(Don’t) Bottle it Up
Ready
- Clear Sensory Bottles, empty Voss water bottles, or any clear bottles or jars you may have on hand/in your recycling bin
- Water
- Clear liquid hand soap
- Food coloring/liquid watercolor (if desired)
- Small loose parts (e.g. beads, sequins, glitter, pebbles, shells, pom poms, etc.)
Set
Make your unique sensory bottles together:
- Pour about ½ cup of water into your bottle.
- Add in your desired “ingredients” (aka your chosen small loose parts).
- Fill the bottle up the rest of the way with clear liquid hand soap.
- Tightly seal your bottle.(Optional: Glue on the bottle top).
Play!
Explore your new sensory bottles:
- How long does it take for your items to settle on the bottom?
- Can you build with your bottles?
- What happens when you look through two bottles at a time?
- Hold your bottle up to the light, or against a window.
- SHAKE SHAKE SHAKE! TURN, TWIST, ROLL!
Play your way! What else can you do with these open-ended materials?
Why Play This Way?
Of course, we never suggest bottling up your feelings. On the contrary, this activity helps children “unbottle” everything that’s inside them by providing a self soothing tool that captivates the imagination. These bottles are just the right size to twist and turn in little hands and can be reconfigured in endless ways. Designate a special basket or bin for your sensory bottle collection so that your child can independently access them whenever they need to unwind. Bonus, you can take them on the go! Toss them in your bag for a long car trip or bring them to places where you may want to rely on some soothing quiet play (e.g. the doctor’s office, a car ride, a stay at grandpa’s, etc.).
Better with a Book
At LᐧMᐧNᐧOᐧPlay!, we love to pair our play with a great book.
Quiet Play
Extension Activities
Choose your own adventure! Select any of the extension activities or resources below and see where your play takes you next. They all build on the same play theme to extend your learning in even more ways.
