Thanksgiving Sensory Tub for Preschoolers

Thanksgiving Sensory Tub

 

Thanksgiving will soon be here. Whether you are looking for sensory ideas for preschool or just want a fun activity for the little ones at your Thanksgiving celebration, this Thanksgiving Sensory Tub is sure to be a hit.

The main sensory material is dried corn (one of the cheapest sensory materials I’ve found). Every year we go to the Pumpkin Patch and there is typically a large pit filled with dried corn…until this year.

pit full of corn
In the corn pit with Big Brother way back in 2009…when I was 9 months pregnant with Little Brother!

 

For some reason, our favorite pumpkin patch decided to discontinue this attraction. So I decided we needed to make our own smaller version. A quick stop at our local farm store supplied us with more corn than we knew what to do with!

 

 

Here’s what you’ll need:  a sensory table or large and shallow container (these under bed storage containers work well), dried corn, feathers, and whatever else you would like to add for Thanksgiving!

 

 

*Please note:  This activity is not suitable for children under 3 years of age or for children who still put things in their mouths. Please use caution around younger siblings.

 

IMG_4353

Grab yourself some dried corn. I purchased this very large bag of Wildlife Feed (aka dried corn) at Atwoods (our local farm store) for under $8. Since the bag contains way more than what we need, I’m donating half of the bag to our church’s sensory table.

 

 

IMG_4354

Let your little one begin discovering the texture.

 

 

 

IMG_4360

Little Brother was excited! We added some measuring cups and spoons to make the dumping and pouring process even more fun.

 

 

 

IMG_4364

 

 

 

 

IMG_4369

 

 

 

IMG_4376

After a while of playing with just the corn, we decided to add some colorful feathers.

 

 

 

IMG_4378

 

 

 

 

IMG_4382

 A  little while later, I wanted to add a little learning into the mix. I added some of these Woodsies for every letter of the alphabet. Of course, this is when Little Brother seemed to lose interest. Go figure. :)

 

 

 

IMG_4384

 

 

Check out more Thanksgiving ideas here and on our Thanksgiving Pinterest board!

 

 

3 Comments

  1. I am thinking about doing this (actually I have been thinking about for awhile). I am wondering how messy this gets? I know kids are all different but generally speaking was this messier or cleaner than you expected?

    1. This was actually pretty mess-free. A few kernels got out of the tub when my son was especially excited, but they were much easier to pick up than rice (another sensory material I’ve used). Overall, I would say it was cleaner than I expected. :)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *