Toddlers and kids LOVE all holidays and fall is the best time of year to kickoff all the fun holidays! Easy DIY sensory bins like this are so simple and quick to make and your kids will enjoy using their fine motor skills to grab the “brains” by the tongs, while exploring the rest of the spooky Halloween sensory bin! If your kid is anything like my two-year-old, then they will want to constantly play with the slimy spaghetti. If you like easy DIY sensory bins, then you will love my Halloween Popcorn Dollar Tree Sensory Bin, Edible Kinetic Sand, St. Patrick's Day Rainbow Sensory Bin, and ABC Rainbow Sensory Bin crafts! If you like easy preschool fall crafts that cost next to nothing, then you'll love my Fall Leaf Paintings toddler craft!
Sensory activities help build nerve connections in a growing child’s brain; they also encourage fine motor skills development. The first three years of life are the time when a baby’s brain grows rapidly. When a child is allowed to use multiple senses concurrently, they will learn more, and will retain more information.
I first made this for my then two-year-old who is now five and she still loves squeezing the squishy and gooey spaghetti as much as she did three years ago (these photos were taken when she was two-years-old)! While my toddler is squishing, scraping, and prodding her way through this creepy Halloween sensory bin, I’m also enjoying playing with it and as an adult, I’m also reaping the benefits of sensory play. Enabling problem solving, discovery, and exploration are rather beneficial to everyone’s brain, but especially young kids’ brains. Feel the squishiness and hear the sounds as their little brains absorb all five senses as they get to play. If your kid loves using their fine motor skills, then they will love my easy Vampire Paper Plate Craft!
My Creepy Halloween Spaghetti Sensory Bin is the perfect easy fall kid's activity and contains a storage bin, spaghetti noodles, food coloring, canola oil, large zip top freezer bags, and plastic Halloween toys, and is the perfect fall kid’s activity for those in daycare, preschool, homeschool preschool, kindergarten, and even for moms like me who want to make their kids a an unforgettable Halloween exploratory invitation to play!
Benefits of sensory play
Sensory play is beneficial for toddlers and preschoolers, even older kids! Sensory bins stimulate multiple senses at the same time – including touch, sight, smell, and sound. They also improve fine motor skills as kids dig, scoop, squeeze, and grasp objects in the sensory bins. Sensory bins promote social skills such as taking turns, teamwork, cooperation with their peers, and communication among their friends, family, and parents.
According to Salus University Health’s article, they also support cognitive development as kids can sort hidden items by size and color. Sensory bins are calming activities and provide a quite environment for children to play independently and calmly.
Benefits of Fine Motor Activities
Fine motor skills are imperative in life and toddlers should be constantly practicing fine motor skills daily to prepare them to do things later in life such as buttoning a button, tying their shoes, and writing their name. Fine motor skills enable children to develop their independence as they learn how to eat, speak, create, and are able to do many more things as these skills improve.
According to Early Impact Learning’s article, hand-eye coordination is another fine motor skill that develops from when we are babies into adulthood. When kids interact with fine motor activities, they are continually improving the link between what their eyes see and what they are trying to hold or touch.
One of the biggest reasons fine motor skills are so important is that they allow us to be independent. When kids use fine motor skills, their self esteem improves as they are proud after building a tall tower of blocks by using the small muscles in their hands and fingers to make beautiful masterpieces they can take pride in.
Painting, sewing, threading, and weaving are fantastic ways for kids to use their fine motor skills. Many art and craft activities involve fine motor skills which allows toddlers and kids to express their creativity as they practice doing things independently.
Items needed to make a Creepy Halloween Spaghetti Sensory Bin
Spaghetti noodles. Spaghetti noodles make up the squishy “brains.”
Food coloring. Food coloring adds different colors to the noodles.
Canola oil. Canola oil is needed to help
Large freezer bags. Large zip top freezer bags are needed to make this craft.
Halloween toys. You can use any variety of Halloween toys.
Storage bin. We like this storage bin.
How to make the best Creepy Halloween Spaghetti Sensory Bin
STEP 1: Make spaghetti in a large pot as you normally would for dinner. When the water starts boiling, add the noodles. Only cook for a couple of minutes. You don’t want the noodles to be as tender and bendable as they are when you eat them. You want them to be a little stiff, but still bendable as they will be touched and played with. I cooked my spaghetti noodles for only 3 minutes.
STEP 2: Using a strainer, pour cold water over the noodles. Add a splash of canola oil so that they easily slide through playful hands.
STEP 3: Add a portion of the noodles to a large zip top freezer bag and add your food coloring; mix well until thoroughly coated with color. Continue with the remaining noodles.
STEP 4: Place the noodles in your bin or in a baking sheet to dry a bit.
STEP 5: As long as the noodles dry out for an hour or so, they will not stain anyone’s hands. I left mine out for 1.5 hours and they made no mess at all on anyone’s hands.
After the noodles are in the sensory bin or baking sheet, add creepy Halloween toys. We used a couple of spider rings that came with our spider web decorations. We also used big black plastic spiders and little skulls, both from Walmart. I highly recommend buying any toys at your local dollar store to save money. I gave my toddler a pair of tongs so she could use her fine motor skills by picking up the noodles.
STEP 6: If you make this craft, don’t forget to leave a rating and comment!
Tips
Only cook the spaghetti noodles for a couple minutes as they need to be somewhat tough to handle all the playing. If you cook them per the package instructions, you will overcook them and they will easily fall apart when played with. I cooked my noodles for only 3 minutes and my sensory bin came out great.
Recommended items to make this sensory bin
- Food coloring. These are the brightest and best food coloring!
- Zip top freezer bags. These are my the best zip top freezer bags.
- Halloween toys. We used Halloween skull toys just like these for our sensory bin.
More kid's crafts you’ll love!
Halloween Popcorn (Dollar Tree) Sensory Bin
Fall Leaf Paintings - Easy Toddler Craft
Vampire Paper Plate Craft—Easy Toddler Halloween Craft
Baking Soda, Vinegar & Food Coloring Experiment
St. Patrick's Day Rainbow Sensory Bin
Fourth of July Patriotic Sensory Bin
DIY Spring Easter Grass Sensory Bin
Simple Fourth of July Kid's Crafts
Easy Brown Bag Easter Bunny Craft
Final Thoughts
Finally, if you make this creepy Halloween spaghetti sensory bin, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this craft a rating! I love to hear from everyone who makes this craft and always do my best to respond to all comments.
If you do make this craft, don’t forget to tag #elisemccollister on Instagram! It makes me so happy to see your sensory bin photos!
Creepy Halloween Spaghetti Sensory Bin
Equipment
- zip top freezer bags such as Ziploc gallon sized freezer bags
Instructions
- Make spaghetti in a large pot as you normally would for dinner. When the water starts boiling, add the noodles. Only cook for a couple of minutes. You don’t want the noodles to be as tender and bendable as they are when you eat them. You want them to be a little stiff, but still bendable as they will be touched and played with. I cooked my spaghetti noodles for only 3 minutes.
- Using a strainer, pour cold water over the noodles. Add a splash of canola oil so that they easily slide through playful hands.
- Add a portion of the noodles to a large zip top freezer bag and add your food color; mix well until thoroughly coated with color. Continue with the remaining noodles.
- Place the noodles in your bin or in a baking sheet to dry a bit.
- After the noodles are in the sensory bin or tray, add Halloween toys. We used a couple of spider rings that came with our spider web decorations. We also used big black plastic spiders and little skulls, both from Walmart. I highly recommend buying any toys at your local dollar store to save money.
- If you make this craft, don’t forget to leave a rating and comment!
Notes
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