To see the joy on a child’s face is always priceless! I loved experiencing that today while the kids made calming sensory bottles.
Sensory bottles are a great way for kids to enjoy fine motor play, embrace creative expression, and produce a toy/tool that they will use for self-regulation in the future.
In our classroom, we have a calm down corner and a “hulk” movement box. Both are used at a child’s request when he or she needs to regulate by moving and grooving, fidgeting, or engaging in more (or less) sensory input.
Calm down jars are sweet crafts and tools to use at home, at school, in the car, or even in the waiting room for an appointment! Children can see the beautiful creations drifting and falling ever so gently and slowly from the top of the bottle to the bottom in a mesmerizing fashion. I think I’ll take a turn myself!
Permanent marker (to write name on top if multiple children are participating)
Steps To Make Sensory Calming Bottles
Step 1: Squirt Water
First, fill ⅓ of the bottle with water. Then have children use the spray bottle for the first 5-7 squirts for extra fine motor practice!
Step 2: Pinch and Place Fillings
Next, choose your fillings! Have the child enjoy picking out various creative choices and dropping them in the bottle. Afterwards, your child can also help you squeeze out glitter glue into the bottle for a cool hand strengthening exercise!
Small feathers, jewels, glitter, and less dense beads and puffballs can enamor the kids’ senses and move slowly for more effect. This is a great time to clear out a bit of the craft closet. 🙂
*Note: You can use any materials you have at home that will fit in the bottle and move at various speeds. Admittedly, the bright confetti made for a much wilder movement jar as opposed to a calming jar, so I let the kids make their choice after being given that information.
We know children can turn trash into treasure! They always find a way to light up with joy when they have choice in these artistic creations!
Step 3: Squeeze and Pour Hand Soap
After the adding the fillings, pour the clear liquid hand soap to fill the rest of the bottle.
To give the kids more ownership, they can hold the bottle with one hand and help you tip the dish soap with the other to be more involved.
Step 4: Shake, Shake, Shake!
Finally, screw the cap on very tightly. This part is the adult’s job. Label the lid with permanent marker, then hand it back to the kids to…shake, shake shake! The kids loved dancing around to shake loose all of the items inside and this method gives extra proprioceptive input as well! Put on music if you want to make it more fun!
Step 5: Last Step! Seal with Super Glue
To complete the calming bottle, make sure to seal it fully with super glue on the rim and let it sit for 24 hours to cure.
Enjoy!
Five Fun, Fine Motor Ideas
The kids were adorable and enjoyed every aspect of creating these!
As a bonus, build in finger and fine motor opportunities along the way. For little fingers that need more practice pinching to prepare for holding a pencil and other tools some day, here are my tips. Have your child participate actively in the following hand and finger-strengthening exercises:
Squirt the water from a small handheld squirt bottle. Squirting mimics the hand motion for scissor skills by isolating the index finger and thumb.
Pinch the confetti before sprinkling it carefully into the top. Pinching encourages the precise manipulation of small objects in a fun way!
Pincer grasp the feathers (using forefinger and thumb) in order to insert them. Using a pincer grasp prepares the hand for holding a pencil.
Clip and release the pompoms with aclothespin. Clothespins are an excellent tool for developing the small motor area with precision.
Squeeze the glitter glue bottle to encourage strength in the hand and arm.
There are endless options to what you can put into these sensory jars. After fondly creating them, these jars are excellent to place your child’s calm corner or a joyful spot of their choosing, as they are linked to the happy memory or creating them together! They can be kept in a classroom, backpack, cubby, or brought on trips. I love that these tools can be used over and over for fun, a calming moment, or a priceless memory to share!
The joy of learning and loving is what we are all about!
What kind of sensory bottles have you made at home? Put your ideas and experiences in the comments below.