Easy Dinosaur Pasta Sensory Bin for Kids 🦖🦕

ROAR!! I can still hear the dinosaur sounds echoing in my ears that my eight year old used to make when he was a toddler. If you’re a parent like me, I’m sure you have had a similar experience. Even as a big kid, my son still loves dinosaurs! No matter if the dinosaur enthusiast in your house is a toddler or elementary school age child, they are sure to love this Easy Painted Dinosaur Pasta Sensory Bin. The adorable “roars” you will hear from your child will just be an added bonus to the sensory experience!

a sensory bin made with painted dinosaur-shaped pasta.

supplies to paint pasta for a dinosaur sensory bin.

a cookie sheet is covered with wax paper and sitting next to supplies for painting dinosaur pasta.

three equal piles of dried dinosaur pasta are on a counter next to paint and ziploc baggies.

someone is squirting green paint into a ziploc baggie of dinosaur pasta.

three baggies full of painted pasta are laying on a counter.

three colors of dinosaur pasta are drying on a cookie sheet.

a dinosaur sensory bin made with painted pasta, black beans, and dinosaur toys.

Recommended Grade Level:

Preschool

Kindergarten

Supply List
Coordinating Activities

Dinosaur Pasta Sensory Bin Supplies:

Dinosaur shaped dried pasta
Acrylic paint- light green, orange, turquoise
3 12 oz bags of dried black beans
Wax paper
Cooking sheet
3 sandwich zip-lock baggies
Sensory bin
Tweezers
Tongs
Scoops
Dinosaurs

Dinosaur Pasta Sensory Bin

Children are captivated by dinosaurs! Their incredible size, ear piercing roars, and unique features catch my children’s attention every time! Dinosaur themed activities are always a hit in my house, and this dinosaur sensory bin is no exception. If your child or class loves dinosaurs, save yourself some planning time and check out more of our Dinosaur Themed Activities!

The adorable dyed dinosaur pasta in this Dinosaur Pasta Sensory Bin will make for hours of pretend play for your child. Eye catching colors, textured pasta, and the sounds of the pasta and beans clicking together make for a great sensory experience. All this sensory bin talk reminds me that we have another awesome dinosaur sensory bin for your to check out at Life Over Cs!

Materials You Will Need For This Painted Dinosaur Pasta Sensory Bin:

Dinosaur shaped dried pasta
Acrylic paint- light green, orange, turquoise
3 12 oz bags of dried black beans
Wax paper
Cooking sheet
3 sandwich zip-lock baggies
Sensory bin
Tweezers
Tongs
Scoops
Dinosaurs

Step-by-Step Instructions For Making A Painted Dinosaur Pasta Sensory Bin:

Step One:

First, you will want to gather all of your materials. Place them onto a craft tray or into a bin to keep everything together and easily accessible!

Step Two:

Open the dried pasta and separate each shape into piles.

Teacher Tip: Get your child involved in this step! Separating the pasta into piles is excellent for fine motor skills and shape recognition!

Step Three:

Add each shape into a ziplock bag with a squirt of paint. Close the baggies and carefully shake them around to get the pasta covered with paint.

Step Four:

Carefully pour the painted pasta into a single layer on a wax paper-lined cooking sheet.

Let the pasta air dry for 3-4 hours or overnight.

Step Five:

Now it is time to assemble your sensory bin. Add black beans to the sensory bin container and place the painted dinosaur pasta on top or below the beans to create a dinosaur dig!

Step Six:

Add toy dinosaurs, tongs, tweezers, and scoops for more fun! Now it’s time to enjoy watching your child play with their sensory bin!

Yay! You Made Your Dinosaur Pasta Sensory Bin! What Now?

Now that you made your dinosaur sensory bin, it’s time to sit back, relax, and watch your child’s dinosaur creativity come to life! This bin is a great independent activity for children, but is also wonderful for a small group of children to play with in a center in a classroom.

Dinosaur Pasta Sensory Bins also make an awesome activity at a dinosaur themed birthday party. You can even send the dyed pasta, beans, and some small dinosaurs home as a party favor! As a Mom, I always love sending home a party favor that I know will get used!

Ways To Differentiate Learning With This Sensory Bin:

Practice counting skills by using the pasta as the manipulative in this Dinosaur Themed Counting Grid Game.
Add in foam letters for a fun alphabet dino dig!
Hide dinosaur vocabulary cards in the bin and work on language development while you play with this bin.
Grab some dinosaur math mini erasers (or use the dyed dinosaur pasta!) and try these fun 5+ Dino Math Activities!

Need More Dinosaur Themed Activities? Check Out Some of Our Favorites:

collage of math and literacy activities from the dinosaur pre-k pack on a green background

Learning About Dinosaurs with Kids

Learning about dinosaurs is great for encouraging pretend play, which is why they make a great theme for this sensory bin! Since dinosaurs are extinct, children have to use their imagination to think about the way dinosaurs would move and sound in real life. This dinosaur themed sensory bin can spark curiosity and imagination in young children!

Dinosaurs can help young children get excited and interested in science concepts such as the earth and living creatures. For older children, dinosaurs are the perfect way to start to talk about the concept of survival and how animals can become extinct. If your kids are super curious about dinosaurs and ask lots of questions like mine do, you should check out Dinosaurs on National Geographic For Kids to help them learn more!

What are the Benefits of this Dinosaur Pasta Sensory Bin?

Besides being super fun, playing with this sensory bin has so many benefits for your child! Little hands and fingers will get a fine motor skill work out as your child plays, and the diverse textures in this bin are a wonderful tactile sensory experience. The sounds of the beans and pasta clicking against one another are a great auditory sensory experience and the brightly colored pasta is eye catching for children.

The great thing about sensory bins is once you have set them up all the hard work is done. You just can relax and watch your child as they enjoy hours of imaginative sensory play! This sensory bin filler can be used over and over again and you can swap out the accessories any time you want.

Frequently Asked Questions

These are frequently asked questions about this Painted Dinosaur Pasta Sensory Bin.

How do I store my painted dinosaur pasta?

After your painted dinosaur pasta has dried, you will want to store it in an airtight container. You can place a lid on your sensory bin (if it has one) or move the filler into a different container that has a lid. You can also use a zip lock baggie if you do not have a container to store it in.

What if I can’t find dinosaur pasta?

There are lots of grocery stores and online retailers that sell dinosaur pasta, but if you are having trouble finding it, you can use any kind of small pasta! Check out our How To Dye Pasta For Sensory Play and Crafts Article for more examples of pasta filler you can use.

What is the best age for this dinosaur pasta sensory bin?

Preschoolers and kindergartners love sensory bins, but you can definitely use them with older children if they show interest!

What are the benefits of this dinosaur sensory bin?

This dinosaur sensory bin is great for strengthening fine motor skills, can help with language development, and can encourage creativity and imagination!

Dinosaur Sensory Bin Fun!

We hope your dinosaur lover enjoys this sensory bin as much as we do! Be sure to grab some more activities from Life Over Cs to keep the dinosaur fun going!