Superheroes are universally appealing for boys and girls which is one of the best things about this sensory bottle. It is also so simple to create. We used similar items last month to create a superheroes sensory bag.

Superheroes Sensory Bottle

Materials needed:

• water bottle (I used a Voss bottle)
• superheroes stickers (the ones I used happened to be glow-in-the-dark ones)
• Spiderman squishy head
• liquid hand soap
• optional: hot glue

To assemble this sensory bottle, empty the water out of the water bottle and fill it about a quarter of the way up with liquid hand soap. Add a few of the superheroes stickers. Squeeze the squishy head to be able to get it through the opening of the bottle and push it in. Add another layer of the liquid hand soap and a few more stickers. Finish it off with more of the liquid soap before putting the lid back on the bottle.

If you will be giving this superheroes sensory bottle to younger children, you may want to use hot glue to secure the lid.

A tip for getting your sensory bottle to look the way you want it to:

Before adding the lid back onto the sensory bottle, use a bamboo skewer to push down, push over, turn around, and maneuver the stickers to the place you want them to be in. This way the front of the stickers will be facing outwards.

If you’re looking for other simple sensory activities, join me for a free 5 part email series Sensory Solutions and Activities and get your Sensory System Behaviours Easy Reference Cards.

We used many of these same items to make a Superheroes Sensory Bag which the kids really enjoyed as well.

Superheroes Sensory Bag for SuperkidsWeighted Space Sensory Bottle

After the popularity of our American Girls Sensory Bag, I decided to use the same items and create an American Girls Sensory Bottle.

American Girls Sensory Bottle

Materials needed:

• water bottle (I used a Voss bottle)
• American Girls mini figures
• liquid hand soap (I used a grapefruit hand soap because I thought the pink tint went well with this sensory bottle theme)
• optional: hot glue

Empty the water bottle and fill it most of the way with the liquid hand soap before dropping in the American Girls mini figures. Place the lid back on the bottle.

If you’re using the sensory bottle with younger children, you will want to secure the lid in place with hot glue.

You can customize this sensory bottle easily by choosing different mini figures. If you want to expand on this activity or get more use from the American Girl doll mini figures, you can create an American Girls Sensory Bag when you’re finished with the sensory bottle.

Looking for more simple and fun sensory activities? Join me for a free 5 part email series Sensory Solutions and Activities and get your Sensory System Behaviours Easy Reference Cards.

Pretty Princess Sensory Bottle

Spring Sensory Bottle

Make a math unit on learning about money more fun with this Money Sensory Bottle. You can also add a Money Sensory Bag for more sensory exploration. 

Money Sensory Bottle

Materials needed:

• water bottle (I used a Voss bottle)
• money confetti
• liquid hand soap
• optional: hot glue

To create this money sensory bottle, empty the water out of the water bottle and fill most of the way to the top with the clear liquid hand soap. Add the money confetti. Put the lid back on the bottle and give it a good shake.

The liquid hand soap creates an effect where the confetti falls slowly creating a calm down bottle effect. This makes it ideal for use in the home or classroom.

If you are using this sensory bottle with younger children, you can secure the lid using hot glue.

Using more of the same money confetti, you can easily make a Money Sensory Bag and use both for a math unit.

Join me for a free 5 part email series Sensory Solutions and Activities and get your Sensory System Behaviours Easy Reference Cards.

Space Sensory BottleOcean Discovery Bottle

The Despicable Me movies are close to our hearts as an adoptive family and as fans of laughter. They are such cute stories so I thought I would create some sensory play opportunities for the kids. This Despicable Me Minions sensory bottle was simple to make. I later used the same items to make a Minions sensory bag.

I often use a clear glue and water mixture in my sensory bottles but due to the recent slime craze, it has been more challenging to find clear glue so I have switched most of my sensory bottles over to liquid hand soap as the main filler.

Materials needed:

• water bottle (I used a Voss bottle)
• Despicable Me mini figures
• liquid hand soap
• Goo Be Gone (optional)

To make this Minions sensory bottle, empty the water out of the water bottle either by drinking it or pouring it into another container. Next, peel off the labels. If you end up with residue from the labels on the bottle, you can use Goo Be Gone to remove it. Add a bit of liquid hand soap to the bottle and then drop in a mini figure. Add more liquid hand soap and then another mini figure. Continue to layer them.

One trick I have is to use a long bamboo skewer to move the mini figures in the bottle so that they are facing the way I want them to.

Fill the bottle to the top with the liquid hand soap and screw on the lid. If you are using this sensory bottle with younger children, you will want to secure the lid in place using hot glue.

If you are looking for other sensory ideas, sign up for our free 5 part email series Sensory Solutions and Activities and get our Sensory System Behaviours Easy Reference Cards.

Rainbow Rainfall Sensory Bottle

Weighted Space Sensory Bottle

Sensory bottles, sometimes called discovery bottles can be used for a variety of purposes. My kids can’t seem to be able to get enough of them, so I make a new one every few weeks. I find it easier to create them when I choose a theme.

These sensory bottles are perfect for each month of the year. They are also a good starting point for giving you ideas to create your own themed sensory bottles. You can click on each link or picture below to find full instructions as well as find out what materials you’ll need.

I use Voss water bottles for mine because I like the look of them, but you can use any water bottle. Vary the look by using different shapes and sizes of water bottles.

One Year of Sensory Bottles:

January – This New Year’s Celebration bottle is perfect to kick off the year with!

February – Valentine’s Day is made for kids to enjoy as well with this sensory bottle.

March – St. Patrick’s Day of course! This calm down bottle is simple to create for the season.

April – This Spring sensory bottle is one of our favourites of all time. I especially like the slow, calm-down effect it has.

May – Your kids will enjoy this colourful Rainbow Rainfall Sensory Bottle.

June – My girls adored our princess themed bottle.

July – Your kids can take this sky bottle outside with them and compare it to the actual sky.

August – Find sea creatures in this Ocean sensory bottle.

September – In honour of back to school, this sensory bottle has a Space theme. It’s weighted, offering great sensory feedback.

October – The beautiful colours outdoors are mimicked in this Fall sensory bottle.

November – Our melted snowman sensory bottle was so much fun to make!

December – A Christmas I-Spy discovery bottle is just in time for the holidays.

If you suspect that your child or student has sensory processing issues or differences, read Sensory Processing Explained: A Handbook for Parents and Educators. It will answer your questions and give you practical suggestions as well as sensory activity ideas for the home or classroom. 

Join me for a free 5 part email series Sensory Solutions and Activities (just pop your email into the box below) and get a printable list of 175 Great Sensory Ideas.

If you’re looking for more ideas, my friend Angela has compiled a collection of 12 months of their sensory bottles including an adorable pencil-shaped one.

This pretty princess sensory bottle was a big hit with my two youngest daughters. They loved the beautiful colours and shapes of course, but they also liked the sound. The beads from the plastic mardi gras necklace make a tinkling sound on their way down.

My girls liked listening to the beads and watching the gems and confetti sink down. They also liked how pretty this sensory bottle was.

Materials needed:

• empty water bottle (I always use Voss water bottles because I like the size and shape of them)
• gems
• butterfly and flower shaped confetti
• pink plastic hearts
• plastic silver mardi gras necklace
• water
• optional: pink or purple glitter

Pour out about a quarter of the water in a water bottle. Place the mardi gras beads, pink hearts, gems, and flower and butterfly shaped confetti inside. You may need to add a bit more water to fill it up to nearly the top. If you choose to add glitter, you can add it at this point.

Butterfly Confetti by Creative ConvertingVOSS Water Plastic BottlesLiquid Hand Soap

Replace the lid and give it a good shake. You can secure the lid with a hot glue gun if you are going to be using this princess sensory bottle with little ones. Adult supervision should of course be used as with any sensory activity.

Join me for a free 5 part email series Sensory Solutions and Activities (just pop your email into the box below) and get a printable list of 175 Great Sensory Ideas.
If you want to, you can add some pink or purple glitter before you add the water and give the sensory bottle a good shake.

Spring Sensory Bottle