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I love it when I stumble across a really specific use for plastic storage totes that I never would have known about if I hadn’t found it by complete coincidence. The most recent unexpected use I’ve found for plastic totes is as sensory play bins.

What is sensory play? If you’re a parent to a new child, you may already know. Sensory play is designed to stimulate and appeal to a toddler’s senses. When the senses are engaged, children have a chance to explore the world around them. Sensory play helps to develop mental connections and bolster creativity. While many kids engage in sensory play activities on their own, parents can facilitate their growth by coming up with sensory activities for them.

There are numerous sensory activities which can be done indoors and outdoors, spontaneously or as planned events. Sometimes they involve crafts; other times they are more like science experiments. Still others (especially geared toward very young children) just involve playing with objects that have fun and unusual textures, scents, and colors. Online, you will find dozens of exciting ideas for activities for your child. Many of these activities include detailed tutorials. You can set up the majority of them in a matter of minutes.

Because sensory play has the potential to be incredibly messy, a lot of sensory play activities need to be contained. The best way to do this is using sensory tubs for toddlers and babies. You can purchase specialized tables which contain sensory tubs, but they are usually very expensive (several hundred dollars).

That’s why most parents simply purchase plastic bins for sensory tub activities. This is arguably actually more convenient than buying a ready-made sensory table. Why? Well, there are a couple of reasons. For one, your kids have the option of sitting on the floor, where a lot of children are going to be more comfortable and have an easier time reaching the bins and interacting with their contents.

The other reason they are more convenient than the sensory tables is that you can pick them up and move them to another room. You might find some sensory activities are best done in the kitchen, others in the garage, still others outdoors in the yard or on your patio or deck. Plastic totes are easy to clean as well, which is an absolute must when you are doing sensory play.

Not all parents take the time to set up fun sensory play activities for their children, but those who do discover it is a rewarding experience. Kids learn more and enjoy more when there are fun activities to engage them in the world. They also realize that their parents are invested in their experiences and want to be a close part of their development. Sensory play cultivates a sense of wonder, and it also gives you an opportunity to spend time bonding with your child. Nurturing that sense of wonder isn’t just part of the magic of childhood, it’s part of the magic of parenthood as well.