If you’re looking for a simple, colorful, and engaging way to celebrate March with the kids, this St Patrick’s Day sensory bin is such a fun choice. It’s bright, hands-on, and full of little treasures like gold coins, pom poms, and shamrocks that instantly grab children’s attention.
We’ve always loved themed sensory bins in our house, especially seasonal ones, because they’re easy to set up and keep kids happily playing for ages.
This St Patricks Day sensory bin is perfect for preschool and early years and works really well as part of your March day activities. It feels a bit like a treasure hunt mixed with sensory play, which kids absolutely love.
What You Need for This St Patricks Day Sensory Bin
To make this themed sensory tub, you only need a few simple items. You can include any mix of…
- Pom poms (rainbow colors)
- Cotton balls (for clouds)
- Gold coins
- Foam shamrocks or green shapes
- Pipe cleaners
- Small pot or container (for “gold”)
- Sensory tweezers (optional)
- A tray or sensory bin
This is a great example of a st patrick’s day sensory bin filler that uses craft supplies you may already have at home.
You can also buy ready made packs with all of these items together.
More sensory bin filler ideas here.
How to Make the Sensory Bin Step by Step
Start by choosing a tray or shallow sensory bin that is easy for little hands to reach into. A bright tray works beautifully and makes all the green and gold items pop.
Next, pour in your base layer.
For this bin, we used colorful pom poms as the main sensory filler. They are soft, lightweight, and perfect for sensory tubs because they add lots of texture without making a mess.
After that, add the themed items. Scatter in the gold coins across the bin so they are partially hidden for a fun treasure hunt effect. Then place the green shamrocks around the bin to bring in that classic Patrick theme.
Add a few cotton balls to act as clouds and tuck in some pipe cleaners for extra texture and sensory exploration. Finally, place a small pot inside the bin and drop a few coins in so kids can “collect the gold” as they play.
That’s it. Your st patricks day sensory bin is ready to go and only takes a few minutes to put together.
Fun Ways Kids Can Play With This St Patrick’s Day Sensory Bin
There are so many ways to use this st patrick day sensory bin during playtime. Kids can scoop, pour, and dig through the sensory bin to find the hidden gold coins, which turns it into a fun treasure hunt activity.
Another idea is to let children use tweezers to pick up the coins and shamrocks. This is great for building fine motor skills while still feeling like play. They can also sort the items by color, collect all the green pieces, or count the coins as part of simple learning activities.
Some kids love imaginative play, so they might pretend they are leprechauns collecting gold or filling the pot of gold. Others will enjoy the calming sensory play of just running their hands through the soft pom poms and cotton clouds.
Developmental Benefits of Sensory Play
Sensory bins like this are more than just fun. They support important developmental skills in a very natural way. Scooping, picking up coins, and using tweezers all help strengthen fine motor skills, which are essential for writing and everyday tasks.
This st patrick’s day sensory activity also supports sensory processing as children explore different textures like soft pom poms, fluffy cotton, and smooth coins. It encourages focus, creativity, and independent play, which is especially helpful for preschool-aged kids.
Themed sensory play can also support language development. As children play, you can talk about colors, textures, counting coins, and St Patrick’s Day traditions, turning it into a gentle learning activity without it feeling like work.
More Themed Sensory Bin Ideas
If your kids love this st pattys sensory bin, you can easily switch it up for other seasonal themes too. Try a spring sensory bin with pastel items, an easter sensory bin with eggs and chicks, or more march sensory bin ideas using green rice, rainbow pieces, and gold treasures.
- Leprechaun Sensory Bin for Letter and Number Recognition (with cut out printable)
- Bunny Pasta Easter Sensory Bin
- Dried Chickpeas Ocean Sensory Bin
- Rainbow Rice Sensory Bin
- Fire Rescue Chickpeas Sensory Bin
- Bee-Themed Sensory Bin for Preschoolers
Seasonal sensory bins are such a simple way to create engaging sensory play at home, and they don’t need fancy supplies. Just a few themed items, a bin, and a little imagination is all you need for a fun and meaningful activity kids will love.
More St Patrick’s Day Crafts and Activities for Kids
If your kids enjoyed this St Patricks Day sensory bin, there are so many more fun and simple St Patrick’s Day crafts and activities you can try together. From shamrock crafts and rainbow projects to themed sensory bins and creative March activities, these hands-on ideas are perfect for preschool and early years and keep the play festive, colorful, and engaging.
- Pot of Gold Science Experiment St Patricks Day STEM Activity
- Fine Motor Rainbow Snack Activity
- Shamrock Sun Catcher Craft for Kids
- Yarn Leprechaun Craft for Kids
If you try this St patrick’s day sensory bin or any of our other themed ideas, we would love to see how it turned out for your kids. Feel free to share this blog post with friends, save it for your March activities, and pin it so you can easily come back to it for more sensory play and St Patrick’s Day fun.
