My girls sometime wish they were mermaids. They all love the water. They even have those full sized mermaid tails that really work! So it’s really no surprise that they love this Mermaid Tail Sensory Bottle.The glitter falls slowly through the glue and water mixture, creating a calm down effect. This sensory bottle also provides tactile, proprioceptive, and visual sensory feedback for kids.

Mermaid Tail Sensory Bottle:

Supplies needed:

• empty plastic water bottle (I prefer to use the sensory bottles from craft stores or the Voss brand)
• Elmer’s Clear School Glue
• warm water
• teal and purple glitter
• mermaid tail toys
• small coloured gems
• optional: Superglue or hot glue to seal

Directions:

1. Pour clear glue to about the halfway point in the empty water bottle.
2. Fill with warm water almost to the top, replace the lid, and shake well to combine.
3. Add glitter, a few gems, and the mermaid tail toys into the glue mixture.
4. Seal the jar and shake well. If the glitter or confetti does not move easily, add more warm water. If the glitter or confetti moves too quickly, add additional glue.
5. Replace the lid. If you are going to be using with young children, Superglue or use hot glue to secure the lid which will avoid spills and keep this play activity safer.

As with all our sensory activities, adult supervision should always be used. Even if you have glued the lid in place, kids can sometimes get it off and the contents have small parts that could potentially be a choking hazard.

Are you looking for more easy sensory play ideas? Join us for a five day email series on Sensory Activities and Solutions and get a free sample of our Sensory Play Recipes eBook.

Check out these other easy to make sensory bottles:

Pretty Princess Sensory Bottle

Sky Sensory Bottle

Rainbow Rainfall Sensory Bottle

Lately, we’ve been changing it up a bit with our sensory bottles by making some of them in tiny test tubes. This Baseball Mini Sensory Bottle is one of those.

You can customize the colours of this baseball sensory bottle to show your support for your favourite team! Whether it’s a professional team, collage, or school team, show your team pride. You could even take it with you to cheer on your team at their games.

Baseball Mini Sensory Bottle:

Supplies needed:

• mini bottle (we used these plastic test tube treat containers)
• clear dish soap
• mini baseball beads
• red and white tri beads (or choose a colour for your favourite team)
• red glitter (or choose the colours of your favourite team!)
• black mini elastics (like the Rainbow Loom ones)
• optional: hot glue

Directions:

1. Pour clear dish soap into a mini bottle until it’s about half full.
2. Drop in some mini baseball beads.
3. Add in the beads and glitter. Drop in the small elastics.
4. If there’s any room left in the bottle, fill the the top with water.
5. Replace the lid. If using with small children, you can secure the lid with hot glue.

With this or any other sensory play activity, adult supervision is recommended. Even with the lid secured, it can be opened by determined kids or when the glue gets old and the bottle contains small parts that could be a choking hazard.

With its tiny size, this mini calm down bottle can be brought anywhere. You can tuck it into the seat pocket of the vehicle, place it inside your child’s backpack, or you can include it in their calm down kit.  This adorable mini bottle incorporates both the visual and tactile sensory systems. Because the glitter and beads stay suspended in the dish soap and fall slowly as it is turned  or flipped over, this can also serve as a calm down bottle. Children can watch the glitter slowly fall as they focus on regulating their breathing. Are you looking for more easy sensory play ideas to use with kids? Join us for a five day email series on Sensory Activities and Solutions and get a free sample of our Sensory Play Recipes eBook.

 

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You may also be interested in these mini sensory bottles:

Football Mini Sensory Bottle

Zoo Animals Mini Sensory Bottle

In case, my matching Minnie purse and wallet weren’t evidence enough, I’m a big Disney fan. I’m especially partial to Mr. and Mrs. Mouse! That is the inspiration behind this Mickey and Minnie Sensory Bottle.

If you’re also a Disney fan, you’re going to love this adorable sensory tool. It’s easy to make yourself. In the same spirit as our Minnie Mouse Slime, you can bring a bit of that Disney magic right into your own home.

If you’re hosting a Mickey Mouse themed birthday party, these would make adorable party favours for your guests to make and then take home.

Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse Sensory Bottle:

Supplies needed:

• empty water bottle (I prefer the look of Voss bottles or craft store sensory bottles)
• clear dish soap (Dawn or LemiShine are good because they are thicker)
• Mickey Mouse buttons
• Minnie Mouse buttons
• white tri beads
• black tiny elastics (the Rainbow Loom type)
• gold glitter
• optional: Superglue or hot glue to seal the bottle cap

Directions:

1. Pour clear dish soap into the container until it’s 2/3 full.
2. Add the glitter, beads, mini elastics, and Mickey and Minnie Mouse buttons.
3. Fill the remaining space with water.
4. Replace the lid. If you’re going to be using this jar with younger kids, then I highly recommend that you Superglue the lid in place and allow the glue to dry before giving it to your child to play with. You can instead secure it with hot glue.

As with all sensory activities, adult supervision should be used at all times. Even if you have glued the lid in place, it can come undone and the small parts inside are potential choking hazards.

Sensory and Learning Opportunities:

While the main sensory system targeted with sensory bottles is the Visual system, children also engage their tactile and proprioceptive sensory systems when interacting with this activity.

This activity presents many math opportunities. Kids can compare if there are more Mickeys than Minnies or vice versa or if there are an equal amount. They can count the number of characters inside or the number of one specific character. They can also guess how many white beads there are by counting them in one section and then multiplying that by the number of same size sections there are.

Thanks to the slow falling movement, this can also serve as a calm down jar, helping kids regulate their breathing and behaviour.

Are you looking for more easy sensory play ideas? Join us for a five day email series on Sensory Activities and Solutions and get a free sample of our Sensory Play Recipes eBook.

Check out some of other sensory bottles:

Insect Sensory Bottle

Lego Sensory Bottle

Nature Sensory Bottles

Recently, we discovered a new way to bring excitement to our sensory bottles by making mini ones in little play test tubes. This Zoo Mini Sensory Bottle is so cute.

Zoo Mini Sensory Bottle:

Supplies needed:

• mini bottle (we used plastic test tube treat containers like these)
• clear dish soap
• mini zoo animals
• tiny white beads
• brown, black, and green mini elastics (like the Rainbow Loom kind)
• optional: hot glue

Directions:

1. Pour clear dish soap into a mini bottle until it’s about half full.
2. Drop in the tiny animals.
3. Add in sequins and glitter.
4. If there’s any room left in the bottle, fill the the top with water.
5. Replace the lid. If using with small children, you can secure the lid with hot glue.

With any other sensory play activity including this one, adult supervision is recommended. Even with the lid glued in place, it can be opened by determined kids or when the glue gets old. The bottle contains small parts that could be a choking hazard for kids.

This mini sensory bottle allows kids to bring it with them anywhere. It can be tucked into the seatback pocket of the vehicle, put in your child’s backpack, kept on their bedside table, or included in their calm down kit.

This adorable mini calm down bottle engages both the visual and tactile sensory systems. Because the glitter and sequins stay suspended in the dish soap and fall slowly as it is turned, it also produces a calming effect. Kids can watch the items fall slowly as they work on regulating their breathing.

If you’re looking for other sensory play ideas, join us for a five day email series on Sensory Activities and Solutions. You’ll also get a free sample of our Sensory Play Recipes eBook.

Check out our other mini sensory bottles for kids:

Football Mini Sensory Bottle

Baseball Mini Sensory Bottle

Girls (and some boys!) are going to go crazy over this Unicorns and Fairies Sensory Bottle. It’s so pretty that it could even be used as a bedroom or playroom decoration when they are finished playing with it.

Unicorns and Fairies Sensory Bottle:

Supplies needed:

• empty water bottle (I prefer the look of Voss bottles or craft store sensory bottles)
• clear dish soap (Dawn or LemiShine are good because they are thicker)
• small unicorn and fairy figurines (you can often find these in the party favour section of the Dollar Store or Target)
• purple glitter
• pink, purple, teal, and white pony beads
• small flower gems
• short ribbon curls in pink, purple, teal, and white
• optional: Superglue to seal

Directions:

1. Cut short lengths of ribbon. Use scissors to curl them.
2. Pour clear dish soap into the container until it’s 2/3 full.
3. Add the glitter, unicorn and fairy toys, beads, ribbon curls, and flowers.
4. Fill any remaining space with water.
5. Replace the lid. If you’re going to be using with younger kids, then I recommend that you super glue the lid in place and allow the glue to dry before giving it to your child to play with.

As with all sensory activities for kids, adult supervision is recommended at all times. Even if you’ve Superglued the lid in place, it can still come off and the bottle contains small parts which are choking hazards.

Sensory and Learning Opportunities:

This Unicorns and Fairies Sensory Bottle allows children to engage their visual, tactile, and proprioceptive sensory systems.

Kids can practise counting as their count the unicorns and fairies. They can get it some colour and counting learning as they count how many pink flowers there are or how many purple ribbons.

Are you looking for more easy sensory play recipes? Join us for a five day email series on Sensory Activities and Solutions and get a free sample of our Sensory Play Recipes eBook.

Discover some of our other creative sensory bottles:

Van Gogh Inspired Starry Night Sensory Bottle

At the Beach Natural Sensory Bottle

Bedtime Calming Sensory Bottle

I love this Dinosaur Sensory Bottle. I know it’s a gender stereotype to say that pink is for girls, but the reality is that it still is generally thought to be more of a feminine colour. So what I love about this is that it takes what is typically thought to be a boy interest (dinosaurs) and pairs it with colours typically associated with girls.

What is created is a sensory experience perfect for boys and girls.

Dinosaur Sensory Bottle:

Supplies needed:

• empty water bottle (I prefer the look of Voss bottles or craft store sensory bottles)
• clear dish soap (Dawn or LemiShine are good because they are thicker)
• brightly coloured dinosaur figurines
• orange and gold glitter
• orange, white, blue, and peach pony beads and smaller beads
• green mini rubber bands (like the Rainbow Loom elastics you probably have laying around the house!)
• optional: Superglue or hot glue to seal the bottle cap

Directions:

1. Pour enough clear dish soap into the bottle to make it 2/3 full.
2. Add the glitter, mini rubber bands, dinosaur toys, and coloured beads.
3. Fill the rest of the container with water.
4. Put the lid back on. If you’re going to be using this sensory bottle with young children, then I suggest that you superglue the lid in place or use hot glue to secure. Be sure to let the glue dry before giving it to your child to play with.

Adult supervision should be used at all times when kids are playing with this activity. Even if you glue the lid in place, it can come off especially over time. The bottle contains small parts which are choking hazards.

Sensory and Learning Opportunities:

The visual, tactile, and proprioceptive sensory systems and engaged when using the dinosaur sensory bottle.

This sensory bottle can be used for a dinosaur unit study at home or in the classroom. Here are some other suggestions for interactive sensory learning about dinosaurs:

Dinosaur Fossils in Playdough

Dinosaur Sensory Bin

Dinosaur Slime

Gross Motor Dinosaur Action Cube

Are you wanting more easy sensory play ideas? Join us for a five day email series on Sensory Activities and Solutions and get a free sample of our Sensory Play Recipes eBook.