Sensory Bottles for Toddlers! DIY FUN!

So, you may be asking yourself “What the heck is a Sensory Bottle?”  Well, that is a great question!  Before I had a toddler (and before the days of pinterest) I’d never heard of them either.

Sensory Bottles are, well, bottles, filled with different items that push your child to use their senses! What do these items SOUND like when you shake the bottle?  What do they SEE when they turn the bottle upside down? What does it FEEL like when the items crash against the side of the bottle?

I decided to make a few for Avery, using items we had around the house! I had noticed that she loved taking my almost empty water bottles and shaking them up, watching the bubbles, and hearing the swoosh of the water!  I knew she’d love these sensory bottles!

And the best part is that you’re recycling (YAY!) and using things you probably already have in your home, so they don’t cost a thing! (Yay again!)

         What you need:

• An empty water or drink bottle (any kind/size/shape will do!  I used smaller bottles so they were easier for Avery to handle)
• Rice
• Food coloring (optional)
• Plastic letters or numbers
• Glue gun or super glue
• Tape (optional)

Directions:

Clean and dry the water bottle. Fill about two thirds of the way with rice. Add plastic letters/number. Put a bit of glue around the cap and seal (be careful not to get any on your hands!) I wrapped the cap with tape because I like to be overly cautious!

To make the rainbow rice, put rice in an empty bottle and add a few drops of food coloring. Close bottle and shake until color is distributed throughout the rice!  Pour out rice and put it aside, and continue following these steps until you have all the colors you’d like!

Have your child shake, and roll the bottle. See if they can find specific letters or numbers. Have them identify the letters/numbers they find.

What you need:

• An empty water or drink bottle
• Sand
• Food coloring (optional–I only had tan sandbox sand, so I added a few drops of blue food coloring and shook it up to give the sand a fun color!)
• any small items that you have around the house (shells, small erasers, beads, rocks, anything that will fit in the bottle!)
• Glue gun or super glue
• Tape (optional)

Directions:

Clean and dry the water bottle. Fill about two thirds of the way with sand. Add the small items. Put a bit of glue around the cap and seal (be careful not to get any on your hands!) Wrap the cap with tape if you’d like.

Have your child shake, and roll the bottle. See if they can find specific items! It’s a fun game! “Can you find the apple?”  Or have them identify the items they found! “Mommy I found the sea shell!”

What you need:

• An empty water or drink bottle
• water
• glitter, sequins, beads
• Food coloring (optional)
• Glue gun or super glue
• Tape (optional)

Directions:

Clean and dry the water bottle. Add glitter, sequins and beads. Fill bottle with water, and add a drop or two of food coloring (if you’d like) Put a bit of glue around the cap and seal (be careful not to get any on your hands!) Wrap the cap with tape if you’d like.

Your child will enjoy shaking the bottle and seeing the sparkles swirl around! It’s so pretty!

What you need:

• An empty water or drink bottle
• water
• Oil
• Food coloring
• Glue gun or super glue
• Tape (optional)

Directions:

Clean and dry the water bottle. Fill bottle half way with water, and add a drop or two of food coloring. Fill the rest of the bottle with vegetable oil. Put a bit of glue around the cap and seal (be careful not to get any on your hands!) Wrap the cap with tape if you’d like.

Shaking the bottle and turning it over will create beautiful bubbles and oil flows!  It’s kind of like a lava lamp! So pretty!!

Avery really loves her sensory bottles!! Remember, these are just the variations I made!  Use your imagination and create your own!! The options are endless!!

Have you ever made sensory bottles before?  What would you add to yours to make them interesting and fun?