How to Make a Fall Leaves Sensory Bottle for Kids

Capture the essence of autumn with this fall leaves sensory bottle! It will make a great calming activity for toddlers and preschoolers.

Sensory bottles are easy to make, and they provide hours of calming fun for little ones. This bottle is full of colorful fall leaves making it perfect for the autumn season.

Kids will love giving this sensory bottle a swirl and watching the leaves dance around and around.

Fall Leaves Sensory Bottle

Sensory play is important, because it provides opportunities for kids to explore sights, sounds, and textures with multiple senses.

This sensory bottle gives children an opportunity to shake, swirl, and tilt the bottle. They’ll be mesmerized by the shiny leaves flitting around in the liquid.

What You’ll Need

a clear bottle with a lid (a plastic water bottle will work)
fall leaf confetti
5 oz. bottle of clear Elmer’s glue
water
optional: clear tape or glue to seal the lid

Making Your Sensory Bottle

To begin, make sure your bottle is clean and dry. Then, pour the entire five ounce bottle of clear Elmer’s glue into the bottle.

Letting your little ones help with this step will help strengthen their hands and fingers. It can be tough to squeeze the bottle in its entirety, but let them help as much as possible.

Next, add the leaf confetti. Again, kids can help strengthen fine motor skills as they pick up stray leaves.

Once all the leaves (or other fall confetti) have been added, fill the bottle the rest of the way with water.

Secure the lid with clear tape or glue, if desired.

When the lid is secure, shake the bottle gently until the leaves float freely within the liquid.

BOOKS ABOUT LEAVES

Fill your book basket with a great collection of preschool leaf books. Most of these books can be found at your local library or used bookstore.

If you have a hard time finding them, you can order them through my Amazon affiliate links by clicking the images below.

Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf – Lois Ehlert uses watercolor collage and pieces of actual seeds, fabric, wire, and roots in this innovative and rich introduction to the life of a tree.

Leaves – Bear is surprised when the leaves start falling off the trees, but when he tries to reattach them, it doesn’t work. Eventually, he gets sleepy, and burrows into the fallen leaves for a long nap. When he wakes up, it’s spring-and there are suddenly brand-new leaves all around, seeming to welcome him.

We’re Going on a Leaf Hunt – There are lots of beautiful fall leaves to find! Three friends have a big adventure hiking over a mountain and through a forest to collect leaves of all kinds and colors. What will they do with all their leaves at the end of the story? Jump and play in them, of course!