Sensory bottles

Empty plastic bottles (small water bottles are ideal), food colouring, veg/baby oil, small floatable items.

This will encourage your child to focus and engage with something for a sustained period of time. It is also a fun science experiment putting it together and observing the changing states of materials.

Enjoy some sensory play and create new toys to play with! Fill your empty bottles with water. Try using some food colouring to create different colours. By placing a little into a shallow bowl or cup with a small spoon, your child may be able to pour a little colouring into the bottle (depending on age and physical ability). 

You can add items to your bottles that will create visual interest, such as glitter, soap to make bubbles, oil (any vegetable cooking oil will do, or baby/bath oil will also work) dried rice, sequins or any small items that will fit into the bottle to observe what will happen! 

Once filled, screw the lids on tightly and enjoy using the bottle with your child, tipping and moving it to observe the change to the materials inside. This can be a very calming and relaxing activity for your little one, as they become absorbed in watching the bottle.