Sensory Bottles

As it was Mental Health Awareness week recently, the babies at The Court House have been taking care of themselves through recognising and stimulating their senses. The babies started off the morning with some water play as we listened to some relaxing music before we got stuck into making sensory bottles! Hannah had been clearing out her cupboards at home and found some items that were out of date. Rather than throw them away and waste them, she had the idea to repurpose lentils, black beans, and rice into sensory bottles – listening to the sounds they made channelled us to tune into our sense of hearing.

Hannah also set up a jug of water with different coloured lustre powder to create a mystical effect. The children could choose what they wanted to put in their bottle and we made sure to take the time in between each added media to tune into our senses and talk about what we could hear and see as well as how it made us feel. The children were so proud of their bottles as they saw them come together and we’re really pleased with the process too. This activity was great for promoting individual liberty as the children we’re able to vocalise or use gestures to show what they wanted in their own sensory bottles. The children also had choice of whether to use their hands or a spade – both of which promote fine motor muscle development as they used a pincer grip to pick up smaller pieces as well as a palmar grasp to hold larger quantities. This also made links to early mathematics and literacy as we used positional language and quantities which then expanded our vocabulary. The children were so proud of their bottles they couldn’t wait to take them home to show their families!