Earlier this year as my kids started getting invited to their classmates’ birthday parties, I decided to come up with a “signature gift” that could easily be assembled and even personalized for the recipient. My kids love playing with sensory bins, and I enjoy making these themed bins throughout the year, so I decided that a self-contained sensory bin would become our family’s go-to birthday party gift.

This sensory bin gift starts off with a 12″x12″ storage box. They come in a variety of colors, and I pick up a few whenever they go on 50% off sale. I like these boxes because they are a good size for a single kid to play, and the latching lid allows it to easily store away. Everything for the sensory bin fits inside this storage box.

Next up is picking the “theme”. The Safari Ltd TOOBs are PERFECT for sensory bins. Each tube includes a handful of small toys around the tube theme, such as space, mermaids, insects, farm animals, etc. Picking the theme around the birthday kid’s party theme or simply something you know they enjoy is a great way to personalize the gift without too much effort.

Generally, I will try to somewhat coordinate the sensory base material with the theme. For example, with the space sensory bin I used black beans and for a farm sensory bin I did dried corn kernels. Some other bases I’ve used include: lentils, painted garbanzo beans, kinetic sand, and other dried beans. For the beans and lentils, I add two pounds to the bin (these bags are fun and hold 1 pound each)

Lastly is to add in the tools and containers. For simplicity, I use the exact same items for each of these bins – an ice cube tray (grab these at the dollar store), some silicone cupcake liners, and a set of Learning Resources Helping Hands tools. I picked up a classroom set of the tools so I knew that I had them around for last minute party invites. I don’t always include the water tool as these bins are not water based.

By buying the different components when they are on sale, these sensory bin gifts cost about $25 each (when the TOOBs were on major sale I stocked up on a bunch of different themes).

These sensory bins have been a huge hit with the birthday kid, and I’ve heard from multiple parents how their kids played with it for a long time! As Emmett is entering Kindergarten, I will continue these for any birthday parties he is invited to this year.