We had so much fun working through our list of Fall sensory bins that I decided to find some Halloween sensory bins to tackle this October!
Halloween doesn’t have to be too scary for your toddler to enjoy. These Halloween Sensory Bins are part cute, part creepy, and 100% easy!
I like activities that take little to no preparation and that’s what you’ll find here.
Have fun with these spooky but sweet Halloween sensory bins!
Why We Love Sensory Bins
- Sensory play is critical to toddler development
- Sensory bins often hold a toddler’s attention longer than regular toys
- They are easy and inexpensive to make
- Sensory bins allow your child to be exposed to new things in a safe environment
- They can typically be made using household items
- Sensory bins can be used to help soothe an anxious or upset child
Related: 24 Awesome Fall Sensory Bins
23 Spooky Halloween Sensory Bins for Toddlers & Preschoolers
5 Little Pumpkins Sensory Bin from I Heart Crafty Things
I love when sensory bins can incorporate reading, and this one goes perfectly with the book 5 Little Pumpkins!
Rachel from I Heart Crafty Things also includes several other learning activities that can be done with this cute sensory bin, including counting and patterns.
Check them out here!
Black Bat Sensory Bin From Modern Preschool
It’s always great when you can throw together an engaging sensory bin using things you already have in your kitchen!
This black bat sensory bin is pretty open ended. You can easily make this a scoop and pour activity by adding cups, or practice fine motor skills using plastic tweezers or spoons.
The only prep for this black bat sensory bin will be dying the rice and pasta.
It’s surprisingly easier than it sounds – learn how here!
Glowing Googly Eye Halloween Sensory Bin from Simple Everyday Mom
Not gonna lie, this glowing eyeball sensory bin looks pretty awesome. Nothing says Halloween like some glow-in-the-dark googly eyes!
This sensory bin can be used to sort colors, count, or practice fine motor skills such as cutting or scooping.
The only thing you need to prepare is cook and dye the spaghetti.
I’m planning to just make extra next time we have spaghetti for dinner and let the pasta dye while we eat! Learn how here.
Fizzing Halloween Sensory Bin from My Bored Toddler
This fun Fizzing Halloween Sensory Bin is the perfect science activity for little hands!
I love the way the bin is set up to reveal the Halloween objects at the bottom as a surprise.
Letting your toddler add the vinegar to the baking soda adds to the fun, plus it allows for some great fine motor practice.
This will be my first time trying a baking soda and vinegar activity with my toddler, so I am excited to see how she reacts!
Witch’s Brew Soap Foam Sensory Bin from View from a Step Stool
Have you tried making soap foam?
Crazy things happen when you add soap and a couple other kitchen ingredients to a blender!
The soap firms up and forms a foam durable enough to build and play with.
Soap foam can be played with so many ways, but I love the idea of making a Halloween Witch’s Brew with it!
Monster Soup Sensory Bin from Productive Pete
Beans are one of our favorite sensory items to play with. There is something about them that is just so soothing!
I also love a good dollar store sensory bin, especially one that requires absolutely no prep.
If you feel the same, you’ll love this Monster Soup Sensory Bin. Just dump the supplies in a bin and go!
Textured Halloween Playdough from One Time Through
Rice and beans with your playdough, anyone?
These 3 Halloween playdough ideas involve fun scents, textures, and surprises, making them the perfect addition to your Halloween sensory bin.
If you need a base recipe for your playdoughs, check out my favorite homemade playdough recipe!
Edible Eyeball Sensory Bin from Fun at Home with Kids
I stay waiting for my toddler to be out of the “mouth everything” stage. (Do they ever really leave it? I expect it will be around kindergarten at this point.)
In the meantime, thank goodness for edible activities like this Edible Eyeball Sensory Bin!
The edible eyeballs look awesome and are surprisingly very easy to make.
These would also be perfect for a Halloween party treat!
Super Easy Halloween Sensory Bin from Busy Toddler
I have a confession.
I have not tried dying rice yet and was not really planning to.
Whenever I do a sensory bin that calls for dyed rice I just use regular rice and my toddler is none the wiser.
However, Suzi from Busy Toddler says dying rice is super easy and takes no more than a minute.
I suppose since this is a sensory activity I could add some visual stimulation…and the rest of the setup really requires zero effort…
Okay Suzi, you win. I’ll dye the rice this time.
Learn how to make your Super Easy Halloween Sensory Bin here.
Spider Web Fine Motor Bin from Fun Learning for Kids
Create a spider web using yarn and a basket and let your little one practice their fine motor skills by removing the spiders from the web!
Danielle from Fun Learning for Kids shares some great ideas for ways to differentiate the difficulty of the activity for toddlers of different ages.
Learn how to make your Fine Motor Spider Web here!
Mini Pumpkin Volcanoes from Freebie Finding Mom
Pumpkin guts make a great sensory item – slimy and filled with seeds to pinch out with that little pincer grasp!
After your toddler is done playing in the pumpkin, turn it into a pumpkin volcano!
A little preschool science action will have your mini pumpkins erupting with colorful foam.
Plus Kelli from Freebie Finding Mom has a few tips on how to make this slightly messy experiment super easy to clean up.
Check it out here!
Yarn Spider Web Sensory Bin from Glued to My Crafts
The Very Busy Spider by Eric Carle goes perfectly with any spooky spider bin, and this one from Stacey at Glued to my Crafts is so easy to set up.
If you want to incorporate even more fine motor skills, use spider rings and have your tot thread them on to the yarn.
Stacey also includes an adorable spider paper plate craft in this post to go with The Very Busy Spider theme.
Check out the spider sensory bin and paper plate craft here!
Halloween Sensory Bin from Happy Toddler Playtime
If you get super into decorating for Halloween, use your leftover fake spider webs to create this easy Halloween sensory bin from Happy Toddler Playtime!
Pulling plastic spiders out of the web is a genius way to keep your toddler busy with no mess.
I love the other spooky but super easy Halloween items that Mandisa includes in this bin, like spider eggs!
Check it out here!
Spidery Oobleck from Little Bins for Little Hands
If I’m being honest with you my girl was not a fan of oobleck the first and only time we tried it. She cried about it sticking to her fingers and dumped it on the floor.
Clean up wasn’t cool.
However, she was only 14 or 15 months at the time and didn’t know enough about the world to understand how cool oobleck is.
Is it solid? Liquid? Both? She couldn’t care less, just get it off her fingers.
It’s unfortunate because I’m really drawn to super easy sensory recipes that require only 2 ingredients, one of which is water.
Maybe save this one for the older tots and preschoolers in your life. You know, people who appreciate the whole solid/liquid phenomenon and how to not immediately dump it all over the kitchen floor while you’re trying to cook dinner.
Learn how to make Spidery Oobleck here.
Black Bean Halloween Sensory Bin from Teaching Mama
You know what’s easier than dyeing rice black? Using beans that are already black.
There are so many cool ideas for sensory items in this Halloween Sensory Bin. I especially love the dollar tree Halloween LED lights and the sensory balloon idea!
A super simple set-up with an array of creative $1 sensory items – sign me up!
Spider Web Discovery Basket from The Train Driver’s Wife
A larger variation of the fine motor spider web activity above!
All you need is yarn and a laundry basket to make your Spider Web Discovery Basket. Hide some toys in the bottom of the basket and let your toddler “rescue” them!
You can increase or decrease the difficulty of this activity by the amount of yarn you use in the web and the size of toys you include. You could also add fine motor tools instead of using hands for the rescue!
See how to set it up here.
Easy Halloween Sensory Table Fillers from Differentiated Kindergarten
This awesome post from Differentiated Kindergarten includes a whole year of easy sensory bin fillers!
There are 4 adorable sensory bins for the month of October.
You’ll also find cute learning activities to include in your sensory bins. Most are appropriate for your preschool age kiddos.
Find your October sensory fillers here!
Halloween Themed Sensory Bin from Paper and Glue
Another easy “dump and play” sensory bin with zero prep required!
Beans on their own are great to play with, but the addition of assorted Halloween favors make this bin just a little spookier.
The bin shown in the post does contain smaller objects that could be a choking hazard so use your best judgement when selecting items for your bin.
You could definitely do this bin using Dollar Tree supplies!
Ellen also includes a great tip for making a busy sensory bin less overwhelming.
Check it out here!
Witches Potion Sensory Play from Clare’s Little Tots
I yearn for the day my baby girl can play with water beads! I mean how pretty is this Witch’s Potion Sensory Bin?
Unfortunately my 17 month old is still too interested in tasting the world around her for me feel comfortable letting her loose on some water beads. But this sensory bin is just so cool looking that I had to share it with you! Maybe next year!
Check out the post here for details on how to set the bin up and incorporate essential fine motor skills!
Halloween Ice Play from Pink Oatmeal
If you live in a place where the weather is still hotter than heck in October you might want to incorporate some Halloween Ice Play into your life!
This simple activity involves little to no effort and can easily be done using dollar tree supplies.
Throw your buggy ice cubes in a water table, play with them in the driveway, or even take them in the bath tub – the possibilities are endless!
Spider Sensory Fine Motor and Math Play from Little Bins for Little Hands
This cute and spooky bin requires no prep AND includes a variety of simple fine motor and math activities. Win!
This post is filled with creative and educational ways to play with this sensory bin, and all are super simple to set up.
The ideas for learning games and activities with this bin can easily be applied to any sensory bin on your list.
Check it out here!
Spooky Noodles from Teaching Mama
Who doesn’t love playing with cooked spaghetti?
Remember that episode of Friends where Rachel and Joey are throwing the spaghetti on the floor?
“Okay well don’t waste it, it’s still food…” *Joey eats spaghetti off floor*
Anyway, this Spooky Noodles Sensory Activity would be an easy activity to prep next time you’re making spaghetti for dinner!
Just follow the simple instructions for dying the cooked spaghetti and let your kids go to town with some open ended play.
So you can go back to watching Friends reruns.
Pumpkin Oobleck from I Can Teach My Child
This one is for the mamas and minis who aren’t afraid to get messy!
What’s stickier and spookier than oobleck?
You’ll need a real pumpkin for this sensory activity, along with a couple ingredients you already have in your kitchen.
Jenae also shares a kitchen tool hack that will make your life easier when carving or playing with pumpkins!
Which Halloween Sensory Bins will you try with your toddler?
What Valentines will you and your toddler make? We would love to see them! Share your Valentines on Instagram and tag Happy Toddler Club using the hashtag #happytoddlerclub!
You Might Also Like:
- Pretty Fall Leaf Sticky Wall Activity
- 24 Awesome Fall Sensory Bins
- Gorgeous No-Mess Smush Paint
- The Big List of Sticky Wall Ideas for Toddlers
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