This Halloween Sensory Bin is an easy and fun themed sensory play idea for preschoolers, kindergartners, and older kids. Make it on your own with inexpensive materials from your local grocery store or neighborhood dollar store. It’s perfect for quiet play at home, preschool, and elementary school!
Pair this Halloween sensory activity with a Halloween Sensory Bottle for even more spooky-themed fun.
Halloween Sensory Bin for Kids
Eleven years. That is how long I’ve been making sensory bins for my kids! Now in their “tween” years, they still love to run their fingers through them—especially my 9-year-old.
My 9-year-old was born with Global Apraxia and often struggles with fine and gross motor skills. Not only did this Halloween sensory bin bring him a great amount of joy and sensory satisfaction, but it provided simple fine motor practice with tongs and “bone scoopers!”
Sensory bins are simple to set up and endlessly adaptable. Whether you fill them with slime, dried beans, or fun finds from the dollar store, you can easily tailor the materials to your child’s age and interests. Add a few Halloween-themed props, and kids can scoop, pour, count, and sort while strengthening fine motor skills. Sensory play like this gives children a safe way to explore textures, colors, and even letters through hands-on learning.
Why You’ll Love This Activity
Thinking about trying a Halloween sensory bin? Here’s why you should:
- Supports fine motor skills – Activities like scooping, pinching, and pouring help kids develop fine motor control.
- Encourages creativity – Little ones can arrange, hide, and sort objects in their own imaginative ways.
- Easy to customize – Use what you have at home or find inexpensive bin fillers at the dollar store.
- Engages multiple senses – Touch, sight, and sometimes sound combine for rich sensory exploration.
- Promotes focused, calming play – Kids stay engaged for long stretches, helping them relax while exploring.
- Educational opportunities – Add letters, numbers, or Halloween-themed objects for counting, matching, or spelling activities.
Supplies Needed for Halloween Sensory Bin
Make sure you’ve got all your supplies ready before you start creating this fun sensory activity.
- Plastic bin with lid
- Dry black beans
- Mini cauldron
- Eyeball ping pong balls
- Halloween party favors
- Tongs
- Measuring cups
- Skeleton salad tongs
Watch the Video Tutorial
To see the process in action, watch the video below to see how we created our bin!
How to Make a Halloween Sensory Bin
Follow the simple directions below to make your own festive sensory bin!
STEP 1: Add the sensory bin filler. Start by pouring black beans into a plastic bin—they make a perfect base for Halloween sensory play. The amount you’ll need depends on your bin’s size; we used about five bags to fill ours.
Not a fan of using beans? Try one of these fun alternatives:
- Dyed rice, chickpeas, or pasta
- Cooked spaghetti dyed with food coloring (for a squishy, spooky feel!)
- Candy corn for a sweet seasonal twist
- Orange and black pom-poms
- Shredded paper or paper crinkle filler
- Plastic spider webbing (cut into smaller pieces)
- Water beads in Halloween colors
- Kinetic sand or play sand
- Puffed cereal
- Dried corn kernels
- Split peas or lentils
- Halloween slime or oobleck for messy sensory fun
STEP 2: Add the manipulatives. Press Halloween party favors, such as spiders, snakes, squish balls, vampire teeth, rats, skeletons, and bats, into the beans. Add eyeball ping pong balls, tongs, measuring cups, and a mini cauldron.
STEP 3: Add sensory equipment. Stick skeleton salad tongs into the beans. We found ours at The Dollar Tree!
STEP 4: Enjoy your sensory bin! Invite your child to explore the sensory bin freely. Encourage them to scoop, pour, and imagine as they play with the Halloween-themed materials. Here are a few fun ways to get started:
- Pour the beans into the mini cauldron and pretend to mix a spooky potion.
- Use tongs to pick up balls, mini toys, or pom-poms—great for fine motor practice.
- Bury small items in the beans, then dig them out using the tongs or fingers.
Encourage your little one to lead the play and follow their imagination—there’s no right or wrong way to explore a sensory bin!
Take It Further
Once your little one is comfortable exploring, there are lots of ways to extend the play and learning.
- Sorting Games – Sort objects by color, size, or type. Count how many of each object.
- Letter hunt – Hide letters or number cards in the sensory bin for early literacy and math practice.
- Fine motor challenges – Use tweezers to pick up small toys or beads to strengthen pinching skills.
- Storytelling – Encourage kids to make up a story using the mini cauldrons and toys.
- Math fun – Count eyeball ping pong balls or measure beans with cups for early math skills.
- Bin swap – Change the bin fillers weekly to keep sensory play fresh and exciting.
- Pair with a book – Extend the activity by reading a Halloween-themed story before or after playtime. Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson or Little Blue Truck’s Halloween by Alice Schertle are great choices!
- Color hunt – Ask children to find and sort all the orange, black, teal, and purple items in the bin.
- STEM Twist – Provide a balance scale or measuring cups and let kids experiment with weight and volume.
- Create a haunted scene – Make a Popsicle Stick Haunted House for your sensory bin!
Sensory Bin Safety and Cleanup Tips
Sensory bins are fun and engaging, but a few simple safety and cleanup strategies can make the experience smooth and stress-free for everyone.
- Choose age-appropriate materials – Avoid small items that could be choking hazards for toddlers and younger little ones.
- Set up on a tray or mat – Placing the bin on a sheet, washable tray, or mat helps contain spills and makes cleanup quick and easy.
- Supervise sensory play – Always keep an eye on little ones while they explore the bin, especially when using small objects, liquid fillers, or messy items. Supervision ensures safe play and allows you to guide learning and creativity.
More Halloween Activities and Crafts for Kids
Looking for more ways to celebrate the season? Check out these fun Halloween activities and crafts that are perfect for little ones at home or in the classroom.
- Cotton Swab Skeleton – Little ones can build their own spooky skeletons using cotton swabs and glue! This craft is perfect for practicing fine motor skills as kids arrange and stick the “bones” into shape. Add a free template for an easier start.
- DIY Halloween Suncatchers – Bring some Halloween magic to the window with these DIY suncatchers. Kids can use tissue paper, construction paper, or contact paper to create colorful spooky shapes that catch the sunlight beautifully.
- Halloween Hedgehog Craft – Turn paper candy corns into cute hedgehogs! Kids can paint the candy corns, then add eyes and a nose to bring their little hedgehogs to life. This craft is fun for creativity and fine motor practice.
- Preschool Ghost Craft – These simple ghost crafts are perfect for toddlers and preschoolers. Using cotton balls, paper, or fabric scraps, kids can create friendly ghosts to decorate the home or classroom.
- Paper Jack-O’-Lantern Craft – Kids can cut, fold, and decorate paper pumpkins to make their own Jack-O’-Lanterns. This craft encourages creativity, scissor skills, and imaginative Halloween play.
Save this Craft
Save this craft on Pinterest using the image below!
Originally published October 5, 2019.
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