Last year we had so much fun with this simple but effective Dreidel Rescue Sensory Bin that we had to of course do it again this year! This Dreidel Rescue Sensory Bin is a great way to practice our fine motor skills, work on pronouncing and matching colors, and talk about one of the most fun symbols of Hanukkah. I also created a vertical version that was less challenging for my then-early preschooler and still worked on his fine motor skills. This year I also created a second dreidel rescue in a muffin tin that let my preschooler work on one of his target skills: cutting.
What You’ll Need
- Sensory bin(s)
- Sensory base, whatever you have available
- Multiple different color dreidels
- Tape. Using colored tape is a lot of fun!
- Optional, for additional activity: muffin tin and child scissors.
- Containers labeled with your different colored dreidels. Last year I cut out colored dreidels and attached them to jars. This year I printed some and you can too.
Putting It Together
- Fill your sensory bin(s) with your chosen base.
- Add the different colored dreidels.
- Criss cross tape over the top of the base, leaving space for tongs and/or little hands to get in and grab the dreidels.
- Invite your child to use tongs and/or their hands to carefully grab a dreidel and lift it out.
- To create a vertical version, tape different colored dreidels to the wall. Invite your child to peel away the tape to rescue the dreidel. This is great for children whose skill levels aren’t quite ready for the sensory bin or to use in addition to the sensory bin so they feel a sense of accomplishment and not just frustration.
- To create the muffin tin version, place a dreidel (or more) in each muffin section. Criss cross with tape and invite your child to use scissors to cut the tape and rescue the dreidel(s). This is a great and fun way to practice their cutting skills.
- Each time they rescue a dreidel, have them drop it into the correct color corresponding container.
Finished & Loving It!
The set up for this Dreidel Rescue Sensory Bin is so fast and easy and the activity ticked a lot of learning boxes which was awesome. To introduce the dreidel and its connection to Hanukkah last year we first read a fun book about dreidels, The Missing Letters. This year we read Dreidel Day. Then I invited the kids to rescue the dreidels. Rescue type activities are so fun and easy and work additional skills development.
We did this activity last year and this year multiple times because it was so much fun. And such a simple set up! One of the times I already had a Hanukkah themed sensory bin set up so I used the same base and added more different colored dreidels on top. And this year I just pulled that same base that we used last year that I had stored in our Hanukkah storage tub. Such an easy set up!
For this Dreidel Rescue Sensory Bin, some dreidels were “hidden” beneath crisscross tape and the kids had to use the tongs to try to carefully grab a dreidel and lift it out. This can be challenging (and frustrating) to some kiddos because it’s not super easy and takes some finesse and patience.
The vertical dreidel rescue involved peeling away the tape that was securing the dreidels to the wall. Last year my early-preschooler got frustrated at times with the regular sensory bin. Some frustration is not a bad thing; we can model and teach our kids how to deal with frustration. But we still want the activities to be a fun experience and for them to leave with a feeling of accomplishment and success. That’s why the vertical dreidel rescue is such a great option. He could easily peel away the tape (but that peeling still works his fine motor skills!) and feel successful each time he dropped a dreidel in its container!
Any vertical activities also work the body in different ways than when the kiddo is seated. It strengthens muscles, provides cross the midline opportunities, and is often intriguing because it’s different than what they are used to.
This year I added a muffin tin dreidel rescue after admiring the many muffin tin rescues I’ve seen on @lowliftfun. This option gave my preschooler the opportunity to practice his cutting skills, which is one of the target skills we are currently working on.
Once a dreidel was rescued in any of the activities, the kids dropped the dreidel in the jar with the corresponding color dreidel on its front. Last year we were really working on being able to match colors. This year my preschooler has mastered that skill, but it’s still an easy and good way to support maintaining it. And the toddler now has an interest in practicing this skill which is wonderful!
Each of the rescue missions and techniques involved using fine motor skills. With my preschooler who is in speech therapy we also worked on articulation of each of the colors and matching them correctly. And of course the kids loved using a Hanukkah symbol and thinking of the holiday.
And when all the dreidels are rescued, then it’s time for free sensory play, which is always so much fun! And the color coordinated dreidel jars also make an adorable Hanukkah decoration, made by your kiddos 🙂
I would love to hear if you set up this Dreidel Rescue Sensory Bin and if your kids had fun rescuing, learning and playing!
Don’t forget to kick off your Hanukkah learning with our Hanukkah Montessori-Style 3 Part Cards!
Check out some of our favorite Hanukkah resources:
For some of our favorite Hanukkah books, take a look at our Bookshop.org With Love, Ima Storefront (each purchase supports local bookstores!).
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