Summer Cocktails Printable Flisat Insert – Counting Sensory Activity for Trofast Bins

Printable Flisat inserts don’t get more summery than this — the Summer Cocktails counting activity turns your IKEA Flisat table and Trofast bins into a colourful pretend mixology station where your little one practises number recognition, ingredient counting, and sequencing — all while digging through a sensory bin of rainbow rice. Download, print, cut, and play — the whole setup takes less than 30 minutes to assemble and keeps children engaged in purposeful, screen-free summer play.

What’s does this include🍹

🍹 Large Trofast Insert — A two-sheet A4 or Letter Size  (or single A3) insert featuring four vibrant watercolour cocktail illustrations: a tropical sunrise, a strawberry daiquiri, a lime margarita, and a mojito. Sized to line the large Trofast bin set into the Flisat table.

🥤 Small Trofast Insert — A single A4 or Letter Size sheet with the same four cocktail illustrations scaled to fit the small Trofast bin, giving younger children their own compact play surface.

🃏 8 Recipe Counting Cards — Four coloured counting cards (pink, yellow, green, teal), each showing a different cocktail ingredient at the top with three quantities listed below for children to read, match, and sequence. Flip and repeat for extended play.

🍋 Printable Ingredient Tiles — A full accessories sheet of small picture tiles showing strawberries, orange slices, lemon wheels, mint leaves, and ice cubes — the loose parts children dig out of the sensory bin and “add” to their cocktail inserts.

Designed for the IKEA Flisat Table

This printable Flisat insert set is sized and shaped to work seamlessly with the IKEA Flisat children’s table and its matching Trofast storage bins. The large insert lines the Flisat’s main Trofast bin, where children spread rainbow rice and bury the ingredient tiles to dig out. The small insert drops into the secondary bin for a quieter sorting space alongside. Both inserts print on standard home paper and mount to cardboard or laminate for a wipe-clean finish that survives repeated sensory play sessions.

Why Montessori Counting Through Pretend Play?

🧠 Montessori math activities work best when number concepts are grounded in physical, meaningful action — and this is exactly what the Summer Cocktails activity delivers. When your little one picks up a recipe card showing “3 orange slices”, searches through the sensory rice to find three matching tiles, and places them one by one alongside their cocktail illustration, they’re not just counting in the abstract — they’re building one-to-one correspondence, quantity recognition, and early sequencing skills through hands-on play. The pretend mixologist scenario adds a layer of social-emotional understanding and narrative thinking that pure flashcard practice can’t replicate.

Perfect for Every Stage – Ages 3 to 6

🍼 Ages 3–4 (Young Preschoolers): At this stage, your little one is most engaged by the sensory bin itself — running fingers through the rainbow rice, finding the bright ingredient tiles, and placing them on the insert illustrations. Simple one-to-one matching (“find one strawberry, put it on the drink”) builds early counting foundations and hand-eye coordination without the pressure of reading the recipe cards independently.

🧒 Ages 4–5 (Older Preschoolers): Children at this age begin using the recipe cards with guidance — recognising the ingredient pictures, identifying which number is largest or smallest, and starting to arrange the tiles in sequence. This is where the number ordering mechanic really clicks, supporting early maths understanding alongside imaginative “café” or “juice bar” role play.

👧 Ages 5–6 (Reception / Kindergarten): More confident readers can work through the recipe cards independently, sequencing the three quantities in order, counting out the exact number of tiles per ingredient, and setting up the whole “cocktail bar” for a sibling or friend. This extends to social play, turn-taking, and simple addition — “I need three oranges and two ice cubes, that’s five ingredients altogether.”

How to Set Up Your Summer Sensory Bin

1. Download and print your files – After purchase, download the ZIP file from your order page and extract the contents. Choose A4, A3, or US Letter files to suit your printer. Print on standard printer paper — 80gsm or above gives the cleanest result.
2. Cut out and mount the inserts – Cut out the large and small Trofast inserts along the printed cut lines. For durability, either glue each insert to a piece of cardboard (cereal box card works perfectly) or run them through a laminator if you have one. The inserts will survive many more play sessions with a laminated finish.
3. Cut the recipe cards and ingredient tiles – Cut out all 8 recipe cards and the full sheet of ingredient tiles. Laminating the tiles is especially worthwhile — they’ll be handled, sorted, and buried in rice repeatedly. Store them in a small bowl or tray next to the bin when not in use.
4. Set up the Flisat table – Place the large insert into the main Flisat Trofast bin and fill with rainbow rice, kinetic sand, or any other sensory material your child enjoys. Drop the small insert into the secondary bin. Arrange the recipe cards in a row above or beside the table for children to pick from.
5. Let your little mixologist take over – Invite your child to choose a recipe card, identify the ingredients, and dig through the sensory bin to find the matching tiles. Step back and watch the counting, sorting, and pretend play unfold — younger children will mix freely while older ones work through the quantities card by card.

A Gift They’ll Return to Again and Again 🎁

Looking for a screen-free gift that combines summer fun with real learning? This printable Flisat insert activity is a wonderful choice for birthdays, end-of-term celebrations, or any occasion when you want to give something that feels special and lasts. Unlike a disposable colouring book or a single-use activity kit, these open-ended Montessori play materials can be reset in minutes — wipe the insert, toss the tiles back in the rice, and the whole activity is ready for another round. It grows with your child from simple sensory exploration at three to independent number sequencing at six.

Key Features

📏 Size: Includes inserts for both the small and large IKEA Trofast bins used in the Flisat table. Files are provided in A4, A3, and US Letter formats to cover all standard home printers.

🎨 Design: Four vibrant watercolour cocktail illustrations — tropical sunrise, strawberry daiquiri, lime margarita, and mojito — printed on a clean white background. Coloured-border recipe cards (pink, yellow, green, teal) with ingredient picture icons and three quantities per card. A full accessories sheet of printable loose-part ingredient tiles in matching summer colours.

💡 Material: Digital PDF — no physical product. Print on standard 80gsm+ paper, then mount to cardboard or laminate for durability. Wipe-clean when laminated.

🧠 Educational focus: Number recognition, one-to-one counting, quantity sequencing, early addition, and pretend play. The recipe card mechanic builds concentration, hand-eye coordination, and the ability to follow a simple multi-step instruction — foundational skills for early maths and literacy.

👶 Ideal for ages: 3 to 6 years, with adult supervision during initial setup and sensory play. Younger children enjoy free sensory exploration; older children engage with the counting and sequencing game independently.

🏡 Perfect for: Montessori homes, home playrooms, preschools, homeschool maths centres, and summer holiday activity tables. Also works as a standalone counting game without a sensory bin — just spread the tiles on a tray.

Set up the large insert for a whole-group counting station, or use the small insert for a quieter one-on-one activity alongside the main bin — both are included in a single download. Browse the full Trofast Inserts collection for more Montessori-aligned activities your little learner will return to all summer long.