Parent tip
Set out newspaper and plastic containers before inviting your toddler in so the first minute feels smooth.
Shredded Paper Snow Bin
Fill a tub with shredded paper, hide toys inside, and add a water spray for a rustling, crinkling indoor snow day.
Activity details
Instructions
- Shred old newspapers, junk mail, or plain paper into a large tub
- Hide 5-6 small toys throughout the paper pile
- Let your toddler dig in with hands: rustling, scooping, tossing
- Encourage searching: 'There are hidden treasures — can you find them all?'
- Provide scooping tools: cups, spoons, and small containers
- Throw handfuls in the air: 'Indoor snowstorm!'
- Spray water onto a section of the paper: 'Feel how different wet paper is!'
- Squish the wet paper into balls — they hold their shape and can be stacked
What success looks like
Messy hands and a child who doesn’t want to stop. The artwork doesn’t need to look like anything — the process is the point.
Shred old newspapers, junk mail, or plain paper and fill a large tub. Hide small toys throughout the paper pile. Your toddler digs through the rustling paper, finds hidden objects, scoops and pours the shredded pieces, and throws handfuls in the air like indoor snow. Spray a little water to change the texture — wet shredded paper clumps, moulds, and squishes differently from dry. The auditory feedback (rustling, crunching) and the lightweight tactile input make this ideal for sensory-cautious toddlers who are building tolerance for textured materials.
Why it helps
The NHS Best Start in Life programme recommends sensory play as a valuable way for toddlers to explore the world, noting that it supports language development, cognitive growth and fine motor skills. Shredded paper provides multi-sensory input across three channels simultaneously: tactile (lightweight, rustling texture), auditory (crinkling, tearing sounds), and proprioceptive (the resistance of tearing and scrunching). For sensory-cautious toddlers, paper is a non-threatening entry point to messy play because it is dry, familiar, and easily brushed off. The hide-and-seek element engages working memory and sustained attention, while the wet-paper transformation introduces basic materials-science concepts about how substances change when combined.
Variations
- Add a few drops of food colouring to the water spray for coloured paper pulp.
- Provide child-safe scissors for snipping the shredded strips even smaller.
- Use the wet paper pulp to mould shapes on a tray — instant papier-mâché.
Safety tips
- Avoid glossy or heavily printed paper — stick to plain newsprint or office paper.
- Supervise to prevent paper-eating, especially with younger toddlers.
- Keep the spray bottle on a gentle mist setting to avoid soaking the paper too quickly.
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