DIY Ikea Flisat Sensory Table Insert

If you have had an Ikea Flisat Sensory Table for quite some time or if you are new to the accessories which can be purchased for the table, you will soon learn that sometimes the price of two insert covers can be the price of the sensory table itself. I am here to tell you that you can create the inserts yourself. All you need are both large and small bin lids (one of each) to reuse for future projects such as this one.

Now obtaining the bin lids can sometimes be difficult as they are often out of stock both online and in-store at most Ikea locations. They can be purchased on Mercari.com or through various Facebook groups from sellers looking to get rid of their lids due to not needing them. Look up key words on Google or Mercari: "Trofast Bin Lids" to purchase through other online sites.

There are various fun and creative ways to make inserts once you begin to make a few. They are fairly easy to make and the themes are endless.

The one I created for this example was an apple-themed Montessori posting activity for the Fall season. I found these cute wooden cutout frames from Dollar Store to use as both a stencil and the borders for the posting portions of the insert itself. I've also included some wooden cutout frames in the Amazon link provided at the end of this post.

Montessori posting activities are great for both babies and toddlers. Especially if you find your little placing toys in places you would not ordinarily find (eg. waste and laundry baskets) things. Posting activities satisfy the developmental need for littles to place objects into containers. Our little scientists are also developmentally learning cause and effect (eg. "What happens when I do this?").

Here's what you will need:

1. Large Cardboard (If you do not have any cardboard at home or on hand, you can get some FREE USPS boxes online through USPS.com. It sometimes take a few weeks to arrive but they are free and great to have on hand for future projects.)

2. Pencil or Pen

3. Scissors

4. Stencil of Choice (I used the wooden frame cutout from Dollar Tree. Amazon has them too. See link below.)

5. Apple Barrel Acrylic Paint (I really like this brand as it dries rather quickly and can be used for an array of DIY projects.)

6. Foam Paint Brushes (You can use paint brushes but I feel these brushes work better in helping to apply thin coats which dry faster.)

7. Glue gun (If you have a mini glue gun, it will work just fine for this project.)

8. Vinyl Letter Stickers (black, white or any color you wish to coordinate with your theme)

Here are all the supplies we mention within this post.

Directions:

(Note: This insert example is for the large Trofast bins. Two large Trofast bins can fit side-by-side in the Flisat Sensory Table.)

1. Trace the lid on cardboard and cut out.

2. Use stencil of choice to trace the shape you want to have for where your little will place in their items. In this case, the holes were created to insert apples.

3. Paint the lid on one side the color of choice (I painted ours green.) or decorate the insert further with any design you wish to go along with the theme you have chosen. Set out insert to dry in sun.

4. Paint the wooden frame you chose from Dollar Store or Amazon. (You will skip this Step and Step 5, if you do not have a wooden frame cutout.)

5. Take a glue gun and glue the wooden cutout frame over the cutout circles. Let it sit to dry for a few minutes.

6. Add letter vinyl stickers. The ones I used are shown below.

Your insert is ready to place over a large bin of your sensory table for use!

Here's what our apple-themed inspired sensory table looked like:

Hope you have fun creating an array of Trofast bin inserts for your little ones!

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