Fall makes you want to slow down and soak it all in…especially when you have little ones around. Crunchy leaves, warm spices, and all those rich colors practically beg to be explored with tiny hands.
These 20 fall sensory bin ideas bring the best parts of the season right into your home or classroom. They’re playful, creative, and full of textures, scents, and sounds that kids love.
Best of all? Most of them are easy to pull together with things you already have lying around.
So whether you’re setting up a fun activity for a rainy afternoon or just need a new way to keep your toddler entertained, this list has you covered. Let’s dig into fall—one scoop at a time.
Fall Sensory Bin by Messy Little Monster
This fall sensory bin blends fun and learning perfectly. With a fall-themed printable, kids can match items from the bin to images on a sheet. It’s like a scavenger hunt right in the rice. It adds a gentle educational twist to the sensory fun, and it’s easy to set up for a quick morning activity or center time.
(Autumn) Sensory Box by Red Ted Art
Here’s a great fall sensory idea that can be thrown together in a pinch. This (autumn) sensory box proves you don’t need fancy supplies.
Feathers, pasta, and a few fall-themed odds and ends make for an easy mix of textures. It’s great for days when you want to get creative without making a supply run.
Sensory Pumpkin Decorating by A Little Pinch of Perfect
This isn’t your average pumpkin decorating craft. Instead of carving or painting, kids get to explore different textures by gluing sensory items—like cotton balls, yarn, and sandpaper—onto a pumpkin. It’s part craft, part sensory experience, and all fun.
Fall Rainbow Oats Sensory Bin by Taming Little Monsters
This fall rainbow oats sensory bin uses dyed oatmeal in warm autumn tones, giving kids a soft and colorful base to scoop, pour, and sift. Toss in some cardboard tubes for extra fine motor practice and imaginative play. Bonus: it smells great and stores well in an airtight bin.
Scarecrow Sensory Bin by Sugar, Spice and Glitter
Inspired by the fall fields, this scarecrow sensory bin features straw-like materials, fabric scraps, and themed accessories that bring a bit of harvest fun indoors. It’s a great one to pair with a storybook or a cozy movie night—Wizard of Oz, anyone?
Candy Corn Sensory Bin by Growing Hands-On Kids
Orange, yellow, and white dyed rice mimics the look of candy corn in this sensory bin, and the pop of fall colors is instantly festive. Add in a few scoops, tiny pumpkins, and maybe even real (or faux) candy corn for sorting. It’s fall fun without the sugar rush.
How to Make a Fall Sensory Bin by I Heart Crafty Things
A few cardboard tube trees, a bunch of fall craft leaves, and a few fabric pumpkins are the perfect recipe for a Fall Sensory Bin. The crunchy leaves and the soft pumpkins offer all sorts of sensory inputs. Kids can act out little harvest scenes or just enjoy the sounds and textures of a fall forest floor.
Cinnamon & Pinecone Sensory Bin by And Next Comes L
Here’s another easy fall sensory option that requires zero setup. Pine cones, water, and cinnamon offer chances to smell the spice, feel the roughness of the pinecones, and the slippery cool wetness of the water. The mix of spicy scents and rough, natural textures invites calm exploration—and gives your whole room a cozy, seasonal smell.
Pumpkin Sensory Bin by Little Bins for Little Hands
This pumpkin sensory bin is a fall classic with an educational twist. It includes a printable showing the pumpkin life cycle, so kids can dig through themed materials while learning about how pumpkins grow. Great for homeschooling or a themed week at preschool.
Harvest Playdough Tray by Beth Ann Averill
Playdough gets a seasonal upgrade in this Harvest Playdough Tray filled with pinecones, cinnamon, mini pumpkins, and more. Homemade dough scented with fall spices makes the experience even more immersive and it’s perfect for shaping little pumpkin pies.
Harvest Sensory Experience by Fireflies & Mud Pies
Bring the farm to your kitchen table with this harvest sensory bin . Using real feed corn and toy tractors, this sensory activity lets kids harvest their own crop and even build mini farm scenes. It’s tactile, educational, and perfect for dramatic play.
Fall Sensory Soup by The Mindful Toddler
Fall Sensory Soup is the perfect for little ones who love to mix, pour, and pretend to cook. Add leaves, pinecones, water, and a few kitchen utensils, and they’ll be cooking soup in no time. You can even give them spice jars with cinnamon or cloves for scent and sorting.
Turkey Sensory Bin by Two Pink Peonies
Here’s a silly little turkey sensory bin that offers equal amounts of sensory input and giggles. First, crinkly paper makes a great base for scooping and stuffing into clear cups. Then, add googly eyes and stickers to turn the cups into turkeys. It’s silly, sensory, and makes for adorable photo ops.
Autumn Sensory Play Gel by Kids Craft Room
Autumn Sensory Play Gel is squishy, goopy, and taste-safe. Using gelatine and combining it with items found in nature offers kids a unique set of sensory experiences.
This squishy play gel is taste-safe and ultra fun to explore. Add acorns, leaves, and other nature finds to gelatin and let kids poke and squish their way through fall textures.
Sunflower Sensory Bin by Taming Little Monsters
This vibrant sunflower sensory bin uses bright yellow rice and sunflower heads for a summery-fall blend. It’s cheerful and warm—perfect for days when the weather’s cooling down but you’re not quite ready to say goodbye to sunshine. Throw in some kid-friendly tongs for scooping and exploring.
Fall Themed Sensory Tub by Kids Activities
A sensory tub is another fun approach to sensory play. This large fall themed sensory tub is great for more active play. With room to move around and bigger materials to explore—like pinecones, twigs, and mini rakes—it invites whole-body movement and imaginative play.
Pumpkin Scented Rice Bin by Hands On As We Grow
Scented orange rice makes a cozy, inviting base that smells just like fall. Add scoops, mini pumpkins, and measuring cups to this pumpkin scented rice bin and it becomes a sensory dream for kids who love to dig in and get hands-on.
Creepy Crawly Halloween Sensory Play Tray by Finding Myself Young
Lean into the Halloween season with orange rice, plastic bugs, and a magnifying glass for your pretend entomologists. This creepy crawly halloween sensory bin is all about the creepy crawlies that kids seem to love so much. Include some orange dyed rice, plastic bugs and bats, and a magnifying glass so they can spot every last detail. It’s equal parts spooky and silly.
Forest Floor Fall Sensory Activity by Mommy Evolution
Inspired by nature walks, this forest floor fall sensory activity mimics the damp, textured ground after an autumn rain. Use leaves, sticks, pine needles, and small stones to create a tactile experience that feels like stepping into a real forest.
Apple Pie Sensory Bin by Simply Full of Delight
Nothing says fall like apple pie. This apple pie sensory bin uses oats, cinnamon sticks, and red pom-poms for apples to let kids bake their own pretend desserts. Scoop, stir, and sprinkle—no oven required.
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