Match the Need Sensory Bin

To help our transition of talking about tzedakah as collecting coins or money to some specific, tangible resources inhabitants of the world need I set up this simple Match the Need Sensory Bin for my kids to explore. Before they dove in, I opened our conversation with an important premise. If tzedakah is about making sure the world’s resources are shared fairly, what types of resources would people and animals need? Then I invited them to dig into the sensory bin, pull out what they found, then together we talked about each image and matched the needs.

This Match the Need Sensory Bin was a wonderful, visual way for the kids to think about and understand what types of resources are necessary for people and animals and what they may be lacking. And of course, to remind them that we all have the responsibility to help make the world fair by matching these needs in real life.

What You’ll Need

Match the Need free printable
Cardstock
Scissors
Laminator (optional)
Paper clips (optional)
Velcro dots (optional)
Sensory bin
Sensory filler
Magnetic wand (optional)

Putting It Together

Print the Match the Need free printable on cardstock.
Cut out each image (ignore the arrows, they are just guides for the grown up!).
If desired, laminate each image to make them more sturdy; cut out the laminated images.
If you want to make this a magnetic “fishing” game, place a paperclip on each image and have a magnetic wand ready for action. Otherwise, leave images as-is.
If you want to set up the matches on a felt board, place a velcro dot on the back of each image. If not, leave images as-is.
Place all images right side up in a sensory bin.
Cover with sensory filler of your choice (I used recycled crinkle paper since we haven’t used this filler in awhile).
Invite your child to search through the sensory filler to find the images and pull them out.
Talk about each image after your kiddo pulls them out. Ask what the child sees and what the image represents. Then invite your child to match the connected image. You can prompt them by asking: what is the need shown as wanting in one image and matched in the other? We set up our matches on our felt wall.
Review how tzedakah covers all these types of needs and is about making sure that people and animals have their needs met. And of course, that kids can help do tzedakah and help our world be more fair and just!

Finished & Loving It!

This Match the Need Sensory Bin was such a simple sensory bin to set up (you know I need my simplicity!) and can be done independently. I find there is so much value to walking through the process with your child. There is such an opportunity for important discussion about each image and its representation. Children may recognize the need in wanting in some of the images, but may need guidance for others. And they may understand why the needs match, or they may need explanation for why they match.

My kids loved the fishing aspect of the sensory bin, but it’s not necessary. The important meaning of the theme can easily be explored without fishing for the images with a magnetic wand. We made our magnetic wand with a popsicle stick and circle magnet. These easily grab paper clips and can be used in so many ways. The boys thought it was a lot of fun to fish them out of the crinkle paper! And it’s a great fine motor skills practice too.

I loved using our felt wall because it added some additional sensory and vertical play. It was also a fun and easy way to move the images around as we discussed each one and found its match.

For my kids, this was a really great opportunity to talk about specific needs that people and animals may have. And to remind the kids that not everyone has these needs met. Seeing an empty bowl image means a lot more when they understand that people don’t always have the ability or resources to fill it up themselves.

This sensory bin only captures a few of the many, many needs that can be found in our world. Hopefully, it helps initiate a conversation about these needs and how each of us can help. For us, the Match the Need Sensory Bin was a great overview and I look forward for some more specific need exploration in the coming weeks.