Sensory Activity with Beans

Long before we had children, I saw the coolest 'mama-made' sensory activity.  My sister Jen had filled a large plastic container with a variety of beans for her daughter, Maggie, then about three.  In addition to the beans, there were all sorts of things to scoop up the beans.  I remember sitting on the floor of Maggie's bedroom playing with her, and the beans - honestly it was pretty fun for me, too.

I was super exited when Ethan was old enough (I knew he wouldn't put the beans in his mouth) to play with beans.  He's had them for a couple of years now, and even at four, still loves "playing beans."

Materials:

• Large container with a cover, at least 2 feet wide, 2 feet, long, and 1 foot deep
• Enough beans to fill the container about ⅓ of the way.  We use white, kidney and pinto beans.
• Tools for play, such as a mixing spoon, measuring cup, bowl, cup - small plastic containers (clean!) from the recycling bin make great tools.

Here are just a few great ways to enhance your teachable moments while you play with beans:

• Scoop and dump the beans using a container, or your hands
• Separate some, or all, of the beans by shape, size, or color
• Practice counting
• Use the beans to make shapes or letters
• Teach measurement with measuring cup