Discussing Emotions with Glitter Sensory Bottles: Creating a Safe Space for Big Feelings

One of the coolest things about being a mom to K is that I have been introduced to so much cool stuff I probably wouldn’t have otherwise known about. I’m talking about all the calming stuff, sensory stuff and so on. I mean, I started buying it and making it for him, and I end up using it too.

The whole weighted blanket thing never worked out for us. But we love our weighted toys and other calming things.

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Need a quick win to make your day a little brighter (and maybe a bit sparkly)? I’ve got just the thing for you: glitter sensory bottles!

These magical little bottles are great for calming meltdowns, soothing sensory overloads, or just offering a bit of visual stimulation to keep those little (or big) hands occupied.

And let’s be honest… who couldn’t use a little glitter therapy?

I have two sets of instructions here. This DIY sensory bottle activity originally had only the option with the water beads.

But, they have been controversial recently, as some kids became sick after ingesting them. If you do not want to use water beads, use the first tutorial for the sensory bottles. The second tutorial also includes the faces for feelings and emotions.

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Glitter Sensory Bottle Supplies

• Clear plastic bottle (trust me, you do not want to use glass!)
• Warm water
• Clear glue (about a cup, but adjust as needed for bottle size)
• Glitter (all the glitter your heart desires)
• Food coloring (optional)
• Small objects (like sequins, beads, or buttons – optional)
• Super glue (to seal the deal, literally)

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How to Make Your Glitter Sensory Bottle:

1. Prep Your Bottle: Start with an empty, clear plastic bottle. A Voss water bottle is a great choice because it’s thick and sturdy, but really any clear plastic bottle will do. (Bonus points if you’re upcycling!)
2. Mix It Up: Pour about a cup of warm water into the bottle. The warm water will help dissolve the glue faster. Add a similar amount of clear glue – the more glue, the slower the glitter will move.
3. Add the Magic: Sprinkle in your glitter. Want a “Frozen”-themed bottle? Go for blue, silver, and white glitter. Feeling more like a rainbow today? Mix it up! Add as much glitter as you like – no judgment here!
4. Customize It: Drop in a few drops of food coloring if you want to give your bottle a tinted look. Feel free to toss in small objects like buttons, sequins, or beads for added visual interest.
5. Top It Off: Fill the rest of the bottle with warm water, leaving a bit of room at the top to allow everything to move around.
6. Shake and Seal: Give it a good shake to mix it all up. Once you’re happy with your creation, use super glue around the inside of the cap and screw it on tightly. This step is important – trust me, glitter spills are NOT fun.
7. Shake and Enjoy! Let your kiddo (or you – no shame here) shake and marvel at the glittery goodness. The movement of the glitter can help with calming, focus, and sensory needs.

Why Sensory Bottles Work

Glitter sensory bottles are not just pretty; they are functional too! Watching the glitter swirl can help kids (and adults!) regulate emotions, manage stress, and improve focus.

For kids with sensory processing issues, autism, or anxiety, these bottles can be a simple, effective tool for self-regulation.

And let’s be real – they’re also just plain fun.

Pro Tips:

• If your bottle is too slow or too fast, adjust the water-to-glue ratio.
• Use different shapes of glitter for varied visual effects.
• Make it a project with your child – let them choose the colors and objects to include. This gives them ownership and makes the bottle more meaningful for them.

Sensory Bottles with Water Beads

Only use this tutorial if your child has the cognitive skills to know they should not eat water beads.

Emotion Sensory Activity

This tutorial also includes instructions on putting eyes and faces on the sensory bottles to demonstrate different emotions.

Discussing Emotions with Sensory Bottles: Creating a Safe Space for Big Feelings

Sensory bottles aren’t just calming tools; they can also help kids understand and express their emotions in a safe and supportive way. By adding faces or symbols to the bottles – happy, sad, angry, calm – you can create a simple but powerful way to talk about feelings. Kids often struggle to identify or articulate their emotions, especially when they’re overwhelmed.

But having a tangible object, like a sensory bottle with a face on it, can make the abstract concept of emotions easier to grasp.

Let’s say your child is feeling frustrated but isn’t quite sure how to express it. You can reach for the bottle with an “angry” face and ask, “Is your heart feeling like this bottle right now? All shaken up and swirling around?”

This approach gives them a way to point to a visual representation of how they feel, which can be less intimidating than finding the right words. It also opens the door to discuss what’s happening inside their minds in a way that feels less overwhelming and more concrete.

Using these emotion bottles, you can create a safe environment where feelings are named, validated, and explored without judgment. It becomes less about what’s “right” or “wrong” to feel and more about understanding that all emotions are valid and normal.

Plus, watching the glitter slowly settle after shaking the bottle can be a metaphor for calming down – showing kids that, just like the glitter, their feelings may be intense, but they will eventually settle, too.

By incorporating emotion faces into your sensory bottles, you’re not only helping your child learn self-regulation skills but also creating opportunities to discuss coping strategies. Together, you can brainstorm what might help the “angry bottle” settle down faster or what makes the “happy bottle” sparkle even brighter. It’s a simple yet powerful way to foster emotional intelligence and resilience in a fun, hands-on way.

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Materials

• Glitter glue
• Glitter
• Food dye
• Water
• Water beads
• Googly eyes
• Dry erase marker
• 4oz jars
• Crazy glue

Instructions

1. Sort out the color of water beads and put into your jars.
2. Then add in a glitter pack to each bottle.
3. Squirt a little bit of glitter glue to your bottles.
4. Mix the food dye with water until you get your desired colors. Pour the water into the glass jars.
5. Glue the lids to the jars so your child will not open it up.
6. Add some googly eyes and draw faces to match the colors of emotions.

Notes

• You can add other items into your jar or use bigger jars in you would like.
• Make them along your child! Let them draw the faces.  

So go ahead, grab your glitter, and make some magic! And remember, no matter how chaotic your day is, there’s always a little glitter at the bottom of the bottle to help you get through. 😉

Got any fun sensory ideas to share? Just send us an email – I’d love to hear them!

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