How to Play with our Sensory Calm Down Bottles

The beautiful bottles get their name for their calming effect. They can have the most profound impact on a little one while they are navigating anxiety-inducing circumstances or big emotions like tantrums.

Here are 6 ways that we like to use our Sensory Calm Down Bottles. PS. These bottles are glued shut and cannot be opened.

• Shake the Bottles and Watch the Insides Move – Shake, shake, shake the bottles! Wow, look at the glitter. Do you see how fast it’s moving. Oh wow, the glitter is falling. Drip drip. This bottle has lots of bubbles when we shake it. I wonder how many seconds it takes for the bubbles to disappear. The balls inside are going up and the buttons are going down! They are moving in opposite directions! I wonder why that is? Do the bottles make noise when we shake them? Oh you are feeling sad, I know. It’s hard to share. Let’s shake our sensory bottle. And let’s watch the glitter fall. Good job. Let’s watch the glitter until we calm down
• Observe the Bottles in Different Scenarios – What happens when our bottles are on the windowsill? Is the sun making the bottles extra shiny? Do you see any reflections on the floor? Do the reflections change during the day? What if put a flashlight up to the bottle? What if we put a flashlight up to the bottles when we’re in a dark room?  Can you see through the bottles? What if we put two bottles next to each other – can we see through it now?
• Stack the Bottles – How many bottles can we stack on top of each other before they tumble over? Can we put all of the bottles upside down? If we knock over one bottle, will the other bottles fall down too? We can use the bottles to make a bridge for our toy car to go over. Or an obstacle that our car will been drive over? Or we might need a big truck to help move them out of the way
• Ignite your Imagination with the Bottles – Do you need some shampoo? Let me give you some. Green shampoo makes your hair extra clean. This pink soap has magical powers – it makes you want to dance! Oh no, I got some on me (start to dance)! Should we make some pretend potions?
• Decorate the Bottle – Sometimes, our little ones need a little safety toy to help them feel more secure and safe while they are doing something brave. Have your little one decorate their bottle with their favorite stickers. Then they can bring their personalized bottle with them to their next activity that puts them a little out of their comfort zone.
• Practice Color Identification with the Bottles – Can you find the purple bottle? What about the bottle with red glitter? What color balls do you see inside that bottle?