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Supplies needed:

Plastic Bottles

rice, water, corn water

various items to fill, beads, and/or small colorful shapes

Development areas:

physical: use of coordination such as turning, shaking and rotating

Intellectual: helps your baby work on sensory play and explore different colors, shapes and textures.

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One of the easiest forms of sensory play for babies and toddlers is creating a sensory bottle. DIY sensory bottles are staples in our household. What I love about them is how creative you can get with them, as well as being something your little ones can grow with.

I made my first set of sensory bottles when the girls weren't even crawling and they're still using them, just finding new ways to play with them. There are so many different things you can put inside of them. You can get as creative or as simple as you want. You can use them for tummy time as your little ones watch the glitter fall own or for a tool to help toddlers calm down or for shaking during music time. Really, the possibilities are endless!

When it comes to making them, my favorite place to buy supplies is at the dollar store. The one where EVERYTHING is one dollar. If you haven't discovered what a gem the Dollar Tree is when it comes to kids crafts, well, you're welcome. They have everything you need and more. You can even order on their website and have things shipped directly to your house.

I've included a few examples of sensory bottles that I've made, but like I said, the possibilities are endless. Just get creative and just like everything, trial and error to see what works.

(I've bolded the important items. Other items are suggestions on what to put in the bottles)
- Plastic Bottles (cleaned & dried)
- Corn Syrup
- Water
- Food Coloring
- Beads
- Rice
- Pom Poms
- Glitter
- Small Plastic Animals
- Googley Eyes
- Superglue

I find most of my "ingredients" for sensory bottles at the Dollar Tree. You'll be surprised what you can find and it's all just $1!

I made a few different types of sensory bottles and will show you how, but really, use your imagination or whatever you find at the store. Whatever your kids are into, put it in a bottle. What you like, put in a bottle. Whatever you think fits, put it in a bottle. The possibilities are endless! I will say, rice is a great base for a ton of different bottles. It makes a really cool noise, plus it sort of hides what you put inside - making it even more exciting when you shake it.

Rice & Beads

Step 1 : Wash and dry your bottle. This is very important. I didn't dry the first bottle and it ended up looking very cloudy once the rice was in there and shook around a few times.

Step 2 : Fill the bottle with rice. I would say half to three fourths of the way depending on what else you're adding. You want to leave room to be able to shake the contents. For this bottle, I only added beads, so I put a little extra rice.

Tip: Use a funnel of some sort to add to the bottles. It makes it easier to fill + it isn't as messy. My first attempt without the funnel left rice everywhere!

Step 3: Once you've finished adding your rice, it's time to add the beads. Just as your added the rice, do the same with the beads. Keeping in mind, not to fill it to the top. You want room to shake!

Step 4: It's time to secure your bottle. I use super glue and lots of it. You do not want you toddler to be able to take the lid off and spill rice/beads everywhere! Hello, major choking hazard. I've even added duct tape to the outside to secure it even more.

Let your glue dry a bit and that's it! You've created your sensory bottle. Time to get your kiddos approval!

I first introduced the bottles to the girls around 8 months. The bottles were a little big for them at the time when it came to shaking, but that didn't stop them from exploring. They were fascinated by everything inside and how it moved + they loved it when I would shake it for them. You could also do a smaller bottle. However, now that the girls are 14 months, they carry these all around and shake them like crazy.

Corn Syrup, Water & Glitter Bottle

This bottle took a bit of experimenting to get it just right. The goal of this bottle was to make it move slowly, which meant I had to get the right water to corn syrup ratio. Too much water and it would be too fast. Too little syrup and it would be too slow. You could also use Softsoap clear liquid hand soap instead of corn syrup.

Step 1: Clean/dry your water bottle. If you can't get the glue off, try using rubbing alcohol.
Step 2: Add 3/4 cup (or so) WARM water (it helps mix the corn syrup/soap better).
Step 3: Add in food coloring, gems, glitter, small toys, etc.
Step 4: Fill the rest of the bottle up with corn syrup or clear soap.
Step 5: Super glue the top down!

I experimented with adding water first and adding the corn syrup first. It works both ways, but I think best by doing water first.

I added glitter and birthday/star sequins. It worked out perfectly!

I love how slowly the birthday cakes drop as they swirl through the glitter. It was great for the girls, but also memorizing for me!

Bells and More Bells

This has to be the easiest (and loudest) sensory bottle to make! It was a last minute make. Once they ate all of the puffs, I took off the label and cleaned out the bottle. Actually, I am not sure if I did...there might be puff dust in there! Once the bottle is clean, or semi-clean, add bells! Close the top and duct tape or super glue it closed. That's it! Now they have a new musical sensory bottle.

I was lucky enough to find a huge mason jar of bells at the thrift store for $2!

Funny enough, as I was finishing up, Harper walked over to the bottles and started playing whit hem. Yes, snotty nose and all. We are OVER this midwestern winter.

I hope you have the most fun creating these for or with your little ones. If you have any questions or need inspiration, shoot me a message over on Instagram.

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Do you love sensory bottles as much as we do? Here are step by step insturctions to create baby and toddler sensory bottles, perfect for them to explore the world around them.

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Bubble Foam Sensory Bin for Toddlers - Happy Toddler Playtime

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Supplies needed:

Water

Bubble bath

Bin/table

Food coloring (if wanted)

Development areas:

Physical- this is a hands-on activity and promotes your toddlers motor skill development.

Intellectual- engages your toddlers senses, exploration, and curiosity

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This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy. Adult supervision is required for all activities found on HappyToddlerPlaytime.com.

Here's an easy way to make a soft and fluffy "clean" sensory bin for your toddler using just a few common ingredients you probably already have at home! Hours of fun indoors or out!

How to Make Bubble Foam for Sensory Play

Making thick frothy bubble foam for sensory play is super easy! You'll need 2 parts water and 1 part bubble bath. I find the non-organic brands that are tear free work best.

Grab a mixing bowl and add 2 parts water and 1 part bubble bath. Add a drop or two of food colouring. Use a hand mixer to easily and quickly whip up the bubbles. Spoon out the bubble foam into your sensory bin or sensory table. Be sure to not to include the water. And that's it! Its so easy and so fun for kids!

Bubble Foam Sensory Bin

Turning your frothy peaks of soap foam into a sensory bin is super easy. Grab a sensory bin or a sensory table and spoon out the soap foam.

Add bowls and spoons and whisks and you are all set up for an amazing sensory play adventure. If you want to get fancy, add trucks or pom poms!

Age Suitability for Taste-Safe Playdough for Babies and Toddlers

This activity is good for babies and toddlers aged children 12 months old and up. My kids are 4.5, 4.5 and 8 years old.

Mess Level

The mess level for this activity is medium.

Difficulty to Create

Low.

Skills Developed

Language development, color recognition, hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills, imaginative play, creativity.

Supplies for Bubble Foam Sensory Bin for Toddlers

(This post and list contains affiliate links for your convenience. If you make a purchase using one of these links, I may earn a commission. Please visit my disclosure policy for more information.)

Toddler and Preschooler Curriculums, Books & TV Show!

Play2Learn for Toddlers includes 20 Units for toddlers. Each 2-week toddler unit has 20 super easy to set up and engaging activities for toddlers 18 months to 3 years. And Play2Learn Preschool which includes 20 Units for preschoolers. Each 2-week preschoolers unit has 20 unique and easy to set up and engaging activities for preschoolers 3 years to 5 years. That's over 800 learning activities for your toddler and preschooler at your fingertips! So many ideas you and your child will never be bored again!
Click here for more information: Play2Learn

Designed for toddlers 18 months and up.
Did you know I wrote a book of sensory bins? Click here for more information Exciting Sensory Bin for Curious Kids. Or grab your copy at Amazon.

Boring afternoons are made exciting with awesome animal-based bins, like Salty Shark Bay or Yarn Farm. Pretend play bins like Birthday Cake Sensory Play or Bubble Tea Party encourage creativity and imagination. And your kids will have so much fun they won't even know they're getting smarter with STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) activities like Sink or Float Soup, Magnetic Letter Hunt or Ice Cream Scoop and Count.
Designed for toddlers 18 months and up.

Learning all about science, technology, engineering, art, and math sets kids up for scholastic success―and it can be so much fun! Watch kids enjoy building STEAM skills as they color friendly fish, help water find its way to tree roots, solve math problems with mazes, and more.

Find out more and grab your copy here.
Designed for preschoolers 3 years old and up.

Riddle me this: What's an exciting way to practice critical thinking while having a blast? The Big Riddle Book for Kids, of course! From hilarious puns to tough brain teasers, kids can build problem-solving skills with hundreds of riddles that show them how to think outside the box.

350 riddles for kids-Have hours of fun with riddles, puns and jokes, and math and logic puzzles that'll get their wheels turning!

Level up their skills-Riddles get trickier as kids progress through the book, challenging them as they get better at solving puzzles!

Double-check their work-Kids can check their answers in the back of the book with a handy answer key.

Help children expand their minds while having fun with this puzzle book for kids!

Designed for kids ages 6 years old and up.

I'm so excited to finally share my new crafting TV show Curious Crafting which launched July 1 at on TVOkids and TVOkids YouTube!

Set in the ultimate crafting space, Curious Crafting is a short form pre-school age series about the joy of making crafts. I lead a rotating cast of adorable little preschoolers (including my own) making magic out of common household objects.

In each episode we transform recycled items into magical crafts like a milk carton school bus, paper bag puppet or cotton pad turtle. The crafters learn and laugh their way through each activity while demonstrating what their young imaginations can create.

Curious Crafting shares the adventure and joy of making art with takeaway lessons for creating crafts at home.
This show designed for toddlers and preschoolers 2.5 years old and up.
WILL YOU TRY MAKING BUBBLE FOAM WITH YOUR KIDS? PIN IT FOR LATER.

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Bubble Foam Sensory Bin for Toddlers - Happy Toddler Playtime

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Here's an easy way to make a bubble foam sensory bin for your toddler using just a few common ingredients you probably already have at home

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Supplies needed:

Paper

Craft paper, paint, swatches, or stickers

Double sided tape

Marker

Development areas:

Physical- by searching and collecting items

Intellectual- Developed by problem-solving, organizing, and sequencing

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Supplies needed:

Table/ Flat surface

Legos

Lego bat

Washable paint

Development areas:

Social- activities and games with friends to play with each other

Intellectual- Develop fine motor skills using hands to connect pieces together

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Turns out, kids can do more with Lego than sit on the floor and build! These indoor games will get them active as they play with Lego.

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Supplies needed:

Straws

Pipe cleaners

Scissors

Development areas:

Social- get to make it wand give them to friends.

Emotional- get to choose what friend to make it for and shows how they feel about friendships.

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Disclosure: I am a member of the Netflix Stream Team, and was provided with free service and a device to stream it on. Each month, I'll be participating in challenges. All opinions are my own.
The month of November is all about pondering and celebrating the things we are grateful for. I wanted to focus our thankfulness on something simple that my children could understand and something that would have meaning to them. Netflix suggested we focus on friendship - what a perfect thing for my children's young minds to understand. We decided to make this a fun activity and create some Toddler Friendship Bracelets that they could share with their friends.

I wanted to start first on siblings. My boys are 16 months apart and are best friends and worst enemies. We love Wild Kratts and I feel like it is such a great example of brothers having fun and loving each other.

I then wanted to focus on their other friends: cousins and school/church friends. We watched some Justin Time and then made our Toddler Friendship Bracelets.

Toddler Friendship Bracelets
Directions:
Cut the straws into 1/2- to 1-inch pieces. These will be the "beads" for your bracelets.

String the beads onto the pipe cleaners. This is also great hand-eye coordination practice for toddlers.

Once all the beads have been added, twist and tie closed.

The kids loved making the Toddler Friendship Bracelets for each other and surprising their cousins with them when they got to Nanna's house for Thanksgiving.

I hope that you found something to be thankful for and shared it with your children. Netflix has a great variety of shows so check them out and continue celebrating your gifts as we head into the holiday season.

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Toddler Friendship Bracelets are a fun way to teach children about the gift of friendship and promote hand-eye coordination.

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Supplies needed:

Blankets

Cloth

Bedding

Development areas:

Physical- a growth motor skill that helps them with the ability to move and touch surroundings

Social- interact and communicate with others to overcome challenges

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All kids need a place to call their own - a spot where they make the rules and finally get a chance to be in charge - even if it's only for a brief period. Forts provide the perfect spot for that tiny taste of autonomy, as well as an opportunity for the creative, unstructured play that kids crave. Even better, building a fort together gives you and your kids a chance to bond over something fun, whether you're piling cushions and blankets on the couch to ride out a rainy day, or poring over blueprints in preparation to construct an epic tree house in the yard. Read on for ideas on crafting a little play spot that's just right for your child.

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Every kid dreams of having the ultimate play fort. Here are 10 you can build for your child to make those dreams come true.

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Supplies needed: (all can be found at dollar tree)

Washable paint

Paint brushes

Clear shower curtain

String, scissors and tape

Development areas:

Social: painting with other children or adults expands their social skills

Physical: using motor skills by moving around and painting with hands and/or brushes.

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A super fun and easy summer activity for kids using dollar store supplies!

If you're looking for easy outdoor activities for kids, shower curtain painting is a must try. Using just a few cheap supplies from the Dollar Store you can create a new and unique painting canvas for your little ones to paint and explore. This simple activity kept my son entertained for hours and I was able to work in clean up as part of the fun!

As soon as the weather warms up and the sun is shining, I send my kids outside to play. No excuses. We spend as much time outdoors as possible during spring and summer. So this fun, budget friendly, and easy to set up activity is right up our alley. It's a messy play activity that's perfect for kids 2 years old and up. It was so entertaining, I couldn't help but join in myself!

Here's What You Need

Washable Paints

Large Paintbrushes

Clear Shower Curtain

Twine/String

Scissors

Tape (to secure ends)

Optional but Fun - Sponges and a bucket of soapy water for clean up

How to Set Up Outdoor Shower Curtain Painting

Step 1: Unwrap the clear shower curtain and thread your twine through the holes at the top. Make sure to leave enough twine on each end to tie the shower curtain in place. I was able to attach one side of the twine to my fence and the other to a pillar on the patio. But two trees close enough together or hanging on your fence works well too! Just make sure your string is long enough before cutting it.

Step 2: Use a small piece of tape at each end of the shower curtain to secure the string in place (this keeps it from sliding back and forth). I also placed a few large rocks at the bottom of the shower curtain to prevent it from blowing all over in the wind.

Step 3: Pour the washable paints in containers and let your kids have fun! I love these spill proof paint cups from Amazon for toddlers and preschoolers.

Step 4: Clean up! This part is optional but also so much fun for kids while also teaching them to tidy up after themselves. Grab a bucket, fill it with some soapy water and sponges, and then let your kids scrub the paint off of the shower curtain.

This boredom busting activity is perfect for spring and summer. Painting on a canvas that moves can be a bit tricky at first but that's part of what makes this painting activity so magical. Watching my little one create, paint, and explore was worth the few minutes it took to set up this ingenious painting game. And remember, you can use this shower curtain painting activity over and over all summer long - just add paint!

More Fun Outdoor Activities 👇🏻

Easy Water Table Hack | Water Gun Painting | DIY Sidewalk Chalk Paint | DIY Flower Trees

Leave a comment...

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If you're looking for a fun and easy outdoor activity for kids this summer, check out shower curtain painting! Using a few dollar store supplies you can make a messy outdoor play activity that kids absolutely love. Washable paints and a clear shower curtain are all you need for the best summer activity for kids!

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Natural & Edible Baby Finger Paint - Beech-Nut

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Supplies needed:

Small bowl

2 tbs Greek yogurt, 1 tbs apple and blueberry purée, 1 tsp rice baby cereal

Blender

Development areas:

Social- can paint with someone

Physical- using hand movements and explore

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Finger painting is such a fun (and messy) activity for baby to be able to practice their fine motor skills while having fun exploring the feelings and textures of the paint on their bare skin.

This recipe is great for babies and toddlers (6 months +) because it is completely made out of food!

That's right, no food coloring or additives in this recipe. This means that baby is free to paint, eat and play as much as they want without the worry that they will be eating too much food dye or unwanted ingredients.

In less than 3-minutes you can have homemade finger paint for a fun activity with your little one. All you need is some Greek yogurt, a little rice baby cereal, a few jars of brightly colored baby purées and a few sheets of large construction paper (white paper helps the paint colors show up). My favorite purées to use (and the ones that produced the most vivid results) are prune purée, butternut squash purée, carrot purée, green bean purée andapple & blackberry purée. But chances are, that if you have another bright purée at home, that will work just as well.

Now, this paint isn't the brightest finger paint out there. It is still very pretty and has a softer feel than most paints on the market. If you want to ramp your colors up a little , feel free to add a couple drops of food dye (this natural dye is our favorite) to the mixture and stir until combined.

Activities Using the Finger Paint: Spoon a big dollop of different paint colors on baby's highchair tray and let them go wild with it on a sheet of paper or on the tray itself (pro tip - have some wet wipes handy!) Go on a walk with baby and pick up a small collection of sticks, flowers and leaves. Put some dollops of paint on a paper plate or small tray and let them use the objects you found to paint on a big piece of construction paper. On the floor, lay down an old sheet (you can also do this outside). On top of the sheet, lay down a big piece of construction paper and put some dollops of paint on one edge or on a separate paper plate. Let baby walk in the paint and then onto paper. You may want to undress baby down to their diaper because it will start with their feet and then end up getting on their entire body. Again, did I mention having wet wipes around is a good idea? For those babies and toddlers that can't stand to get messy, you can provide them with some paint brushes and let them have fun as well.

Red Finger Paint:

In a small bowl, mix together 2 tablespoons Greek yogurt, 1 tablespoon of prune purée and 1 teaspoon rice cereal baby cereal until well blended.

Yellow Finger Paint:

In a small bowl, mix together 2 tablespoons Greek yogurt, 3 teaspoons of butternut squash purée and 1 teaspoon rice baby cereal until well blended.

Orange Finger Paint:

In a small bowl, mix together 2 tablespoons Greek yogurt, 1 tablespoon carrot purée and 1 teaspoon rice baby cereal until well blended.

Green Finger Paint:

In a small bowl, mix together 1 tablespoon Greek yogurt, 4 teaspoons green bean purée and 2 teaspoons rice baby cereal until well blended.

Purple Finger Paint:

In a small bowl, mix together 2 tablespoons Greek yogurt, 1 tablespoon apple & blackberry purée and 1 teaspoon rice baby cereal until well blended.

Note on yogurt: Greek yogurt provides the best results in these paints because of its natural thickness. I have found that regular yogurt is too runny and harder to paint with.

Paint Storage: Store in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to a week. You may have to re-stir paint between uses as product may separate.

Artwork Storage: I have found that the best way to preserve your little one's masterpiece is to let it air dry in a sunny spot until completely dry. I have not had any molding issues with this drying method.

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Natural & Edible Baby Finger Paint - Beech-Nut

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Looking for a safe craft for your baby to enjoy? Try out this natural and edible finger paint for baby made using Beech-Nut purées!