Thanksgiving Gratitude Turkey Sensory Bin

Teach your child gratitude with a fun and interactive Thanksgiving Turkey Sensory Bin.

During our busy lives it can be hard to remember to stop and take time to be thankful for what you have. Thanksgiving is an annual reminder to celebrate gratitude and thankfulness.

Sensory bins like this will give them an opportunity to reflect on what brings joy to their world. It is important we teach our children to appreciate the things in life.

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Thanksgiving Turkey Gratitude Sensory Bin | Mommy Evolution

Today we welcome Emma from Adventures of Adam on how she created this fun Thanksgiving sensory bin.

Adorable Thanksgiving Books

When you’re done playing, snuggle up and enjoy these Thanksgiving Books with your child.

A Plump and Perky TurkeyA Plump and Perky TurkeyThere Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Turkey!There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Turkey!How to Catch a TurkeyHow to Catch a TurkeyPete the Cat: The First ThanksgivingPete the Cat: The First Thanksgiving

 

The Berenstain Bears Give Thanks (Berenstain Bears/Living Lights)The Berenstain Bears Give Thanks (Berenstain Bears/Living Lights)I Am Thankful: A Thanksgiving Book for KidsI Am Thankful: A Thanksgiving Book for Kids10 Fat Turkeys10 Fat TurkeysA Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (Peanuts)A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (Peanuts)

 

Or enjoy these Thanksgiving Board Books with your toddler. It’s the perfect way to tie in the holiday to your Thanksgiving activities!

Gratitude Thanksgiving Turkey Sensory Bin

To create our Thanksgiving Turkey Sensory Bin I first set about creating 7 batches of colored rice.

There are several ways to color rice but I opted for our favorite method – using paint.

I pour economy long grain rice into a bowl and squirt a generous amount of paint on top.

Using a metal spoon I stir the two ingredients together until the rice is completely covered in the paint.

I then cover a baking tray with parchment paper and lay the rice on top.

Ensure that the rice is spread out evenly across the tray then leave it to dry overnight.

Little Turkey Toddler ShirtLittle Turkey Toddler ShirtLittle Turkey Toddler ShirtLittle Pumpkin With a Lot Of Spice ShirtLittle Pumpkin With a Lot Of Spice ShirtLittle Pumpkin With a Lot Of Spice ShirtPersonalized Kids Thanksgiving ShirtPersonalized Kids Thanksgiving ShirtPersonalized Kids Thanksgiving ShirtTurkey Gobble Raglan ShirtTurkey Gobble Raglan ShirtTurkey Gobble Raglan Shirt

 

On a warm day the colored rice can dry quickly.

Sensory Bin Colored Rice 1

       

I made far more colored rice than I needed to for the sensory bin.

I could have got away with only using a few tablespoons of rice for each color.

However, when I am making colored rice I like to make a big batch at once.

The rice will be used over several activities and last a long time.

My first batch I made two years ago is still going strong. Simply store it in a zip-loc bag or airtight container.

Once the colored rice was drying I set about making our Thanksgiving Turkey template.

Thanksgiving Friendly FeudThanksgiving Friendly FeudThanksgiving Friendly FeudThanksgiving Game PrintableThanksgiving Game PrintableThanksgiving Game PrintableThanksgiving Emoji Pictionary GameThanksgiving Emoji Pictionary GameThanksgiving Emoji Pictionary GameThanksgiving 5 Second GameThanksgiving 5 Second GameThanksgiving 5 Second Game

 

I lined a white round tray with white paper then using a black felt tip pen I made the outline of a turkey with eight feathers.

Gratitude Turkey Plate 3

Adam is currently too young to understand the concept of thankfulness so I asked him to tell me what things made him happy.

His response was Mum-Mum, Dad-Dad, Nana, Grandad, Nanny, riding on his new bike, being at Pre-School and going on the sandwich swing at SenSi.

SenSi is where Adam attends weekly Occupational Therapy sessions for Sensory Processing Disorder.

I wrote these eight items onto each of the Thanksgiving Turkeys feathers.

Custom Wood Thanksgiving Decor Name TagsCustom Wood Thanksgiving Decor Name TagsCustom Wood Thanksgiving Decor Name TagsThanksgiving Name Card TagsThanksgiving Name Card TagsThanksgiving Name Card TagsFall Decor Personalized Thanksgiving Pumpkin DecorFall Decor Personalized Thanksgiving Pumpkin DecorFall Decor Personalized Thanksgiving Pumpkin DecorStanding Wood Turkey Thanksgiving Decor Center PieceStanding Wood Turkey Thanksgiving Decor Center PieceStanding Wood Turkey Thanksgiving Decor Center Piece

 

Be sure to learn more about Sensory Processing Disorder and my parenting tips on how to support your child with sensory challenges.

Cover feathers with rice 5

Now came the fiddly part.

I poured the colored rice onto the paper to fill the inside of each of the turkeys feathers.

I used a paintbrush to move any stray pieces of rice. Luckily Adam was at Pre-school at the time as otherwise this would have been an impossible task.

I repeated the process until seven of the feathers had been filled.

Completed Gratitude Sensory Bin - Thanksgiving 6

For the eighth feather I decided to combine all of the seven colors to create a wonderful vibrant mix.

I used this to cover Adams new bike.

Without the work done by SenSi and Pre-School Adam wouldn’t have excelled at riding his bike.

Finally, I placed our turkey’s head and body on top of the colored rice.

This was made from two circles cut out of brown card.

I glued the turkeys facial features, made from orange and red card and two googly eyes, onto the smaller circle.

Thankful Place CardsThankful Place CardsThankful Place CardsThankful Vinyl DecalThankful Vinyl DecalThankful Vinyl DecalThankful Felt BannerThankful Felt BannerThankful Felt BannerThankful Fall Centerpiece SignThankful Fall Centerpiece SignThankful Fall Centerpiece Sign

 

Our Thanksgiving Turkey Sensory Bin was complete.

Gratitude Thanksgiving Sensory Bin Ready 7

I left out a variety of fine motor tools for Adam to use when he explored the Thanksgiving Turkey Sensory Bin.

The Sqeezy Tweezer was great for picking up small amounts of rice whereas the Handy Scooper could pick up a large amount and reveal the writing underneath the rice.

Gratitude Sensory Bin in Action 8

Our favorite fine motor tool came in very handy when playing with our sensory bin.

The Kung Fu Panda Cleverstix enabled Adam to use chopsticks to pick up individual pieces of rice.

You should have seen the look of concentration on his face!

Gratitude Turkey Fine Motor Activity for Thanksgiving

Unfortunately our sensory bin wasn’t as deep as I would have liked.

This meant that the rice scraped across the paper and Adam couldn’t pick up big handfuls of it.

However, the shallow bin enabled Adam to push the rice aside to find each of the eight things that makes Adam happy.

Whilst he played with the sensory bin we discussed further what it was about each element that brought happiness to Adam’s life.

Our Thanksgiving Turkey Sensory Bin gave us the perfect opportunity to reflect on and appreciate what makes us happy.

Want more sensory ideas? Be sure to check out our other fun sensory activities for kids!

Easy Printable Thanksgiving Fun!

Get ready for a cornucopia of printable Thanksgiving fun that will make this holiday one to remember!

Thanksgiving is a time for gratitude, family, festivity and fun!

Be sure to check out these additional Thanksgiving activities!

About Emma: During a difficult pregnancy suffering from Hyperemesis Gravidarum (HG) Emma vowed to make every day an adventure once she had recovered. Adventures of Adam is the outcome of completing a 100 day play challenge with her toddler as part of that promise.

Emma, who is a trained Primary School Teacher, has a section dedicated to HG friendly play activities so that Mums can still be part of their children’s play whilst they are ill.

2 Comments

  1. Oh wow, your rice is so vibrant! What a great idea, especially to have Adam choose the items that he’s thankful for so that they are meaningful to him.

  2. I love the idea of combining a gratitude activity with a sensory bin. And the colors of the rice are just awesome!

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