This simple butterfly sensory bag provides a calming effect for kids. The glitter makes it appealing for kids to play with. You can make it just for fun or to go along with a butterfly unit in school or homeschool.One of the things I like about sensory bags is how portable they are. While sensory bins provide more opportunity for a variety of textures and sensory experiences, sensory bags are smaller and can be taken anywhere. We have also made a butterfly sensory bin, but it was not of course as portable.
Butterfly Sensory Bag:
Materials needed:
- medium sized resealable bag
- hand sanitizer
- silver glitter
- butterfly confetti in various colours
- optional: duct tape
- Fill the bag about half full with the hand sanitizer.
- Add a fair amount of glitter. (*see note below)
- Put in some butterfly confetti.
- Seal the bag, taking out as much air as you can.
- If younger kids are going to be using this sensory bag, take duct tape and fold it in half over each of the sides of the bag (4 pieces of duct tape total). You can even use a pretty butterfly tape.
*A note about the glitter: I usually say that there’s no such thing as too much glitter, but in this case, I may have put in a bit too much glitter! It made it hard to see the butterflies.
Mistakes don’t have to ruin your activity though. I turned it around. I told the kids that the goal was to try to find all the butterflies and count them.
Sensory benefits:
This butterfly sensory bag provides tactile (touch) and visual (sight) sensory input. When kids, squeeze, squish, and press the bag, it gives them proprioceptive sensory feedback.
Language and math skills:
A child can discuss how the bag feels (squishy, gooey, textures, etc.). They can talk about the colours of the butterflies and they can count the butterflies or sort them by colour.
Get 175 sensory activity ideas in convenient printable lists which are ideal for using in the home, classroom or in a therapeutic setting.
Some of our other easy to put together sensory bags:
Squishy Shark Sensory Bag Mermaid Sensory Bag
Trolls Sensory Bag