How do you store and organize sensory play materials? It's one of the most common questions we hear from parents and educators. That's why we're thrilled to share expert tips from Gyl at @where_the_wildings_play, who has mastered the art of keeping sensory materials accessible, organized, and ready for endless exploration.
Sensory play is one of the best ways for children to learn through immersive, hands-on exploration. From scooping fillers to squishing playdough, these activities build fine motor skills, creativity, language, problem-solving and more. It’s one of our favorite ways to keep little hands busy and little minds growing through play. And as a facilitator with sustainability always in mind, you come to understand one truth: sensory play NEEDS a good storage system.
When your materials are stored well, activities are quicker to set up, cleanup is less chaotic, materials last longer, and children have the freedom to choose and return items independently. With less clutter throughout the house, your space feels calmer and sensory play becomes more inviting, for everyone! A little intention truly does create space for a lot more play.
The good news is that storing sensory play doesn’t have to be complicated. With a few simple habits, you can keep materials organized, accessible, and ready for the next day of play.
A designated area for sensory materials helps keep all your resources together. From sensory fillers to playdough, tools, and accompanying learning resources, I’ve found that having it all in one place allows me to create more set ups, leading to deeper, more meaningful play.
After years of facilitating sensory play, here are our favorite storage solutions to maximize your resources and materials.
Clear Bins For Sensory Bases
In our home, we have a small cabinet that houses all our Playful Minds sensory bases, figurines, matching cards, playdough, tools, and accessories. When it comes to sensory bases, I’ve found that clear lidded plastic containers work best. We use the small accessory boxes from the Container Store. These keep everything contained and dry while preserving quality for long lasting play. Their transparent nature also inspires versatility in how the bases are used. Chickadees now ships their sensory fillers in clear plastic buckets that work perfectly for storage.
If space is limited, a rolling cart is a great alternative to house all your play kits.
( Our Accessory Box | The Container Store $1.99/each)
Small Jars For Treasures:
I try to store accessories with their fillers, but when that isn’t possible, transparent jars are a great alternative for those loose odds and ends. I reuse jam jars for just about anything. One of my favorite uses is for art supplies and loose parts. You can easily identify what’s inside, and the lid keeps the pieces from spilling, getting lost, or being forgotten.
Photo Boxes For Figurines + Matching Cards
Our figurines and cards are stored in small 5x7 photo boxes and are super easy to grab and go. Whether it’s for sensory play or a homeschool lesson, I can quickly find resources to enrich any activity.
Baskets For Playdough + Tools:
Playdough, mats, and tools are kept together in baskets. I tend to place new mats at the front and provide an empty basket nearby that the kids can fill with items they’re interested in exploring with playdough.
Label Everything (Yes, REALLY!)
Labels save time and help kids find things easily while allowing them to retrieve and return items independently. They can be printed with a label maker, or it can be as simple as paper tape and a marker.
If you love a tidy, organized look, then matching your labels, color coding them, or even using picture labels for the especially young ones can really help create a calm and organized space.
Organize By Theme:
Children often engage more deeply when fewer choices are available. Instead of having everything out at once, rotate your materials. Rotation intervals are completely up to you, but we prefer to do this seasonally.
I simply remove last season’s bins by packing them into a larger storage bin and replacing them with newer, seasonally appropriate materials. This keeps things fresh, more exciting, and reduces unnecessary clutter.
A Place For Everything & Everything In Its Place:
Cleanup is a part of daily life, and I teach that it is also a part of play. Creating a simple cleanup routine when play is done helps build accountability in the early years. Scoopable fillers go back into the sensory bin or table, tools are returned to their baskets, trays and tables are wiped down, and baskets or trays placed back on the shelf.
I take on the collection of trickier sensory bases and delegate a job to each of the kids. I also like to bring the vacuum nearby for as much as adults loathe the task, kids often love it. They learn to take pride in ownership of their responsibilities when routines are consistent, so persistence is key. Cleanup then becomes its own form of play.
Say Yes To More Play!
An intentional space can provide you with the right headspace to create hours of wonder, creativity, and learning. The goal is to keep things simple and accessible. An organized space doesn’t happen overnight. It happens through trial and error until you find the routine that works for your family and home. And when in doubt, just remember to choose a system that will help you say yes to sensory play more often!