80 Sensory Table Fillers

Last summer I shared about an amazing sensory table that my dad built for my kids. This table has provided hours of entertainment for them!

Despite the fact that we use the table multiple times each week, we haven’t used a wide variety of fillers in it. Though we’ve used a few novel things like fake snow and kinetic sand, we’ve largely stuck with traditional fillers (sand, water, pea gravel, etc.).

This summer we’re going to try some new fillers! I’ve compiled a long list of possibilities and I’m eager to see how my kids like some of these.

Sensory table fillers

Aquarium rocks

Beads (plastic or wooden)

Beans (dry)

Birdseed

Bottle caps

Breakfast cereals (dry)

Bubble wrap

Buttons

Cardboard tubes

Clothespins (the traditional ones without hinges)

Coffee beans or coffee grounds

Confetti

Corks

Cornmeal

Cotton balls

Cotton salon coil

Counting chips

Craft noodles

Craft sticks

Curling ribbon

Easter grass

Epsom salts

Fabric strips

Fall leaves (real or artificial)

Feathers

Flour

Flower petals (real or artificial)

Foam blocks

Foam shapes

Foil shaped into balls

Gems or vase fillers

Hawaiian leis (pulled apart)

Hay

Jello (prepared)

Kinetic sand

Legos

Letters (magnetic, foam, wooden, etc.)

Lotion (or similar cream such as hair conditioner)

Magazines

Marbles

Mud (real or artificial)

Mulch

Numbers (magnetic, foam, wooden, etc.)

Oats (dry)

Organic potting soil

Packing peanuts

Paper or wrapping paper (shredded)

Pasta (dry or cooked)

Pawns

Pea gravel

Pinecones

Plastic coins

Play dough

Poker chips

Pompoms

Puzzle pieces

Rice (uncooked)

Rubber bands or hair ties

Sand

Sawdust

Seashells

Shaving cream

Slime

Slimy sand

Snow (real or artificial)

Soapy water

Spanish moss

Sponges

Sprinkles

Straws (uncut or cut up)

Tinsel

Toy cars (small)

Toy food

Twigs

Water

Water beads

Water with icebergs (e.g., ice cubes, frozen blocks of ice)

Wooden discs

Wooden blocks

Yarn

Final thoughts

These options can be made even more versatile by adding various accompaniments. For example, plastic dinosaurs can be added to sand, construction vehicles can be added to pea gravel, plastic frogs can be added to water beads, etc. Likewise, various scoops and containers can be used to manipulate the materials (spoons, cups, funnels, tongs, bowls, etc.).

Thanks to the awesome moms and teachers who share ideas for sensory tables and bins so the rest of us can utilize the ideas with our kids! You can see where I got some of the ideas for my list here, here, and here.

When selecting materials for a sensory table or bin, always think about safety. Make sure you choose fillers and accompaniments that are safe and appropriate for the children who will be using them.

What additional fillers can you recommend? Please share your ideas with us!

Shared at the following:

Encouraging Hearts and Home, Over the Moon, and Busy Monday.