Boost Your Toddler's Brainpower with Early Literacy Learning Bins: Discover 7 Fun and Educational Activities to Fuel Their Imagination!
Sensory Early Literacy Learning Bins: A 7-Day Adventure for Toddlers Ages 1-3
After 13 years in secondary education, you start to feel like you know a thing or two about working with kids. You feel good about your strategies, you revise lessons that have already been made, and you hone in on your craft as an educator and a teacher of reading and writing. You have a pile of successes and losses that you can relate back to when you feel like you need direction. You understand the work that goes into helping students in grades 6-12 learn how to really care about reading and writing.
Then, you realize after having your own child that it is possible to start over. To be a beginner again. There is something amazing about starting at the beginning of something. The beauty in starting over is that you are humbled by the idea that you are a constant student of learning. I know I said this for years in my own classroom, but feeling like an utter beginner in many senses has been exciting, but also frustrating.
I have a toddler, like many toddlers, who loves all things sensory. She is sensory seeking in many ways. She loves books, but she is also on the go. I wanted to start introducing her to more ideas that were themed or grouped together to help her with learning her words and put ideas together. We also needed to insert something into our daily mama and daughter routine that we could look forward to each day either before lunch or after the nap.
Cue early literacy learning bins for our weekday unboxing during downtimes.
By incorporating sensory activities into her early literacy world, I can create a stimulating and engaging environment that enhances their cognitive, language, and motor skills. In this blog post, I present a 7-day overview of sensory early literacy learning bins tailored specifically for toddlers aged 1-3. Each day focuses on a different theme, allowing a little one to explore and discover various concepts while having fun. As always, take what you need from my ideas.
Let's dive in!
Materials Needed
These are bins from Target. I love the material. They are made from plastic, but they almost look and feel like aluminum. I loved these bins because if my learning bins idea flopped and went terribly, we could still use them for cute storage or some other cute idea in her room.
I got the materials from many of the things that she already had in her room, the bathroom, and in our living room. These bins are just curated by ideas so we can really talk about them in repetition on a daily basis.
Day 1: Under the Sea and Ocean Animals (Sunday)
Sea Shells
Melissa & Doug Water Wow Book
Melissa & Doug Poke-a-Dot “Who’s in the Ocean?”
Small ocean figurines
Little flashcards from our public library
Eric Carle mini books “Under the Sea”
You could try: Create a sensory bin filled with blue water beads, shells, plastic sea creatures, and foam seaweed. Encourage your toddler to explore the textures and colors while learning about ocean animals. Read books about sea creatures and sing songs like "Baby Shark" to enhance their understanding and vocabulary.
Day 2: Farm Animals (Monday)
Farm animal figurines
Melissa & Doug Water Wow Book
Melissa & Doug Poke-a-Dot “Old MacDonald’s Farm”
Little flashcards from our public library
Eric Carle mini books “On the Farm”
You could try: Construct a farm-themed sensory bin using dried corn kernels, toy farm animals, and mini hay bales. Let your child experience the different textures and learn about farm animals through hands-on play. Introduce them to the sounds animals make and engage in pretend play as farmers taking care of their animals.
Day 3: Numbers and Counting (Tuesday)
“Baby, Let’s Count” Indestructibles Book
“Counting with a Ladybug” Book
“First 100 Numbers” Priddy Book
Foam numbers from the bathtub
Eric Carle mini books “Numbers”
You could try: Introduce your toddler to numbers and counting through a sensory bin filled with colored rice or sand, number flashcards, and small counting objects such as buttons or pom-poms. Encourage them to scoop, pour, and count while developing their number recognition and counting skills.
Day 4: Learning About Colors (Wednesday)
“Colors with a Ladybug” Book
Melissa & Doug Poke-a-Dot “What’s Your Favorite Color?”
Foam blocks in different colors
Eric Carle mini books “Colors”
You could try: Create a rainbow-themed sensory bin using colored rice or sensory balls in various hues. Add objects matching each color for sorting and identification. Engage your child in color-related activities, like sorting objects by color or naming the colors they discover in the sensory bin.
Day 5: Letters and First Words (Thursday)
Alphabet letters wooden puzzle
“First 100 Words” Priddy Books
Little flashcards from our public library
Eric Carle mini books “Words” and “Letters”
You could try: Design a sensory bin using alphabet-shaped foam pieces, magnetic letters, or letter blocks buried in a bin filled with colored rice or kinetic sand. Encourage your child to dig for letters, name them, and even spell simple words. Introduce them to their name and other frequently used words in their daily life.
Day 6: Zoo Animals (Friday)
Zoo animal figurines
Melissa & Doug Water Wow Book
Melissa & Doug Poke-a-Dot “The Wheels on the Bus: Wild Safari”
Little flashcards from our public library
Eric Carle mini books “At the Zoo”
You could try: Create a zoo-themed sensory bin using shredded paper, toy zoo animals, and animal prints. Encourage your child to interact with the animals, imitate their sounds, and engage in pretend play. Read books about zoo animals and let their imagination run wild as they explore the animal kingdom.
Day 7: Learning About Shapes (Saturday)
“Numbers, Colors, Shapes” Priddy Books
Shape wooden puzzle
Eric Carle mini books “Shapes”
Magna tiles (Not pictured because they are played with so often)
You could try: Design a sensory bin using foam shapes, playdough, or colored pasta in various shapes. Encourage your child to explore the different shapes, match them, and identify objects with corresponding shapes. Sing shape-related songs and engage in shape-based activities to reinforce their understanding.
Engaging toddlers in sensory early literacy learning bins provides a holistic and enjoyable approach to their education. By incorporating themes like Under the Sea, Farm Animals, Numbers and Counting, Colors, Letters and First Words, Zoo Animals, and Shapes, you can ignite their curiosity and foster their development across multiple domains.
Adapt these activities to suit your child's interests and watch them thrive as they explore, learn, and have fun!
