Have you tried making sensory bottles before? They are fantastic sensory and calm down toys for toddlers and preschoolers. Here I’ve made three different Winter Sensory Bottles to enjoy. If, like me, you live somewhere where it never snows, this is one way to enjoy the winter season and still see all the swirling (albeit fake) snowflakes.
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More Winter Sensory Activities
Sensory activities for kids are my go-to activity all year round. But they become even more important during the winter months when playing outside isn’t always an option. Here are some of my favorite winter-themed sensory bins for babies, toddlers and preschoolers.
Winter Forest Sensory Bin – This winter forest includes trees, snow, and if you have them, a few woodland animals to go with it. This sensory play ideas photographed terribly, but my kids loved it. They loved putting the snow on the trees (and each other). I just wish that I had some woodland animals handy to go with this. It would have been so much better if my kids could find animals that were hibernating, and others that didn’t. It would have made for a great biology lesson.
Icebergs Sensory Bin – How do you teach kids about climate change? With a play based learning idea of course. These icebergs will actually melt as they get played with and soon the polar bears have nowhere to play. Don’t worry, this sensory bin is also 100% taste safe, so even babies can join in on the fun.
Polar Animals Sensory Bin – learn all about the amazing animals that live in the polar regions and how they stay warm. Sensory play ideas often double as small worlds, and this one is no exception.
For more ideas, visit 25 Winter Sensory Activities.
Materials Needed
- 3 Clear bottles
- Warm water
- 3 bottles of clear glue (optional)
- Silver glitter
- Blue and white pom poms
- Blue, white and silver sequins
- Blue food coloring
- Eucalyptus oil (optional)
How to make Winter Sensory Bottles
Step 1: Take the label off of and clean your clear bottles.
You can buy sensory bottles online, or get regular water bottles from the shops. If you use regular water bottles you’ll need to remove the label and the residue adhesive.
I’ve tried a few different ways of removing label glue, but I found the easiest way was to use Eucalyptus oil. It cuts through the glue like magic and doesn’t require any scrubbing.
Related: Winter Sensory Bin for Toddlers – My Bored Toddler
2. Fill the bottle ½ way with warm water.
Not hot, because then it’ll melt and distort your bottle. I found this out the first time I made sensory bottles, and felt like a fool for not thinking it through first.
Make the water warm to help the glue dissolve. If you are just using only water in your sensory bottle, then it can be cold.
Related: DIY Fake Snow Winter Sensory Play – Little Bins for Little Hands
3. Add in a bottle of clear glue. (Optional)
Not all glues are water soluble. So I like to use the Elmers brand because it works perfectly. The glue is used to create a little resistance to the objects inside the sensory bottle. Without it, things like glitter and sequins don’t swirl around nicely, instead they just fall to the bottom and don’t give the same calming effect.
Related: Snowflake Soup: Winter Sensory Play – Learning and Exploring Through Play
4. Add in any other materials that you want to include.
For the first bottle I just used blue and white pom poms. I didn’t add any glue into this one, since the pom poms were so big it wasn’t necessary.
For the second bottle I added blue food coloring and silver glitter. Even though it’s so simple this was by far the kids favorite. They just loved watching the glitter swirl around like a real snowstorm.
For the last bottle, I had a variety of blue, white and silver sequins, as well as some silver glitter. I also decided to cut up some blue straws into small pieces and add those in too. What I liked about this bottle was how the sequins sunk to the bottom and the straws floated on the top. So everytime it was shaken up, the two went in different directions.
Are you going to make these Winter Sensory Bottles for your kids?
Don’t forget to Pin the idea for later.
Over 90+ pages of Winter themed play based learning activities and craft templates. Perfect for preschool and kindergarten.
