Fun Spring Sensory Bin for "Little Blue Truck Springtime"

Sharing books with toddlers, preschoolers, and young learners is one of the most important things you can do. Pair that with a sensory activity for preschoolers and that is a double win! This sensory spring activity is designed to use with the book, “Little Blue Truck’s Springtime,” by Alice Schertle and illustrated by Jill Mcelmurry. Kids will love the rhyming prose of the book along with all the farm animals featured in the “Little Blue Truck” books. Exploration follows with this awesome spring sensory bin for preschool. Check out this fun spring theme sensory activity for kids.

spring sensory bin to pair with the little blue truck springtime book.

materials to create the spring sensory bin.

little blue truck toy, fake grass, toy animals, and pebbles for the sensory bin.

place fake grass and pebbles into the spring sensory bin.

add the little blue truck toy and fake flowers.

add toy farm animals to the little blue truck sensory bin.

playing with the animals in the spring sensory bin.

finished little blue truck springtime sensory bin.

Recommended Grade Level:

Preschool

Kindergarten

Supply List
Coordinating Activities

Spring Blue Truck Sensory Bin Materials:

“The Little Blue Truck’s Springtime,” by Alice Schertle
Sensory bin
Blue truck toy
Pebbles/small rocks
Faux trees/grass/flowers/stones
Toy farm animals

Using the Little Blue Truck Sensory Bin in Early Childhood

PRESCHOOL SENSORY ACTIVITIES

PRETEND PLAY OPPORTUNITIES ARE GREAT FOR DEVELOPING LANGUAGE, CREATIVITY, AND PROBLEM-SOLVING IN CHILDREN.

I love activities that start with an engaging book! From there, you can extend and extend to any lengths you like! Play activities at the sensory table are a wonderful way to allow kids freedom to explore, talk, re-tell, and engage multiple senses.

This “Little Blue Truck” springtime activity is a fun sensory activity because it really brings the book to life! Children will love to dive into the sensory bin filler to cruise down the road, greet animals, and beep beep their way through an interactive learning experience.

Spring sensory activities for preschool are a great way to calm children when they get a little antsy while giving them time to really explore through sensory play.

In addition to retelling the story or talking about the animals involved, you can guide kids to think about other things too. Then try some coordinating activities to go along with the sensory bin:

Did you hear rhyming words in the story? Which words rhyme?

What other animals might be on the farm that we didn’t see in the story?

How many ducks are in a line?

What are baby goats/ducks/sheep called?

Farm Animal Pattern Block Mats

What Can Preschoolers Learn By Pairing a Book With a Sensory Box?

LITTLE BLUE TRUCK TOYS AND BOOKS

INCORPORATING HANDS-ON PLAY WITH GREAT LITERATURE PROVIDES A LOT OF OPPORTUNITY FOR CHILDREN TO BE ENGAGED, TALK, PLAY, AND COMPREHEND THE STORY.

Placing story-related items into a sensory bottle or bin allows kids to practice vocabulary, re-telling, setting, characters, and more.

Rhyming
Re-telling
Comprehension
Vocabulary
Sequencing
Themes

Benefits of The Little Blue Truck Sensory Bin

Children are naturally curious about everything around them. Sensory play helps them understand the world a little bit better.

Exploring Their World

Sensory play with different themes and topics allows kids ample opportunities to develop background knowledge, vocabulary, and other content-specific skills.

Build Fine Motor Skills Through Sensory Exploration

As children zoom vehicles, pinch pom poms, or sift through water beads, they use important hand and finger muscles. The more these muscles develop, the easier it will be to color, draw and write.

More Sensory Activities to Build Fine Motor Skills:

Making Connections

When children interact with sensory material, their brains become active. With each sensory experience, neural connections begin to form that become important for later learning.

Foster Creativity through Storytelling

Sometimes a story-themed sensory bin is just a jumping-off point for a whole other world of storytelling. It’s a wonderful way to allow kids to be creative, so don’t worry if the little blue truck becomes a giant rocket ship!

Materials for the Little Blue Truck Spring Sensory Bin

“The Little Blue Truck’s Springtime,” by Alice Schertle
Sensory bin
Blue truck toy
Pebbles/small rocks
Faux trees/grass/flowers/stones
Toy farm animals

How To Make the Little Blue Truck Sensory Bin

Step One:

Step Two:

Add the grass to the sensory bin. Make a road using the pebbles and place the blue truck on top.

Step Three:

Add the flowers and trees.

Step Four:

Then, add the farm animals around the bin.

Step Five:

Invite the child to explore the contents of the sensory bin and observe what he or she does with the materials.

Step Six:

If desired, discuss the order of the animals the toad and the Little Blue Truck see along the way and have the child place them in order.

Extend Your Child’s Sensory Experience

Truck Craft: Use a small box/shoe box to create your own little blue truck. Fill it with plastic toy animals for more role-playing, re-telling fun.

Act it Out: Acting out a book like “The Little Blue Truck,” is a great way to use language and sequencing skills. Review the order of the animals, then have fun acting out each animal as you see it.

Animal Babies: Use the book as a springboard for a discussion about animal babies. Children can match adult animals with babies to learn important vocabulary.