How to Make a Pirate Sensory Bin for Pretend Play

ARGH! This pirate sensory bin is perfect for yer scalliwags!

pirate themed sensory bin for pretend play

ARGH matey! I’ve been wanting to put together a pirate themed sensory bin for years and I finally got around to it! Just in time for International Talk Like a Pirate Day too! (celebrated every year in September!)

When my boys were little they went through a pretty intense pirate phase and now that they are older Pirates of the Caribbean is one of their favorite movies!

This sensory play activity also pairs perfectly with the Pirates Don’t Change Diapers series

Pirate Sensory Bin Materials:

The below materials are great suggestions to add to your sensory bin! Below is our simple tutorial on how to make an edible skull!

*black beans
*pirate coins
*gems
*edible skull (see tutorial below)
*pirate eye patch
*glass beads
*ring pop
*goldfish
*toy rat
*toy spider
*spider web

pirate themed sensory bin with black beans

How to Make an Edible Skull:

edible skull mold pirate themed sensory bin for pretend play

If you want to make some edible skulls for this pirate sensory bin or just for a pirate themed snack you’ll need THIS SKULL MOLD and a bag of white candy melts. Or you can grab any of these skull molds here.

If you want to fill the entire mold you’ll need the whole bag of white candy melts. I just grabbed a handful to make 3.

Just melt the candy melts in 15 second increments and stir then spoon and press down into your mold. Place in the freezer for 30 – 60 minutes and then pop it out!

Pirate Books for Kids:

The above Pirate Sensory bin was one that I made when my boys were little! I used a Ring Pop and goldfish in it. I made it for our pirate party decor and for use as a sensory tub. Hide treasures in the tub and see who can find it first!! I’ve come a LONG way in my photos and blog posts since then!! ARGH!