When your child becomes anxious or upset, it may seem impossible to console them. It often takes more than just a few soothing words to bring them back from the verge of a tantrum or nervous episode—it takes something like a calm down jar. Calm down jars are a type of craft therapy that allows agitated children to refocus their attention on something pretty and peaceful, which can have a tremendous tranquilizing effect. To create your own calm down jar at home, you’ll need a plastic jar or bottle, a little hot water, a few drops of food coloring and some glitter.
EditSteps
EditFilling the Calm Down Jar
- Choose a suitable container. For your calm down jar, you can start with any safe, transparent container. Plastic containers will be your best bet, as they’re less likely to break and cause accidents. The container you go with should have a solid one-piece lid or cap that screws on and stays put.[1]
- Mason jars are a good place to start if you have older children that you trust to handle glass.
- Many crafters recommend Voss or SmartWater bottles for their large size and smooth, sturdy construction.[2]
- Fill the jar or bottle with water. Turn on the tap and run warm water into the jar until it’s about three quarters of the way full. From here, you’ll add each of the other components individually. Together, they’ll form a suspension in the water.[3]
- Warm water will help melt the glue, resulting in a smoother suspension with no noticeable globs or separation.
- Leave an inch or two of space at the top of the container so that the glitter mixture has room to move when shaken.[4]
- Pour in the glitter glue. Stir the glue to distribute it throughout the water and break up any clumps. For larger containers, use 1-2 small tubes of glitter glue. For small calm down jars, a single tube will likely do the trick.[5]
- Use a toothpick or cotton swab to assist in scraping the glue out of the slender tubes.
- Add a few drops of food coloring. Swish the jar gently to help the food coloring diffuse throughout the water-glue mixture. The amount you use is largely up to you. Less food coloring will give the jar a bright, translucent look, whereas denser color will produce a mesmerizing galactic swirl.[6]
- Stir in the food coloring gradually until you reach the desired shade.
- Be careful not to add too much color. This will darken the contents of the jar and make it difficult to see the glitter.[7]
- Shake in a little extra glitter. Grab an additional tube of extra-fine glitter and funnel it into the opening of the jar. The glitter is the main attraction of the calm down jar and should be pretty concentrated, so don’t be afraid to use a lot. You and your child can decide when your calm down jar has just the right level of shimmer.[8]
- The more glitter you use, the longer it will take to settle.
- Play around with different proportions of ingredients to change the speed of the jar.[9]
- Glue the lid into place. Now that all the necessary components are in place, top off the jar the rest of the way with water, leaving about half an inch of space at the top. Dab the underside of the lid with a strong adhesive, like super glue or rubber cement. Twist it firmly into place over the opening of the jar or bottle. Allow several minutes for the adhesive to take hold.[10]
- This will keep the lid securely attached to the jar so that there’s no risk of it being pried off by small children or coming dislodged if it’s dropped.
- Be careful when handling strong adhesives. Since there will be glitter everywhere, there’s a lot of potential to make a mess.
EditCustomizing Your Jar
- Make jars in an assortment of colors. Don’t stop at just one calm down jar—create as many as you please! Pick out a few bold complementary colors, or fill each of the jars with a different color and create a rainbow display. Letting your child gaze at their favorite color will only enhance the calming effect of the jar.[11]
- Make enough calm down jars for every child in the household to have their own. This will help prevent stressful arguments over what belongs to who.
- Soft colors like blue, pink, green and lavender are especially soothing.[12]
- Add fun glitter shapes. Purchase a special craft glitter to mix in with the regular glitter and glitter glue. When you shake the jar, you’ll be able to see smiley faces, stars and dinosaurs floating around inside. This is a great way to add a more personal touch to the jar and encourage your child’s creative interests.[13]
- Check craft supply stores for unique and interesting types of glitter.
- Try out different containers. In addition to ordinary jars and bottles, look for other items that might make good calm down jar. An unused sunscreen or condiment bottle can be cleaned out and turned into a perfect travel-sized calm down jar. You could also make an oversized version using a repurposed peanut or pickle jar that all the little ones can gather around at once.[14]
- Make sure the container you select is clear, can be gripped easily and won’t shatter if it’s dropped or thrown.[15]
- Fill a keychain bottle of hand sanitizer with glitter to give your kids something to play with while you’re grocery shopping.
EditUsing the Calm Down Jar
- Hold the jar in both hands and shake. Vigorously shaking the jar will give your child a physical outlet to blow off steam while they’re still worked up. They can jostle it as hard as they want for as long as they want until their frustration begins to subside. When shaken, the liquid inside the jar will shift, causing the glitter to dance in a brilliant cascade.[16]
- Demonstrate how the jar works and explain that it’s supposed to make you feel better when you’re unhappy.[17]
- Make sure small children can safely hold and shake the jar themselves. If not, you can get it started for them.
- Watch the glitter swirl until it settles. After shaking the jar, your child can sit and marvel at the movement within, which will soon become slow and serene. Observing the shimmering liquid can be quite enthralling. With their attention on the jar, they’ll forget about what it was that upset them in the first place.[18]
- It will take a few minutes for the glitter to completely settle, during which time your child’s mind and heart rate will stop racing.
- Help your child work through their emotions. Have your child sit or lie down while they’re focused on the jar. If they’re still anxious or irritable, get them to concentrate on taking deep, relaxing breaths. Before long, they’ll find their mood settling along with the glitter.[19]
- Calm down jars work because they subconsciously mirror your child’s emotional state. They’ll be responding to the behavior of the jar without even being aware of it.
- Encourage them to keep the calm down jar in their room or take it with them to a quiet place where they can have a few minutes alone to cool off.
EditTips
- Have your kids lend a hand with putting together the calm down jars for a fun family craft project.
- Calm down jars can be a productive alternative to traditional punishments, which usually just make children even more upset.
- To thicken the glitter mixture for a slower swirl, use extra glitter glue or corn syrup.
- Save and clean out used kitchen containers to convert them into calm down jars.
- Keep antsy kids occupied during long road trips or while you’re out running errands.
- Bring out the calm down jar just before bedtime to help your child fall asleep easier.
- Shake up the jar and use it as a timer when you have to enforce a timeout.
EditWarnings
- Broken glass poses a risk of injury. Opt for plastic containers if you have small children or hardwood floors, just to be on the safe side.
- Calm down jars contain mildly toxic chemicals. Make sure the lid of the jar is securely attached to keep your child from accidentally ingesting the fluid inside.
EditThings You'll Need
- Transparent jar, bottle or other container
- Warm water
- Glitter glue
- Glitter
- Food coloring
EditSources and Citations
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