15+ Ocean Themed Sensory Bins for Kids

Sensory bins are gaining popularity in the world of activities for kids, and for a good reason, too! They are what I call the 4 E’s – engaging, educational, entertaining, and exciting! My kids love sensory play and I try my best to keep them entertained with fun activities including sensory bins.

What is a sensory bin?

According to Pre-KPages.com, a sensory bin is typically a plastic tub or a large container of some sort filled with materials and objects carefully selected to stimulate the senses. A sensory bin can be filled with a large variety of different materials such as shredded paper, water beads, water, sand, and more.

Benefits of sensory play:

There are many benefits to sensory play. Parenting for Brain says, “Sensory play is important to brain development because sensory stimulation is essential for brains to develop and strengthen sensory related synapses and functions. Exposing children to various sensory experiences is necessary for a young brain to develop the proper sensory processing capabilities. “

You can make a sensory bin for just about any theme out there and make it fun for kids! In this post, we focus only on ocean themed sensory play. You’ll find a variety of great ideas to help you get started on creating your own ocean themed sensory play bins.

Supplies You’ll Need for an Ocean Themed Sensory Bin

With summer approaching, I wanted to compile a list of the best ocean themed sensory bins for kids below. Many kids don’t live near an ocean, so creating these ocean sensory bins are a great way to bring the beach closer to them! Get as creative you want with supplies. There are plenty of themed ocean supplies that you can add to an ocean themed sensory bin!

Before I list examples of ocean themed sensory bins, I thought I’d help you get started by giving examples of supplies that you can use to start your sensory bins.

Keep these bins around to provide entertainment for the kids all summer long.

And here they are…