Easy Winter Sensory Bottles for Kids
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.
Adult supervision is required for all activities at all times. Some of the links provided in this blog are affiliate links. I will be paid a commission if you use this link to make a purchase.
The holiday season can be tough on parents and kids who don’t want to be inside all day. If you’re trying to find fun ways for your kids to play this Winter, then start with these Winter activities for kids. Or invest in the Winter Activity Pack, which is filled with educational ideas for young kids.
Table of Contents
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
- Iceberg Sensory Bin for Winter
- Polar Animals Sensory Bin
- Snowflake Soup
- Winter Sensory Bag
For more ideas, visit 25 Winter Sensory Activities.
Winter Activity Pack
Educational Printables for preschoolers and kindergarteners for this Winter.
Are you going to make these Winter Sensory Bottles for your kids? Don’t forget to Pin the idea for later.
