Calm Down Bottles encourage Quiet Play
Feeling stuck at home and running out of ideas to keep your preschooler calm and quiet? A calm down bottle is a great resource that provides you with so many opportunities for creative sensory play. Today, let's create a sea aquarium that your can enjoy at home and in your hands!
There’s a time for active, noisy play, and there’s a time for quiet, calming play. Both are good for our children. Plan and encourage your child to have some quiet time in the day, especially if they have outgrown their naps. This gives you time to recharge too.
Why do children need Quiet Time?
Quiet time gives your child time away from constant stimulation. Our children are always busy exploring the world around them, all the time! When we give them space and time for quiet, we are helping them to regulate their thoughts and emotions. If a child has just thrown a tantrum or experienced a meltdown, time and stillness helps the child to relax, reflect, recharge and recenter his/her thoughts and emotions.
Start Short & Small
If you have never introduced Quiet Time (without screens or devices), start small. Tell your child that you will set the time for 10-15 minutes for Quiet Time. Choose a space for your child to lie down or cosy up on a beanbag and perhaps have a soft toy or calm down bottle to hold. Tell your child that during this time, he/she can be awake and quietly playing, with no yelling or active movements. Practice makes progress, so remember to schedule it as part of your stay-home routine.
Filling your Calm-down bottle will surely be a hit with your children! It gives them autonomy and a sense of satisfaction to create a bottle they can then play quietly with later. Touch and feel the waterbeads before popping them inside the bottle. Pick a theme for the bottle...we created a sea learning theme this round. You can choose other themes that interest and delight your child. Find our wide variety of mini figurines online.
A Sea Aquarium in your Home and Hands
We hope this video gives you some inspiration to give it a try and create your very own sea aquarium!