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Friends Art Lab / Blog / Warm Tea Fall Sensory Table

Warm Tea Fall Sensory Table

Author: Kristian Klebofski    Published: 11/07/2023     Updated: 08/22/2024

There will never be enough words to describe how glorious a warm tea fall sensory table is. It is cozy and warm, smells delicious, it’s inexpensive, and it’s absolute perfection.

A hand holds a box of Trader Joe's "Harvest Blend Herbal Tea" over a shallow contained filled with warm tea water, bowls, plastic beads, and faux leaves.
Table of Contents:
  1. Why we love a warm tea fall sensory table
  2. A warm tea Fall sensory table feels and SMELLS divine
  3. Materials
  4. How to make a warm tea fall sensory table
  5. What do you put in an autumn sensory bin?
  6. How to clean up your warm tea fall sensory table
  7. FAQ

Why we love a warm tea fall sensory table

When I picture a Fall day in the preschool classroom, I imagine kids gathered around a warm tea water table, scooping water, commenting on how delicious it smells.

This sensory table comes together in minutes using simple materials and provides hours of soothing fun.

We have made these indoors and outdoors, and they fill the space with the most beautiful smell.

Related: Don’t miss our GIANT 10-foot Fall coloring banner that’s perfect for both busy and calm Fall days

Three photos of a set of hands in the warm tea Fall sensory table, first sitting on the bottom, then getting ready to scoop, and finally scooping and holding warm tea in cupped hands.

A warm tea Fall sensory table feels and SMELLS divine

When we think about sensory play, it’s often things kids touch.

Do a quick online search for “sensory activities” and you’ll see lots of doughs, slimes, paints, and the like (all of which are wonderful and important).

But the sense of touch is only one of the five senses.

Sense of smell is one of my favorite senses to incorporate in play, and this activity is the crème de la crème.

Try some of these other “fall-tastic” activities, too!

  • Paper Bag Fall Leaf Art
  • Easy, No-Cook Pumpkin Spice Play Dough
  • Fall Preschool Measurement Activity (with Free Printables
  • Fall Leaf Cutting Bin
The materials needed for the activity: a box of tea bags, loose tea bags, colorful silicone cupcake liners, clear plastic bowls, tongs, and colorful beads.

Materials

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  • Shallow container
  • Warm water
  • Tea bags – We love the Trader Joe’s Harvest Blend (around $2 in store)
  • Open-ended materials – ex: bowls, scoops, faux leaves, beads, tongs
10 tea bags float in a shallow container of water for the warm tea fall sensory table.

How to make a warm tea fall sensory table

  • Fill a shallow container with warm water, making sure that it is not too hot for little hands
  • Invite your child to add tea bags into the water and observe what happens over the next 5-10 minutes

The amount of tea bags you’ll use depends on the size of the container, but for reference, here we used half of the box (costing me about $1)

  • Squeeze the tea bags and watch the colors bleed into the water as the tea steeps
  • Introduce open-ended materials and invite your child to play, mix, scoop, pour, and explore

Note: Your tea bags might break open (as shown here), but it’s absolutely fine! If anything, it adds extra texture and visual interest. Don’t worry at all about them breaking open.

Three photos showing a hand in the warm tea fall sensory table progressively squeezing tea bags and orange steeped color bleeding out and spreading into the water.

What do you put in an autumn sensory bin?

When we do this activity in the Fall, we love adding in

  • Faux leaves (we pluck them off of the sticks from the Dollar Tree)
  • Mini pumpkins (real or fake)
  • Wooden beads
  • Mini pumpkin pails
  • Cranberries
  • Fall-colored beads (go through whatever beads you have on hand and take out the Fall colored ones)
  • Fall bowls
  • Fresh sunflowers (grown in a garden or from the grocery store)
  • Sunflower seeds
A shallow contained filled with warm tea water, bowls, plastic beads, and faux leaves.

How to clean up your warm tea fall sensory table

At the end of the play, we dump the water in the garden (which makes the smell last longer, mmm).

If doing this at home, you could consider leaving it overnight and adding more warm water the next day, too.

I can’t wait for you to play with and smell this one!

Two photos (1) a pair of plastic tongs holds a yellow plastic bead over the warm tea fall sensory table (2) the yellow bead is dropped into a clear plastic bowl floating on top of the water.

FAQ

What age is this activity recommended for?

Any that can safely enjoy the materials. Check the ingredients list for whatever tea you’re using for possible allergens.

How long does this last?

Hours! If the water starts to cool, add more water to keep the temperature nice and the kids engaged.

Can I use any kind of tea bags?

YES! Choose whatever you love. We also love the Tazo Passion tea during other times of the year.

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Kristian

Hi, I’m Kristian!

I have spent over 15 years in the preschool classroom, I have a Master's degree in Early Childhood Education, and I was a college professor of education for eight years. My passion is sharing creative learning activities for children and I'm so happy you're here.

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