There is no denying that children find sensory bottles fascinating.
Our girls both fell in love with simple, sparkly bottles as toddlers, and even now at 11 years old, our eldest still thinks our all time favourite sensory bottle – the slow motion calm down bottle – is kind of cool… she can’t walk by without flipping it over to watch the blocks fall!
While glitter bottles might be the simplest sensory bottles to make, there are many ideas for fabulous DIY sensory bottles, most of which require just a few common household ingredients to make.
But what is the point of sensory bottles?
Like all sensory play, sensory bottles are a useful tool for promoting a sense of wonder and inquiry as children use their senses to explore and discover. They can also aid the development of fine motor skills when children are involved in making the bottles and language and social skills when shared with peers or adults, but I love sensory bottles most of all as a calm down tool. A sensory bottle can offer a valuable focus or distraction to a child whilst they calm down from an overwhelming emotional experience.
Today I am sharing over fifteen fabulous DIY sensory bottles – all of which offer a unique element for discovery and exploration, that are sure to be a hit with children of all ages.
RELATED: Sensory toy gift ideas for kids of all ages.
15 Super DIY Sensory Bottles
1. A Slow Motion Calm Down Bottle is the perfect addition to your calm down toolkit. See how calming it is in the video below.
RELATED: More resources for helping children learn to manage big emotions.
2. The sound of rain makes this Rainstick Sensory Bottle something special.
Here’s the how to:
3. Add the magic of scent (yes, a sensory bottle you can smell!) to your calm down bottle by creating a Scented Rainstick Bottle.
4. These colour mixing discovery bottles from Preschool Inspirations are so clever.
5. Bring the ocean home with a Sea in a Bottle.
6. This Mermaid Tail Bottle by Rhythms of Play is simply magical.
7. This Blizzard in a Bottle from No Time for Flashcards is anything but frosty!
8. This magnetic field bottle from Left Brain Craft Brain is simply fascinating.
9. Star Wars fans will love these Light Saber inspired bottles from Little Bins for Little Hands.
10. The suspended bead bottle from Fun At Home With Kids is such a great idea.
11. Unicorn kisses, mermaid tears or intergalactic supernova – you choose with our magical glitter sensory jar.
12. This alphabet bottle from Parenting Chaos is great for a game of I-Spy on the go.
13. Create a captivating aquarium in a bottle with A Little Pinch of Perfect.
14. A colourful rainbow of water bead bottles is so pretty. Via Parenting Chaos.
15. The Preschool Inspirations two ingredient discovery bottle is such a great idea.
16. Create a rainbow in a bottle with our colourful rainbow sensory bottle!
17. Wow! A glow in the dark sensory bottle??! You bet!
For even more fun and inspiring sensory play, check out our huge collection of over 55 sensory bins and the 31 days of sensory play ideas.
Christie Burnett is an early childhood teacher, presenter, writer and the editor of Childhood 101. More importantly, she is a Mum who believes wholeheartedly in the value of children learning through play, the importance of quality early education, and the togetherness of family.
