Egg Carton Christmas Tree Sensory Bin

Last Updated on October 15, 2026 by Masha Eretnova

Looking for the perfect sensory activity for your toddler or preschooler to interest them this winter?

Try setting up this Christmas tree sensory bin with egg carton trees, snowballs, and fake snow.

All the supplies are cheap and easy to find at your nearest Dollar Tree store or on Amazon.

What Age Is This Sensory Bin For?

This Christmas sensory bin is best for toddlers and preschoolers aged 2 to 5 years old and it develops all the skills little hands may need.

No experience needed and the setup takes about 20 minutes, most of it drying time. It is a good one for a slow December morning or as a quiet activity while you are doing holiday prep nearby. It is also super cheap to make happen, under 10 usd and can be reused easily.

Christmas Tree Sensory Bin Supplies

1. Christmas Green craft paint
2. Simple synthetic brush (can use an old one, too)
3. Paper plate (to make painting and drying “trees” easier)
4. Egg carton
5. Fake snow
6. Snowflakes
7. Cotton balls (fake snowballs)
8. Scissors
9. Tray
10. Optional, green or silver glitter for decorating Christmas trees or glitter craft paint.

How To Prep & Play With Christmas Tree Sensory Bin

Cut a few wells out of an old-fashioned egg carton (as many as you wish!). Using craft paint and a brush paint them in one color (kids can easily do that).

Once you painted them, place tree into a paper plate and let kids decorate each tree with some sparkle.

Shimmering glitter will stick to each egg carton really well while paint is still drying. Let the Christmas trees dry and you have a little forest ready:

Set up the tray and all the material for the sensory bin:

What Skills Does This Sensory Bin Develop?

The painting step builds hand coordination and brush control. Sprinkling glitter onto wet paint and placing trees into the fake snow tray works on fine motor skills and grip.

Free play with the snow, cotton ball snowballs, and little trees is tactile sensory exploration — kids feel different textures, move elements around, and build small scenes on their own terms.

It also opens up natural conversation about winter, snow, Christmas traditions, and what cold weather feels like, which supports early language and seasonal vocabulary.

Ways To Extend the Activity

Once the bin is set up, ask your child to count how many trees are standing, then count the snowballs. Ask which group has more.

Have them sort the elements by type: all the trees together, all the snowballs together, all the snowflakes together. For kids closer to 4 or 5, you can add a size element — big snowball, small snowball, tall tree, short tree.

The fake snow invites digging and hiding, so let them bury a snowball and find it again. Simple back-and-forth like that stretches the play without adding anything to the setup.

Using This in a Classroom

Cut and pre-paint the egg carton trees the day before, or have the children paint them during an earlier part of the day and let them dry.

Set up one shared sensory tray or individual trays per child depending on space. A class set of trees displayed together on a windowsill or table makes a simple December decoration that each child contributed to.

It pairs well with a circle time conversation about snow and winter weather, especially useful for kids who live somewhere warm and have never touched real snow.

Explore other sensory bins on my blog:

• Beach Sensory Bin with Shells & Faux Sand
• 4th Of July Sensory Bin (2-6 Years Old)

Variations

Skip the glitter and use white paint dots instead for a snow-dusted look that is a little less messy. A cotton swab works well for that step.

For a New Year’s version, swap the green paint for silver or gold, add more iridescent glitter, and use metallic snowflakes.

If you have different-sized egg carton sections, cut trees at a few heights to create a varied forest. Taller trees in the back, shorter ones in front.