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Easy Alphabet Sensory Bin for Toddlers

Learn how to easily set up your own alphabet sensory bin for toddlers! This letter bin is one of the sensory play ideas for toddlers and preschoolers to enjoy to help them with letter recognition.

A sensory bin is a great way to provide toddlers with hands-on learning opportunities that engage multiple senses. Filling a bin with various items all related to the alphabet is an excellent approach to introducing letters, sounds, and early literacy concepts in a playful, exploratory setting.

Toddlers can gain tremendous benefits from open-ended play with alphabet sensory bins as they touch, see, hear, and manipulate the items inside.

I found sensory activities helped my toddlers best learn through play, so I try to come up with as many as I can for them! When you have fun learning, you will learn more, and that is especially true for little ones.

So, here is how to make an alphabet sensory bin for preschoolers and toddlers! This ABC sensory bin will be sure to keep your toddler happy and busy.

alphabet sensory bin pin image

Benefits of Alphabet Sensory Play

Before we get to how to make mini alphabet sensory bins, I wanted to share some of the incredible benefits of this sensory activity.

Playing with an alphabet sensory tub provides toddlers with multisensory experiences that foster growth and development in many areas:

Letter and Sound Recognition

Through fun hands-on activities, toddlers can make connections between letter shapes, symbols, sounds, and words they represent. Identifying letters and sounds is a key emergent literacy skill.

As your child finds each letter during their play, you can practice the beginning sounds together.

alphabet sensory bin

Vocabulary Building

Surrounding children with a wide range of objects labeled with letter sounds helps build their vocabulary as they learn to associate words and concepts with different letters.

Sensory Stimulation

Tactile experiences with diverse textures, temperatures, weights and materials engages toddlers’ sense of touch, sight, and hearing. Sensory play also aids cognitive growth.

Fine Motor Skills

Actions like digging, pouring, squeezing, grasping, and manipulating objects in the bin help improve toddlers’ finger dexterity and hand-eye coordination.

The sensory letters experience this bin provides is one of the best for fine motor skills as they have to dig and pull out the letters.

child playing with letter bin

Problem Solving Skills

Open-ended play materials encourage toddlers to independently explore, create, categorize, and experiment to understand concepts like letters and sounds.

Self-Motivated Learning

Toddlers are inherently curious and driven to investigate their environment. Sensory bins allow self-directed play and learning through natural discovery.

My toddlers always find way more games and activities with each sensory bin I make that they learn from. With this alphabet sensory bin, they will have countless opportunities to learn on their own!

Fun with Different Learning Styles

Multisensory tubs accommodate visual, auditory, and hands-on learners as toddlers see, say, hear, and manipulate letter objects.

I am a true believer that hands-on experiences that involve doing something fun is one of the best ways to learn.

Check out how to make an I Spy Letter Sensory Bottle

Family Involvement

Parents can engage with children during sensory play to introduce new vocabulary, prompt thinking and curiosity, and facilitate learning.

This alphabet soup sensory bin will give you a happy toddler for sure!

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How to Make an Alphabet Sensory Bin for Toddlers

Here is how to make this alphabet sensory bin for 2 year olds! It works great for teaching ABC for 2 year olds and is a wonderful preschool sensory table too!

Materials

materials for alphabet bin

Instructions

Prepare all the materials you will use. Pour half of the sand all over the bin. Then start to add the letters on top.

Pour the other half of the sand to cover the letters.

Finally, put the scoops and bucket in and let your kids enjoy!

finished alphabet sensory play

Simple Alphabet Sensory Bin Activities

There are plenty of other great sensory alphabet activities to enjoy with these alphabet tubs!

Toddlers will invent their own games with an alphabet sensory tub as they explore. Here are some easy activity ideas to try:

  • Add other objects so they can hunt for objects that start with a particular letter’s sound
  • Match uppercase and lowercase letter pairs
  • Feel hidden objects and guess the letter based on the beginning sound
  • Sort items into groups by first letter
  • Arrange letters or objects in ABC order
  • I Spy games picking out things for each letter
  • Scoop and pour items using cups and spoons
  • Follow verbal cues like “find something that starts with L”
  • Sing alphabet songs while pointing to matching objects

ABC Sensory Bin FAQs

What are the benefits of the alphabet sensory bin?

From letter recognition to fine motor skills, there are so many benefits of an alphabet sensory bin for toddlers! Your kid will have fun, all the while learning.

Are sensory bins worth it?

Yes absolutely! Sensory bins are perfect for toddlers and kids of all ages. They are so easy to do and provide hours of fun educational learning! Most DIY sensory bins are very cheap to make too, as you mainly use things you already have at home.

Yield: 1 sensory bin

Alphabet Sensory Bin

alphabet sensory bin

Make this easy letter sensory bin to teach letter recognition, sounds, fine motor skills, and so much more!

Materials

  • Sensory Bin
  • Letters
  • Sand
  • Scoops
  • Bucket

Instructions

    1. Prepare all the materials you will use. Pour half of the sand all over the bin. Then start to add the letters on top.
    2. Pour the other half of the sand to cover the letters.
    3. Finally, put the scoops and bucket in and let your kids enjoy!

Alphabet Sensory Bin Wrap-Up

Now that you know how to make a sensory table, let your child have fun with this letter sensory bin!

An alphabet sensory bin is an open-ended learning activity that engages toddlers’ natural curiosity and developing abilities. Filled with exciting hands-on materials to explore letters, sounds, words, and more, it makes early literacy fun and interactive!

Try an alphabet sensory tub next time you want to have a happy, busy toddler!

Check out these other sensory bin ideas:

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