4th of July Sensory Jar

4th of July Sensory Jar

​The 4th of July is a wonderful time to celebrate with family and friends while teaching preschoolers about the importance of the holiday! What better way to engage preschoolers in the festivities than with a fun and educational sensory jar activity! Sensory jars are a fantastic tool to stimulate children's senses while promoting exploration, creativity, and learning. 

Creating a 4th of July sensory jar is not only an exciting activity for young children but also helps them develop their sensory skills, learn about colors and shapes, and experience the spirit of 4th of July! In this blog post, we will guide you through a simple and captivating sensory jar activity that will give your preschoolers the opportunity to use their creativity to make their own sensory jar! This activity will be a hit during your Fourth of July theme. 

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Supplies: 

• 32 oz Plastic Jar like this one from Amazon
• 2 Bottles of Clear Elmer's Glue (5 Oz Bottles)
• Water 
• Red, Silver, and Blue Glitter 
• Red, Silver and Blue Confetti 
• Red and Blue Pom Poms
• Star Stickers

*Fourth of July ribbon or tape 

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Directions: 

Prior to beginning the activity talk to your preschoolers about the importance and reason behind why we celebrate the 4th of July. It's always fun to have a conversation about the celebrations and activities that preschoolers associate with the 4th of July! 

​ Ensure that the jar is clean and dry before starting the activity.  Safety is crucial, so make sure the jar is made of a sturdy material and supervise children during the activity which is why we recommend the plastic jars! 

Once the jars are ready, have your preschoolers empty both bottles of glue into the jar.

Next...every teacher and parent's favorite part, GLITTER! To make things a little less messy you can have your preschooler slowly pour the glitter into a funnel.

Then pour in the confetti and the pom poms. This is a great step to focus on dropping one pom in at a time for added fine-motor practice. Do the same with confetti! Customize your sensory bottles with any materials you'd like! The Dollar Tree and craft stores tend to be fully stocked for the 4th of July. 

Once your preschoolers have added all the items, encourage them to pour water into their bottles, another step where using a funnel comes in handy! Pouring into a bottle is excellent hand-eye coordination practice so definitely encourage your preschooler to pour if they can. 

Make sure to leave a little room at the top. 

Once you've added in the water, your preschoolers can decorate the outside of the bottle with stickers if they'd like. Be sure to close the lid tightly and seal it with some hot glue, because you never know if your preschooler will try to open the bottle.

They are very cool so it's tempting!!! Tie a little ribbon around the top to make it complete.

And the best part for last! Shake it up and watch the colors, stars, and pompoms glide through the bottle. If you notice white bubbles at first, that's okay,, they will typically go away after a few shakes. This 4th of July sensory jar makes a great addition to a calm-down corner and even an accessory for a local 4th of July parade. 

We hope you enjoyed this tutorial and we can't wait to see your bottles!

You May Also Like:

4th of July Theme Planning Page
More 4th of July Activities 
Make Your Own 4th of July Party Pack