Early childhood sensory activities are a cornerstone of early learning. If you’ve ever wondered why sensory activities are important, it’s because of all the inherent benefits within each and every sensory experience. Activities that stimulate the senses create brain connections, develop motor muscles, improve language skills, and much more.

This DIY Unicorn Glitter Sensory Bottle for Preschoolers puts a magical spin on sensory activities for kids. Learn how to make a sensory bottle, then adapt it any way you would like! Keep it all magic, with unicorns only, or add numbers and/or letters to focus on a skill. Perhaps the best thing about a homemade sensory bottle is that it will last throughout the theme and long into the next!

Unicorn DIY sensory bottle for kids.

Learning About Sensory Activities for Preschoolers:

BENEFITS OF SENSORY PLAY

SENSORY ACTIVITIES FOR TODDLERS AND PRESCHOOLERS ARE NOT JUST ENGAGING FOR KIDS. THEY OFFER SOME REAL BENEFITS IN THE BRAIN AND BODY THAT SET KIDS UP FOR FUTURE LEARNING SUCCESS.

From birth, babies and toddlers naturally explore with their senses. As they explore by touching, tasting, hearing, smelling, and seeing, important connections begin to form in the brain. By the time they reach preschool-age, they are ready for experiences that encourage language development, motor muscle development, and skill acquisition.

DIY sensory bottles are awesome for so many reasons! They are easy to make and can be a shared craft with your toddler or preschooler. They are super customizable, and they provide hours of entertainment after they are made!

Make this unicorn discovery bottle with just a few supplies.

As you make the sensory bottle DIY project, or during exploration, you can encourage talking and thinking in your child:

  • How many purple/blue/red unicorns do you see?
  • What do you think unicorns like to eat?
  • What animals sort of looks like a unicorn?
  • Why aren’t the beads dropping to the bottom of the water bottle?
Unicorn DIY sensory bottle.

What Can Preschoolers Learn With Sensory Play?

SENSORY EXPERIENCES IN PRESCHOOL

SENSORY PLAY IS PACKED WITH BENEFITS WE MIGHT NOT EVEN REALIZE.

Close up of the sequins and beads inside of the homemade sensory bottle.

Why Is It Important For Kids To Engage Senses?

Besides the fact that kids love hands-on projects, there are many other reasons you should practice sensory play.

Develop Brain Connections

Activating the senses helps develop neurological connections in the brain. The more connections children form, the more prepared those pathways will be for learning skills and concepts as they grow.

Strengthen Muscles

As kids grip, pinch, draw in shaving cream, turn the bottle, or feel different textures, they strengthen fine motor skills needed for writing, playing, and more.

Improve Vocabulary

Depending on the content of the sensory bottle or sensory bin, children can learn and practice new vocabulary in meaningful ways.

Understand Self-Regulation

Using a calming bottle, or other quiet sensory activity, can be a soothing activity to help kids learn to calm down, relax, or de-escalate from a high-stress situation.

How To Make The Unicorn Sensory Bottle

SUPPLIES:

  • Wide mouth plastic bottle
  • 5 oz. clear school glue
  • Turquoise beads
  • Sequins (purple, pink, turquoise)
  • Glitter (purple, pink, iridescent)
  • Unicorn buttons
  • Silver confetti
  • Water
  • Tape (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Pour all of the glue into the bottle.
  2. Add beads.
  3. Add glitter.
  4. Add confetti.
  5. Add buttons.
  6. Fill the bottle with water. If desired, use tape to secure the bottle.

Next, it’s time to shake and watch the water, beads, glitter, and glue make magic!

NOTE: If you see bubbles forming from the glue, you can scrape them off of the top and then fill with more water until they settle down. You can also substitute baby oil for glue as desired, or use glow in the dark stars for a fun twist.

I Spy

Use the unicorn sensory bottle as a fun way to spy all of the objects in the bottle. Take turns being the person who “spies” something.

Counting Practice

Get some counting practice in by finding and counting all of the white/pink/purple unicorns or beads in the sensory bottle.

Create a Story

Use the objects in the bottle as a springboard for silly stories! Ever hear about the unicorn that refused to eat vegetables?!

More from our Shop

Find even more engaging activities in the Life Over C’s shop!

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