Hot Cocoa Sensory Bin Using DIY Painted Chickpeas

Create a Hot Cocoa Sensory Bin using painted chickpeas, pom-poms, and holiday trinkets! A festive sensory play activity kids will love! Perfect for Christmas and cozy winter fun.

Winter is here! And with it comes the perfect excuse to cozy up indoors and create something magical for the kids. This Hot Cocoa Sensory Bin is just the thing. It’s fun to put together, fun to play with, and overflowing with holiday cheer.

Instead of sticky spills, we used painted chickpeas as the base. These shiny, colorful chickpeas are not only gorgeous to look at, but they also make the most delightful clinking sound when scooped, poured, or mixed. Paired with soft pom-pom “marshmallows”, hot cocoa cups, and candy cane charms, this bin is all about holiday coziness with a playful twist.

Why Winter and Holiday-Themed Activities Are Awesome

Winter and Christmas sensory activities like this hot Cocoa sensory bin sprinkle an extra dose of magic into the season. They spark creativity, build fun holiday traditions, and give kids a chance to fully embrace the joy of the season all from the comfort of home.

Painted chickpeas are one of our favorite sensory fillers because they’re reusable, bright, and lightweight. With a holiday-themed bin like this, you can create hours of imaginative play without much prep.

How to Create A Hot Cocoa Sensory Bin

What You’ll Need

Here’s everything you’ll need to make your own painted chickpeas:

• Dried chickpeas (also called garbanzo beans)
• Acrylic craft paint (any colors you like, go bright, go pastel, go bold!)
• Iridescent acrylic paint (optional, but amazing for shimmer and shine)
• Plastic Ziplock bags or a container with a lid
• Parchment or wax paper, or a baking sheet (for drying)

Extras for the sensory bin:

• Mini Marshmallows, Pom-Pom Balls, Gems, Candy Cane Charms, or any other trinkets to decorate you hot chocolate.
• Hot Cocoa Cups (we grabbed a couple extra of Starbucks kids hot chocolate cups to use in our bin)
• Silicone Cupcake Liners or Small Bowls
• Scoops and Funnel or Tongs and Tweezers
• Sensory Bin (or any container big enough for your child to play in)

Painted Chickpeas Instructions

1. Start with Chickpeas

Pour about 3-6 cups (depending on the size of your sensory bin) of dried chickpeas into a large Ziplock bag or a container with a lid.

2. Add Your Color

Add in a few squirts of acrylic craft paint (about ½ tablespoon per cup of chickpeas) or more if you want super bold coverage. For multiple colors, repeat for each bag.

3. Shake It Up

Seal the bag and give it a good shake! (This is a great part to do with your kids. They love watching the chickpeas magically change color.) You can also mix them with a spatula if you’re using a container with a lid.

4. Add Iridescent Paint (Optional)

For a sparkly, pearly finish, add a few squirts of iridescent acrylic paint into the bag. Seal it up again and give it another good shake to blend the shimmer over the color.

5. Dry Time

Spread the painted chickpeas out in a single layer on parchment paper or a baking sheet. Let them dry completely. They dry pretty quickly (usually less than an hour) depending on how much paint you used. Give them a little stir while drying so they don’t stick together.

Hot Cocoa Sensory Bin Instructions

1. Add the Painted Chickpeas bASE

Spread the painted chickpeas evenly across the bottom of a sensory bin. This will be the “hot cocoa” base where all the fun begins.

2. Add Trinkets and Charms

Sprinkle in white pom-pom balls to act as marshmallows, along with candy cane charms, gems, or other holiday trinkets. These add sparkle, variety, and give kids lots of treasures to scoop, sort, and decorate with.

3. Add Cups and Tools

Toss in your hot cocoa cups (we love reusing Starbucks kids’ hot chocolate cups for a realistic feel), along with silicone cupcake liners or small bowls. Provide scoops, tongs, or tweezers to help kids fill their cups and decorate their hot Cocoa creations.

4. Let Them Play!

Now the magic happens! Let your kids scoop, pour, and create their own pretend hot chocolates. They can fill cups with painted chickpeas, top them with pom-pom marshmallows, and decorate with candy cane charms and gems.

After making “fancy hot cocoa drinks,” kids can dump everything back in the bin and start a treasure hunt. They’ll love sorting through chickpeas to find marshmallows, gems, and charms again and again.

Creative Play Ideas For Your Hot Cocoa Sensory Bin

Make your hot Cocoa sensory bin session even more magical with these festive and imaginative play ideas:

1. Hot Cocoa Stand

Transform the sensory bin into a pretend hot Cocoa stand! Let your kids unleash their inner barista by creating designer hot chocolates. They can layer chickpeas, pom-poms, and candy cane charms in cups or cupcake liners, and “sell” them to their parent, siblings, or stuffed animals.

2. Treasure Hunt

Mix the pom-poms, candy canes, or other trinkets with the chickpeas for a fun treasure hunt. Challenge your kids to scoop them out using tongs, spoons, or even their hands. They can group them by color, size, or type into separate bowls or cups. To make it more exciting, set a timer and see how many they can find in a minute.

3. Storytime with Cocoa

Pair the sensory bin with a cozy holiday book like The Polar Express. Kids can pretend to sip their “hot Cocoa” creations as they listen to the story or even act out scenes from the book.

Why We Love This Hot Cocoa Sensory Bin

This activity is everything we love about sensory play, simple, engaging, and bursting with holiday magic.

The painted chickpeas make a gorgeous and reusable base that sounds amazing when poured, the pom-poms bring a fluffy texture, and the decorations make it feel just like building your own cozy cup of cocoa.

This activity keeps little hands busy, sparks creativity, and brings a bit of Christmas magic into your home. Watching kids scoop, pour, and serve up their hot cocoa creations is the sweetest winter memory in the making.

So grab a bag of chickpeas, some paint, and a handful of holiday trinkets. Your kids are going to love this cozy Christmas sensory adventure!