Easy and Fun Hot Chocolate Sensory Bin for Toddlers

Your toddler and preschoolers will love this fun hot chocolate sensory bin! It is so easy to make and is such a fun hot cocoa sensory play that will entertain your little ones for hours on end!

Introducing young children to sensory play can be an excellent way to promote their cognitive, physical, and emotional development. A sensory bin is a container filled with materials that stimulate the senses, providing an opportunity for exploration and creativity.

One fun sensory bin we recently tried is a hot cocoa sensory bin! This bin is typically filled with materials that mimic the ingredients of a cozy mug of hot cocoa, such as cocoa powder, marshmallows, and other simple ingredients.

Toddlers can dive into the bin, using their hands and fingers to explore the different textures and smells. These type of sensory activities can help young children learn about the world around them, develop their fine motor skills, and engage in imaginative play.

Plus, it’s a fun and festive activity that can be enjoyed during the cold winter months or even throughout the year.

Here is hot to make your own hot chocolate sensory bin for your toddlers!

Sensory Bin Benefits

Not only is a sensory bin that looks like hot cocoa so fun for your toddlers, but it is also beneficial too! There are so many incredible benefits for having your toddler play with this hot cocoa sensory bin.

Here are just a few of them:

• Sensory play helps develop a child’s cognitive, physical, and emotional skills.
• It promotes the development of fine motor skills by encouraging hand-eye coordination and muscle control.
• Sensory bins provide an opportunity for children to explore and learn about the world around them.
• They allow children to engage in imaginative play and creativity, which can boost their self-confidence and problem-solving abilities.
• Sensory play can also help children regulate their emotions and reduce stress or anxiety.
• By using different materials in the sensory bin, children can experience different textures, smells, and sounds, which can stimulate their senses and enhance their sensory awareness.
• Sensory play is a fun and engaging activity that can help children stay focused and attentive for longer periods of time. It builds their concentration too!
• It’s an inclusive activity that can be adapted to meet the needs and interests of children with different abilities and learning styles.
• Sensory play is an excellent way for parents and caregivers to bond with children and encourage positive parent-child interactions.
• Play based learning is so much fun and doesn’t require much. This hot chocolate sensory play has opportunities for so many learning activities. You can do some hot chocolate science by making it with your toddler or even hot cocoa math by counting the marshmallows inside.

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Hot Chocolate Sensory Bin Recipe

Here is how you make your own simple hot chocolate sensory bin!

Supplies

• 8 cups flour
• 1 cup oil (I used avocado oil but any work!)
• 1 cup cocoa powder
• Handful of marshmallows
• Container for sensory play (we love these ones!)
• Tablecloth
• Spoons, bowls, etc. for playing with

Instructions

1. If you need this to be a taste-safe sensory bin for your toddler, cook the flour beforehand. When finished, put your flour in a large bowl.
2. Add in the cocoa powder and mix until the color you desire. You may need to add more to get a darker brown.

3. Pour in the oil and mix well with your hands. Keep mixing until you can squish the sand to make a ball.
4. Add in your marshmallows, and items for playing with the “hot cocoa” and enjoy!

Tips

• This is a taste safe moon sand recipe. The sand will make balls and form objects but can also be left as sand as well. While it is not very tasty and you don’t want to eat it, it can work for toddlers who try to taste everything. If so, make sure to bake your flour first to for it to be safe.
• Marshmallows are optional. You can add small or large marshmallows. I think mini marshmallows would be nice, but we were out so I used the big ones. You can even use cotton balls if you want!
• Put the tablecloth on the ground to help avoid spilling.
• Add in some sprinkles, candy canes, bowls, scoops, and anything else to encourage creativity and more fun play!
• Have your child wash their hands before playing. That way, it will keep longer. When they are finished playing, put it in an airtight container and it will last for a while! Make sure to take out the marshmallows before putting in a container.

Hot Cocoa Sensory Bin Wrap-Up

A hot cocoa sensory bin can be a fantastic way to introduce young children to the joys of sensory play. It provides a safe and engaging environment for toddlers to explore different textures, smells, and materials.

By encouraging toddlers to use their senses and imaginations, a hot cocoa sensory bin can help promote their cognitive and physical development.

Whether you’re looking for a fun activity to do with your child on a chilly day or simply want to provide them with a new way to learn and play, a hot chocolate sensory bin is definitely worth trying out.

So, grab a bin and some materials and get ready for some cozy and creative sensory fun! You will have a happy toddler for hours!

Check out these awesome playdough recipes for more sensory play fun! Or check out these other winter sensory bins.