We are living in an unpredictable time where you are at home more and so are your children. Going outside is a great option to keep your kids busy, but what about when it is too cold to spend more than an hour outside? Well, why not bring the outdoors inside by making a winter sensory bin! This is an activity that can be created with things found in your home and will keep your kids busy while also expanding their speech and language skills!

What you need:

• A medium size bin or bowl
• 1-2 bags of cotton balls
• Snowflake confetti (optional)
• Objects around the house (play animals, food, other toys)

Empty the cotton balls and snowflakes into the bowl. You just made “snow” that is mess free and much warmer! Find objects around the house to put into the “snow” and play! Here are some ideas on how to incorporate speech and language into the sensory bin:

• Speech Sounds – Find objects around the house that contain the speech sounds your child is working on. If your child is working on s-blends, look around your house to find the following: spoon, spin (a top or anything that spins), star, stop (stop sign or a symbol), snake, snail, small (anything small), smile (picture or any object with a smile), anything else you can find with an s-blend. If you can’t find any of these objects practice s-blends by using the phrase “I found a ____ in the snow!”
• Prepositions – Find a small shovel (one used for playing in sand or a big spoon) and model digging in, on, beside, behind, and in front of the snow. Now give the shovel to your child and tell him/her where to dig! Take turns using the shovel to help your child use and understand prepositions and also practice following directions.
• Describing – Find objects in the “snow” and describe them! To help your child expand their description ask wh- questions. What does it look like? Where do you find it? What category does it belong to? What do you use it for or what do you do with it?
• Storytelling – Tell your child to find 2-3 objects in the “snow” and make a story about them! Remind them a story needs a character, setting, event, and solution. Encourage your child to use transition words (first, then, next, after that, last) to help your child organize his/her thoughts and make the story flow.
• Expanding – This activity is great for toddlers too! Place animals in the sensory bin and follow your child’s lead. When your child says something, add 1-2 words to it to model language. For example, your child says “bear!” and you say, “bear in snow!” This will give your child the opportunity to copy you and expand what he/she is saying.
• Vocabulary – Find objects your child might not know. When they find them in the sensory bin, label it then describe it to help grow their vocabulary!

This activity can be used over and over again! If your child is bored, try switching up the objects in it to create new adventure and interest! If it’s nice outside, take a bowl outside, fill it with snow and do the same activities. Most importantly, have fun while expanding your child’s speech and language skills with this winter sensory bin!

Written by Registered Speech-Language Pathologist (provisional) with Wildflowers, Kristen Lipp.