Sensory Bins for Older Children

Zac changed his clothes five times yesterday and had two baths... all because he was IN THE MUD having a fantastic time for most of the day.

The picture above is from May, when he mixed leftover ashes from the fire pit with water and went around putting handprints on the house.

I was asking his OT on Friday about some sensory play ideas. Zac will go through an entire roll of tape in a day because he just loves how the stickiness feels. He also is constantly squeezing out toothpaste to play with it. And he's not the only child who is older but still has strong sensory needs.

So I thought it would be good to brainstorm a list for those kids. We are no longer having to worry about choking hazards, so the sky is the limit!

Zac and a friend back in 2018

Some things I've thought of are:

mulch mountain for digging in

digging pit in the yard (mud)

mud kitchen

water beads / ice cubes / colored water in the mud kitchen

kiddie pool with water and starch-based biodegradable packing peanuts

sensory bin of warm water and gelatin

cookie sheet of shaving cream

"snow" - baking soda & shaving cream

Oobleck - cornstarch & water

Ghost Mud - toilet paper, Ivory soap & water

sensory bin of toothpaste (why fight it?)

pumpkin guts

frozen corn syrup

Looking back at my notes of 910 Ideas for Toddlers and Twos, a lot of those ideas were for practicing fine motor skills and/or pouring work (rainbow rice, rainbow oats, etc.) but what he really has requested is stickiness.

So how about Rainbow Spaghetti for Sensory Play?

He has moved past playdough (too clean) but there are tons of modeling material ideas in Mudworks by MaryAnn Kohl.

Mudworks: Creative Clay, Dough, and Modeling Experiences
by MaryAnn Kohl

I'm sure some of them are sticky! I can also give him old bread and let him squish it all up with some water and glue. Cleaning out the cupboard has worked well for us. He always gets to use real spices in the mud kitchen so that there is a strong smell. (I just have to make sure it's not something poisonous, because Zac will eat things. He is the only one of my children to take a bite out of a bar of soap -- twice -- and to eat a poisonous plant.)

I'm planning today on giving him a dozen eggs to throw at trees to watch them smash. He is constantly throwing things as hard as he can to see if they break.

He also needs heavy work (fill a wagon with books and have him pull it around the yard, push stumps, drag tree branches, etc.) and I'm thinking of getting him a Lycra compression sleep sack.

And I think this child needs to be in sports! He's requested horseback riding, swimming, rock climbing, and ballet. I think T-ball should also be on that list. I never wanted to be a mom who was constantly driving my kid around to things but since I refuse to put him on screens to keep him quiet, I am going to need to do something so that he can MOVE MOVE MOVE without destroying our home!!!! He is still writing on the walls with pen (yesterday it was a tablecloth with a Sharpie) and cutting his clothing with scissors.

It is like living with a two year old. When you ask him, he looks really confused; he has no idea why he did it. I'm not entirely sure he even knows it is happening.

So instead of getting angry, I think I just need to be more understanding. He's bright and cheerful and happy. He is not a bad child. He just has these sensory needs that are all consuming.

If you think about it, there's really no difference in cost between giving him an entire bottle of shampoo to play with... and having him go through an entire bottle of shampoo so that his bath can be full of bubbles. At least this way I know he's used up a bottle, and it doesn't come as a nasty shock!

I may see if I can get some OT training as well. I don't know how hard that would be to do. Two of my daughters were also in OT but Zac's needs seem to be stronger than any of them. I do believe that he's not trying to be naughty/destructive deliberately, but I don't know how to help him navigate this. Yesterday he smeared handfuls of mud all over the house (again... including in the locks of the doorknobs, which is new) and toothpaste all over the glass shower door (again).

The older he gets (he's now 7) the more it looks like misbehavior and "you're old enough to know better." He could never be in public school for that reason alone. It also doesn't help that I work largely on the computer. Every time I get off Zoom, he's gotten into something while I wasn't watching. It's been like that all through COVID. I feel pretty overwhelmed and so does he!

UPDATE July 7, 2022

Make Moldable Dough from Stale Bread
Zac didn't like this recipe; he voted two thumbs down

Chocolate Play Dough (PDF)
here is our absolute favorite homemade play dough recipe

UPDATE August 17, 2022

some sensory things I've purchased for Zac:

Kick Bands:


Chewelry:


Weighted Lap Pad:
5 lb. Weighted Lap Pad with Handles

UPDATE September 14, 2022

J is for Jellyfish
a super-fun sensory bin to go with our Lowercase Letters block

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