I put together this little sensory bin for my daughter using colorful cereal, a few scoops, some different objects, and a muffin tin we already had in the kitchen.
The idea was pretty simple. I wanted her to look through the bin, find the different objects, and sort matching types into their own sections of the muffin tin. Not by color or size, but by what each object actually was.
I love activities like this because you can use things you already have. We set ours up outside on a blanket, which also made cleanup a little easier.
What I used
- A shallow plastic bin or sensory tray
- Colorful cereal for the sensory base
- A muffin tin with separate compartments
- Scoops, a small strainer, and little containers
- Different objects to sort by type (see the safety note before choosing yours)
How I set it up
- I poured the cereal into the bin and mixed in different types of objects.
- I placed the muffin tin next to the bin so there was somewhere to put each group.
- I set out a few scoops and containers for transferring and exploring.
- I let my daughter search through the bin and place objects of the same type into their own muffin-tin sections.
There’s no need to make this complicated. You can start by pointing to one object and asking, “Can you find another one like this?” Then let your child decide which compartment that group belongs in.
What your child can practice
Sorting by type is a little different from matching colors. Your child has to notice what an object is, look for others like it, and decide where each group belongs. Picking things up and moving them into the muffin tin also gives them a chance to practice hand control and coordination.
The scoops and containers add another way to explore. Your child can pour, transfer, and fill the different spaces even after the sorting part is finished.
An important note about small objects
Our original setup included marbles and other small objects. Looking back, that’s something I would change when sharing this activity for younger children. Marbles and small loose pieces can be choking hazards, especially for toddlers and when younger siblings are nearby. The cereal itself may also be unsuitable for children who still put objects in their mouths.
For a safer version, skip the marbles and choose large, age-appropriate items that cannot fit into a young child’s mouth. You could sort big fabric squares by type, large blocks of different shapes, or other oversized objects. If you use a filler, choose it with your child’s age and habits in mind, and supervise the entire activity. For children who still mouth objects, I’d skip the loose sensory filler and use a simple, large-object sorting tray instead.
Easy ways to switch it up
You can try the same idea without the cereal at all. Put a few large, safe objects in a basket and ask your child to sort them into separate bowls. You could group toy animals by kind, match pairs of large blocks, or sort different pieces of fabric. The muffin tin isn’t essential either. Any set of containers will do.
If your child isn’t interested in sorting that day, that’s okay. They might just want to scoop and pour for a while. You can bring the sorting idea back another time.
This is one of those activities I like because it doesn’t need a special setup. A few things from the kitchen and a simple idea were enough to give us something to explore together.
