Sensory Play That’s One in a Melon!

Welcome to month’s sensory playtime!

Get ready for a hands-on adventure that’s one in a melon! This watermelon-themed sensory bin is bursting with vibrant fun—starting with red-dyed rice and finished off with black beans for “seeds.” It’s a perfect way to spark imagination, engage little hands, and celebrate summer vibes. Trust us you do not want to miss this one!

Let’s make your watermelon sensory bin:

You don’t need anything fancy for this watermelon-themed sensory play. Everything you need is likely already in your kitchen! With just rice, red food coloring, rubbing alcohol and black beans, you’ll have a vibrant, hands-on activity ready to go in no time. Simple, budget-friendly, and loads of fun!

To see how to color your rice check out our previous blog post!

Play Time:

Now that your rice is ready and vibrantly red, it’s time to pour it into your sensory bin! Spread it out evenly to create your watermelon base, then sprinkle in those black beans to represent the seeds. It’s a simple step that brings the whole theme to life and gets the fun started!

This sensory play is more than just fun. It’s fantastic for building fine motor skills! Picking up the small black bean “seeds” helps kids practice their pincer grasp, an essential movement for holding pencils and writing tools. It’s a playful way for preschoolers to strengthen those little finger muscles and get ready for writing success!

Watermelon Sensory Bin Activity Ideas:

Watermelon Counting Game:

Add number cards or create paper “watermelon slices” with numbers. Have your child count out the matching number of seeds for each slice.

We made some cards that you can print here:

Fill in the watermelon:

Scoop out the red rice and place it on the red part of the watermelon. Then it’s time to add on your seeds. For older kids you can have them roll dice to see how many seeds they should add to their watermelon.

Print:

Trace the letter:

We are working on letter recognition with my preschooler so this was a great way to work on the letter W. In each bubble add a back bean. Once all the bubbles are filled, use your finger and trace the letter to remove the beans. Another way is to spread out the rice in a shallow tray and let your child practice writing letters or numbers with their fingers!

Watermelon Kitchen Play

Add play cups, bowls, and spoons to let kids “cook” and serve their own watermelon-themed dishes from the bin.

Storytime Pairing

Pair the sensory bin with a watermelon-themed book like “The Watermelon Seed” by Greg Pizzoli and let the play extend from the story.

We hope you and your little ones had a melon-tastic time with this juicy sensory bin! It’s the perfect blend of playful learning and summer vibes. Whether your child scooped, sorted, or traced their way through the fun, we’d love to hear about it. Drop a comment below and tell us how your watermelon sensory play turned out or share your own creative twists.