Time out glitter bottle !

   November 2nd, 2017             Imaginative Play

What is time out to you?

I have always had a hard time with time out. I’ve done the whole naughty chair area and it doesn’t always feel productive. It’s very rare that time out is created to fix the problem or calm the child that’s being “naughty”.  Many times (not always), I annoy my husband by soothing rather than punishing, but guess what? We all walk away from the meltdowns and move on in our day! Here is a great little substitution for your regular time outs, that creates calming rather than more tears and frustration!

Time outs don’t have to be a bad thing, they can be therapeutic!

There are many soothing and creative ways to snap a child out of whatever is bothering them, to allow both of you to work through it to find a solution and prevent the problem from reoccurring.  I find that water is very soothing. Here is a fun little project you can do with your little one that will help to regulate their ever changing moods and calm them down anywhere you go!

Glitter Bottle Timer

Create some fun memories and sit down with your little one to make a glitter bottle! You can use this bottle as a calming technique by just letting them play with it when you notice that tempers are starting to rise, or as a more positive time out method by having them flip it upside down to watch the glitter settle. Once settled, their time out is over and they should be calm and feeling ready to talk it out (or just move on). You can also suggest that they continue flipping and watching until they feel better.

Instructions

You will need:

1 bottle of glitter glue

1 empty water bottle

glitter (you can use fine glitter with the large chunky size glitter or even add sequins)

Water

Fill the water bottle up about 3/4 of the way with water, then Empty the entire glitter glue bottle into the water. Add lots of your child’s favorite glitter color, close the water bottle up with some glue inside the cap to prevent opening later, shake it up and you are ready for some relaxing glitter therapy! You can add other tiny things such as sea shells and beads, or call it a fun name like the “Mermaid glitter bottle” or “dragon dust bottle”!

Now that you’ve made a fun little project with your child, you are probably going to make one for yourself! Share your glitter bottles on our Facebook page or tag us on instagram!