This hot chocolate sensory bin is a great activity to enjoy on days you’d prefer to stay inside. With just a few ingredients, you can make an activity that is easily stored and reusable for another day. This activity is for preschool and school aged children and targets your fine motor and sensory skills with the combination of mixing, scooping, and playing.
Supplies:
-Plastic bin with lid
-Corn Starch (or Flour)
-Hot Chocolate Mix (or Nesquik)
-Marshmallows (any size)
-Candy Canes
-Chocolate Chips
-Cups
-Something to scoop/pour with
Activity Steps:
Step 1: Gathering Materials
First, find a flat open space where you can set up your sensory bin creation. Then, you are going to grab all your materials and bring them to your workspace.
Step 2: Filling your Bin
Place your bin on the flat surface with the lid off. Then, fill the bin halfway full with hot chocolate mix and corn starch. Mix them up really well! The more corn starch you add, the more texture the mix will have and more fun it will be to play with, but you do not want to add more corn starch than hot chocolate mix. I used one of my measuring cups to add the cornstarch into the mix instead of directly pouring it into the bin.
Step 3: Add Extras!
After the hot chocolate and cornstarch are mixed, add your marshmallows, chocolate chips, and candy canes to the bin and mix. I did not have any chocolate chips, so I broke up a chocolate bar into smaller pieces and it worked perfectly! I also used the candy canes to mix the ingredients together easier!
Step 4: Play!
Now that your sensory bin is complete, we can have more fun playing with the ingredients. Get to create and play pretend games with yourself or another person, like a restaurant. How many marshmallows can you fit into your cup? Can you smell the coco mix or the candy canes? Can you fill the cups with scoops of mix, marshmallows, and chocolate chips like someone placed an order? How does the mix feel between your fingers?
Step 5: Clean up
Because the bins we chose have lids, feel free to put the lid on the container and store this activity for another cold day! Don’t forget to take out any scoops or cups that need to be washed and put away. Also, ask for an adult’s permission or help and you can heat up a cup of water or milk. Be careful when taking the cup out of the microwave as it will be hot. Then, add some scoops of mix from your bin to enjoy a nice warm cup of hot chocolate!
~Made by Desirae W.