing adventure.
- Egg Drop: Scatter the plastic Easter eggs throughout the bubbly bin. You can open some of the eggs and hide small toys inside for an added surprise and motivation during the cleaning process.
- Dry Station: Set a towel next to the bin where cleaned eggs can be placed to dry or where little hands can be wiped.
