Looking for some toy that is great for emotional regulation and sensory development? Well, look no further. Find out how you can make your own Sensory Bottle and use it to a great effect
WHAT IS SENSORIMOTOR DEVELOPMENT:
Sensorimotor development is a process of cognitive and motor development through our reactions to the external stimuli using our senses and perception.
It means that humans, like all living beings, will react to the things that are happening around us and through that we will learn.
We use our senses: (1) Sight, (2) Smell, (3) Hearing, (4) Taste and (5) Touch to receive information from our surroundings and we react to that based on our innate instincts and past learning experience.
Sensorimotor development is crucial in infant development, from age of 0 to 24 months of age because that is the development stage when children rely the most on basic senses to learn. Of course, sensorimotor development happens whole life, but it is most important in those early ages because then is the time when those important neural connections in our brain are being created.
We won’t go into more details here, but we got you covered: You can read all about Sensorimotor development and activities for Children that you can make and use at your home.
In this article, we will cover one activity that you can use for sensorimotor development – Sensory Bottle.
TIPS ON USING SENSORY BOTTLE:
There are tons of ways you can make the Sensory bottle. All you need is a… well… Bottle! Everything else is mostly left to your imagination and creativity.
Making sensory bottle can also be an excellent activity for older children who can use the process of creating it for learning about different substances, chemical and physical properties of materials in use.
For toddlers, the sensory bottle can be used for sensorimotor stimulation and emotional regulation. Since toddlers are capable of manipulating objects on their own, they are capable manipulating the bottle with their own hands. So you can use bottles with different shapes and textures to engage your child in full spectrum of sensorimotor stimulation and development.
As for infants, they probably won’t be able to physically manipulate sensory bottle but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be using it. On the contrary, the sensory bottle is one of best toys for infants. Since they mostly rely on audio and visual stimuli from their surroundings, the sensory bottle is a great learning tool. You can shake the bottle, squeeze it, rotate it and see how your child will be interested in the effects. A Sensory bottle is a great tool that helps you provide right stimuli for your infant brain development.
MATERIALS NEEDED FOR SENSORY BOTTLE:
- Empty Bottle
- Some Water
- Glass
- Food color
- Glitter
- Baby oil
- And bonus:
- Stick or a spoon to mix it
- Funnel
INSTRUCTIONS FOR MAKING SENSORY BOTTLE:
You can watch the video at the beginning of the article to see step by step guide and how to make sensory bottle guide in action, or continue reading description below.
- Using the Baby oil and a funnel, fill the empty bottle to the half.
- Add some glitter to the bottle – the more you add – the better effect.
- Pour some water (you will need enough to fill the rest of the bottle) into the glass and add Food coloring. Mix it all together. You can choose any color you like.
- After mixing the water and food color, using a funnel, fill the rest of the bottle with the colored water.
- Seal the bottle tightly and shake it.
- Enjoy the wonderful effect of the sensory bottle.
POSITIVE EFFECTS OF SENSORY BOTTLE:
- Self-regulation of emotions and calming effect
- Focuses attention and concentration
- Has a meditation effect
- Discovery and learning effect
- Stimulation of brain activity
- Great toy for playing and learning
- Exploration of cause and effect
For more sensorimotor activities, be sure to check How to make Sensory Bag, How to make Sensory Play Colors and How to make Homemade Playdough and let the fun to continue. And if you’re interested in exploring colors in addition to sensory play, we recommend looking at how to make a Rainbow colored rice activity.
If you’re searching for some great STEM Activities for Kids and Child development tips, you’re on the right place! Check the Categories below to find the right activity for you.
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