This is the year for Shavuot ice cream sensory bins for my family and they absolutely loved the second one we tried, the Shavuot Pom Pom Ice Cream Sensory Bin! I wanted something delightfully colorful to bring some brightness to our day, our week, and our world! This definitely did the trick and the jumbo pom poms were so fun to play with.
If you want more Shavuot ice cream sensory bin fun, check out the Shavuot Cloud Dough Ice Cream Sensory Bin we explored earlier in the week! Later this week we will set up a Shavuot Cotton Ball Ice Cream Sensory Bin!
What You’ll Need
- Sensory filler of your choice (I used leftover dyed rice and colored beans)
- Jumbo pom poms
- Colored cardstock
- Stapler
- Scissors
- Ice cream scoop
- Tongs
Putting It Together
- Fill your sensory bin with the sensory filler of your choice.
- Place the jumbo pom poms on top.
- Make your colored ice cream cones by twisting your cardstock into a cone shape and stapling. I cut down two of the sheets so we had three different sized cones.
- Add your cones, ice cream scoop, and tongs to the sensory bin.
- Invite your children to make some colorful ice cream cone fun!
Finished & Loving It!
This was such an easy and fun sensory bin! I had never used jumbo pom poms before but they are so big and soft and delightful! I have so many ideas so future uses (actually, when the kids took a break from this sensory exploration, we started using the pom poms as balls and tossing them into the sensory bin from feet away. So fun!).
I love using leftover sensory filler from previous sensory explorations. It’s such an easy way to reuse materials. In this case, I added some of the different colored rice I had then some of the painted beans for some pop. After this intense week, I continue to need color and brightness and love and light. This rainbow colored, jumbo pom pom filled sensory bin was perfect for that!
As the kids played I talked to them about the tradition of eating dairy, and for many, including us!, ice cream for the holiday of Shavuot. It’s special to combine this tradition of a special food with fun play.
There are so many amazing benefits to this type of sensory play. Scooping and pouring into a container (the paper cones) takes coordination, concentration, focus, and spatial awareness. And it takes practice! I loved watching my toddler make some initial attempts before realizing how to hold the paper cone so that the filler won’t fall out.
Using tongs is always a wonderful way to practice fine motor skills. The jumbo pom poms are a great practice material because they squish slightly and require the tong holder to have a sturdy grip on the tongs to keep the pom poms in its grasp.
And, as always, sensory bins allows for such lovely open-ended exploratory and creative play! The regulation benefits are also huge. If you’re looking ahead to summer (I’ve heard some schools are already out for summer! Lucky! We have two more days for preschool and two more weeks for the elementary kids), incorporating daily sensory play (even better with a Jewish twist ;-)) would be a wonderful addition to your summer rhythm!
We have a whole page dedicated to Shavuot, our Shavuot Hub. Check it out! It will include some of the Shavuot activities we do this year, as well as the activities we’ve done in previous years.
And don’t forget our Shavuot Montessori-Style 3 Part Cards, and our Shavuot Activity Pack, a wonderful way to introduce the holiday!
Check out our recommended Shavuot books from our Bookshop.org Shop!
The following sites are amazing resources for learning more about this holiday:
Chag Sameach!!
*This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission, at no cost to you, if you make a purchase through a link!*
