Kid Fun - Sorting Beans!

I'm not one of those bloggers who spends their days coming up with unique/cheap/sensory games for their kids.  My kids play video games.  They play with legos.  They play with my phone.  Every once in a while though, I come up with something a little different.  Today it was an inspirational bag of mixed beans from the grocery store!

I hate beans, so when I saw this bag of beans, it looked more like arts & crafts materials than food, but it can be a sensory toy too.

  It's a pretty simple idea - dump some mixed beans onto a tray or bin (or onto a table if you're brave) and have your preschooler sort them by type, size, color, shape...  it's up to him & you. 

 
We sorted into an ice cube tray because I had one handy, but you cold sort into an egg carton, a muffin tin, little bowls, or even just piles.  The idea is to work on concepts like big/small, same/different, colors, shapes.  And it's fun for kids to play with them.  They have a nice tactile feel, too. 

With the stormy, snowy, icy, cruddy weather we've had, this was a fun and easy indoor activity for a bit.