A glitter bottle is one tool I use in helping students calm down. It is a great visual aid when talking about emotions. You may find that using a glitter bottle at home can help your child learn to regulate his/her emotions. Making your own glitter bottle is a fun and engaging activity to do with your child which will also help them feel some ownership in using the bottle as a tool when upset. There are a lot of different "recipes" for the glitter bottles on Pinterest. Here is a simple one I used for my bottle at work:
1. Take warm water and fill water bottle up 3/4 of the way.
2. Add a generous amount of glitter glue, put on lid, shake vigorously.
3. Add food coloring until you achieve desired color.
4. Add a generous amount of fine glitter.
5. Shake and decide if you need more glitter
6. If satisfied with glitter bottle, super glue lid onto bottle (I highly recommend doing this)
Once the glitter bottle is made, talk to your child about how you will utilize the glitter bottle (he/she may already be familiar with it from myself or the classroom teacher). When your child gets upset, the idea is to shake up the glitter bottle to help visualize how your child may be feeling on the inside at that moment. Then your child can sit and watch as the glitter slowly settles down in the water bottle, while taking deep breathes him/herself. Compare the glitter settling down to your child's emotions calming down and also settling. A lot of times students will sit in the tent in my office with some stuffed animals or pillows while they hold the bottle and watch the glitter settle. Think about establishing a safe and comfortable place in your home for the glitter bottle to stay so your child knows where to go when he/she needs to cool down. Practicing it will help remind your child where to go when needed.
