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Home / Early Learning / Sensory / Mesmerizing Floating Heart Glitter Jars

Mesmerizing Floating Heart Glitter Jars

Shared by Mary Catherine 33 Comments

Are you looking for some awesome heart glitter jars to add to your valentine activities for preschoolers? These sensory bottles are just what you need! Read below for a few ways to make floating heart sensory jars.

collage of heart glitter jars with text that reads valentine sensory bottles

Related: Candy Heart Breaking Fine Motor Activity

I admit it, I love glitter. Glitter seems to be a very polarizing “subject” – you either love it or you hate it!

Here’s a Valentine’s Day project that both glitter-lovers and glitter-phobes can enjoy – a heart glitter jar.

All the sparkles of glitter without the hands-on mess of it.

Table of Contents

  • Heart Glitter Jars
    • Materials for Your Heart Glitter Jars
      • Something to make the sensory bottles sparkle
      • How to make glitter float in jars
      • Containing all of the heart-themed awesomeness
      • A few additional odds and ends
    • Heart Sensory Jars Video Tutorial
    • How to Make Heart Sensory Bottles with Glitter Glue
      • What We Thought of This Heart Glitter Jar
    • Heart Glitter Jars Made with Corn Syrup
      • How These Heart Discovery Bottles Turned Out
    • Valentine Sensory Bottles Made with Clear Glue
      • Our Thoughts on This Sensory Bottle
  • Preschool Lesson Plans for Valentine’s Day
  • More Valentine Sensory Bottles to Make
  • Free Printable Direction Cards

Heart Glitter Jars

These Valentine’s Day sensory bottles have always been a hit with my students, my son, and my fellow teachers.

Over the years, I’ve heard from wonderful teachers about how they’ve made the glitter jars with their students, too. Love that!

These heart glitter jars would be perfect with a Valentine’s Day theme, a heart theme, or any time of the year. The first time we made them, the kids asked that they stay in our sensory and science center for the rest of the year!

I made printable direction cards that you can grab at the end of this post. Print them out, laminate them, and have them on hand while you’re making Valentine’s Day sensory bottles with the kids.

close up of heart glitter jars with text that reads floating hearts sensory bottles

Related: Valentine Hand Print Tree with Fingerprint Hearts

Materials for Your Heart Glitter Jars

You can use a variety of materials to make your valentine sensory bottles. The key is to pick the items you prefer.

I suggest starting out with what you already have on-hand. I’m a big believer in using what you have first!

So pick one thing from the first three categories to get started! If you want to experiment, you can choose a few items from each.

I may get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

Something to make the sensory bottles sparkle

  • Heart-shaped glitter
  • Heart confetti

How to make glitter float in jars

  • Light corn syrup
  • Glitter glue
  • Clear glue

Containing all of the heart-themed awesomeness

  • Clear plastic bottles
  • Mason jars
  • Empty containers with lids

A few additional odds and ends

  • Water
  • Measuring cup
  • Hot glue gun

Unfortunately, since we first made these heart glitter jars back in 2016, the pack of heart glitter I originally used has been discontinued. I still have some left, because those small vials of glitter really do go a long way. But my glitter stash probably won’t help you.

heart glitter
This is the exact heart glitter we used for all of these sensory bottles.

Check Target and your local craft stores to start with, as I’ve had success with them where I live. Some awesome readers have said they found heart glitter they like at Dollar Stores and Dollar Trees, too.

If you order something on Amazon, just read the descriptions to ensure that the glitter you’re getting is the size you want for your valentine sensory bottles.

Now on to the directions! Below you’ll find three different ways to make your own valentine discovery bottles!

Heart Sensory Jars Video Tutorial

Here’s a new video that shows you how to make these fun glitter jars!

Later on in the post you’ll see a live action of the very first heart glitter jars we made.

When comparing the two videos, you’ll notice that the glitter settles faster in the new video. That’s because we used a little less glue and corn syrup (the materials that make the glitter float in sensory bottles).

Decide which one you like best and go from there!

How to Make Heart Sensory Bottles with Glitter Glue

Start things out with a clean jar or bottle. 

For the first heart sensory bottle we made, I used a 10-ounce bottle (an empty and clean club soda bottle).

I’d suggest using a plastic bottle if the glitter jars will be around smaller kiddos. You’ll see in the newer pictures and video that we used 11.8-ounce plastic bottles.

Next, pour some of your red glitter glue bottle into the empty jar.

I used most of the glitter glue bottle when making our 10-ounce glitter jar, and it was just too much! The glitter took a long time to settle because I’d added a little too much glue.

heart glitter jar made with glitter glue

Related: “I Love” Bookmaking for Valentine’s Day

So I’d suggest you start with about half a cup of the glitter glue when you make your own valentine sensory bottles.

After that, add in a bit of heart glitter. For this one, we stuck with just the red hearts. The glitter wasn’t measured – we just added whatever we felt like.

Once you’ve added your glitter, fill the rest of the bottle up with warm water. You can use hot water, but I’d suggest to keep that an adult-only activity. Stick with warm water when little hands are helping you.

Mix everything very well, ensuring that the ingredients combine together.

Take a peek at your heart glitter bottle and decide if you need to add any more glitter at this point. If the mood strikes you or the children, add it in and shake well again.

Remember, you can grab printable directions at the very bottom of this post.

plastic valentine sensory bottle made with glitter glue

Related: Valentine Sensory Bin with Water Beads

What We Thought of This Heart Glitter Jar

As I mentioned above, our first iteration of this glitter jar didn’t settle for quite some time. Because I used too much glitter glue. Don’t do what I did.

In fact, once it was shaken up, it was almost as if everything just hovered inside the bottle.

The heart glitter, as well as the glitter from the glue, look beautiful when held up to a sunny window, though! Simple, but lots to look at and observe.

I suggest sealing the valentine sensory bottles with hot glue to ensure little hands are less likely to open the sensory jars!

Heart Glitter Jars Made with Corn Syrup

These heart discovery bottles are my favorite of the three, I have to admit! My son, my students, and I both had way too much fun shaking them up and watching the glitter settle.

I can see how glitter jars can be considered “calm down jars”, as there’s something innately peaceful in watching the glitter swirl and slowly settle.

For this jar, start with a new clean and empty bottle. We started with the same kind of bottle as the first one (the seltzer came in a 6-pack, so we were using what we had on-hand).

2 sensory bottles of falling heart glitter

Related: Heart Crafts for Preschoolers

I’ll reiterate that using a plastic bottle with younger kiddos is a better bet. We used plastic bottles for the other bottles you’ll see in the pictures and videos.

Pour in about 3/4-cup of light corn syrup into the empty bottle. If you want the heart glitter to settle a bit faster, you can use about 1/2 cup of corn syrup instead.

Next, add that beautiful heart-shaped glitter. Again, we didn’t measure the glitter. We just added the colors and amounts we felt like at the time.

After that, add about 1/2-cup of warm tap water to the corn syrup, stirring to mix the two. If you’re able to do this part without any little helpers, I’d suggest using hotter water. That makes it faster when it comes to mixing everything together.

See our very first valentine glitter jars in action here (turn your volume on for a super relaxing experience) –

Grab printable directions for the heart glitter bottles at the bottom of the post.

heart glitter jar made with corn syrup

Related: Candy Heart Experiments for Valentine’s Day

How These Heart Discovery Bottles Turned Out

We ended up making extra versions of these bottles, as they are way too much fun!

These heart glitter jars were in my preschool science center for months and months the first time we made them. The kids weren’t the only one who enjoyed them – sometimes my fellow teachers and I would sit down and watch the glitter settle after a hectic day.

We did some experimenting with the amount of corn syrup to see which syrup-to-water ratio makes for the best glitter settling.

Personally, I liked using a bit more corn syrup, like in the video above. It made the glitter fall slowly. In the newer video you can see that the glitter falls a bit faster. For those sensory bottles, we used about half a cup of corn syrup.

Again, I suggest sealing the tops of the bottles so kiddos can’t open the bottles!

Valentine Sensory Bottles Made with Clear Glue

Last, but not least, you can make your own heart glitter jars using clear glue.

Grab a clean bottle and add about 1/2 a cup of clear glue to it.

Pop in some fun heart-shaped glitter. However much you and the kids think would do well!

Then fill the rest of the bottle up with warm water.

Close and seal the top of the bottle. Shake it up and enjoy.

valentine sensory bottle made with heart glitter and clear glue

Our Thoughts on This Sensory Bottle

This was my least favorite of the three, but the kids enjoyed it just as much!

I think it’s just easier to see extra bubbles in this version, but the children aren’t bothered by this at all. In fact, I think some prefer it because of those bubbles.

Well, now that you have three different ways to make heart glitter jars you just need to decide which one to make first!

Preschool Lesson Plans for Valentine’s Day

Save time and get right to the playful learning with our printable lesson plan sets. Each set includes book suggestions, printable plans, over 30 learning activities (both whole group and centers) related to the theme, and corresponding printables.

Valentine’s Day Lesson Plans
Heart Theme Lesson Plans
Friends Lesson Plans

You can also find us on Teachers Pay Teachers

More Valentine Sensory Bottles to Make

This post is part of the awesome Preschool Inspirations’ Discovery Bottles Blog Hop.

Be sure to check out these other fun Valentine’s Day themed sensory bottles:

Preschool Inspirations’ Color Mixing Sensory Bottle

Lemon Lime Adventures’ Love Calm Down Jar

Modern Preschool’s I Spy Love Sensory Bottle

Sunny Day Family’s Valentine Alphabet Discovery Bottle

Teaching Mama’s Floating Hearts Sensory Bottle

The OT Toolbox’s Water Bead Hearts Discovery Bottle

Rhythms of Play’s DIY Slow Falling Hearts Sensory Bottle

Free Printable Direction Cards

This free printable is available to members of Fun-A-Day’s free email community. If you’re already a member, enter your email in the form below to have the printable sent to your inbox.

Not a member? No worries! Enter your information in the form below to join us. You’ll get the printable sent to your inbox as a welcome gift.

You can also access the form in a new tab if you’d prefer.

Originally published January 18, 2016. Updated for more pictures and videos.

steps for making valentine sensory bottles with text that reads floating hearts glitter jars

Filed Under: Sensory Tagged With: Calm Down Jars, Glitter, Glitter Jars, Sensory Bottles, Valentine's Day, Valentine's Day preschool activities

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  1. Devany says

    January 18, 2016 at 8:01 am

    These are beautiful!

    Reply
    • Mary Catherine says

      January 25, 2016 at 10:02 pm

      Thank you! We love them. 🙂

      Reply
  2. Colleen says

    January 18, 2016 at 11:15 am

    Gorgeous!! I bet watching that glitter settle is so calming!

    Reply
    • Mary Catherine says

      January 25, 2016 at 10:02 pm

      Yes it really is! 🙂

      Reply
  3. Nicole @ Modern preschool says

    January 18, 2016 at 12:23 pm

    The glitter you used is perfect!

    Reply
    • Mary Catherine says

      January 25, 2016 at 10:03 pm

      Thanks, I love that glitter so much! 😉

      Reply
  4. Nell Regan Kartychok says

    January 18, 2016 at 2:02 pm

    This sensory bottle is so much fun! I love the itty-bitty glitter hearts! My daughter is going to love it!

    Reply
    • Mary Catherine says

      January 25, 2016 at 10:03 pm

      The preschool kiddos loved it so much too! Thank you. 🙂

      Reply
  5. Angela says

    January 18, 2016 at 3:09 pm

    These are gorgeous!! I love them! <3

    Reply
    • Mary Catherine says

      January 25, 2016 at 10:04 pm

      Thank you!!!

      Reply
  6. Katie @ Preschool Inspirations says

    January 19, 2016 at 12:27 am

    I could not love these more!!! That glitter is amazing <3.

    Reply
    • Mary Catherine says

      February 6, 2016 at 10:57 pm

      Thanks so much, Katie! I love this blog hop you put together!

      Reply
  7. Lovada says

    February 6, 2016 at 3:02 am

    Hi there. I am wondering since you are using corn syrup, will it eventually mold? Just wondering how long these will last. 🙂

    Reply
    • Mary Catherine says

      February 6, 2016 at 12:46 pm

      Hi Lovada, thanks for stopping by! I’ve used corn syrup in past discovery bottles without any problems. I have a set I made over a year ago that are still going strong (but that’s just my experience with it). However, if this is a concern, there are other materials you can test out (clear glue or liquid soap) . Preschool Inspirations has some great information HERE about different materials and bases.

      Reply
  8. Nancy says

    February 6, 2016 at 11:54 am

    Where can I buy heart glitter please??

    Reply
    • Mary Catherine says

      February 6, 2016 at 12:47 pm

      Hi, Nancy! This is the set I used (it’s an affiliate link) — Martha Stewart heart glitter set.

      Reply
      • Mary Catherine says

        January 19, 2017 at 10:41 am

        Nancy, the heart glitter went out of stock recently (January 2017) so the link above isn’t working correctly!

        Reply
  9. Sharlene Dauberman says

    January 16, 2017 at 11:30 am

    Love these so much!!!! My granddaughters will love these!!!!

    Reply
    • Mary Catherine says

      January 16, 2017 at 8:43 pm

      Thank you so much for the sweet words, Sharlene! Let me know what your granddaughters think. 🙂

      Reply
    • Liyana says

      February 9, 2021 at 4:26 pm

      This looks lovely. I tried one a while ago with clear glue but the glitter did not float, it just settled. Do they continue floating or eventually settle.

      Reply
      • Mary Catherine says

        February 11, 2021 at 8:25 am

        Thank you! The hearts eventually settle, yes. I’d suggest using more glue if you want yours to float longer.

        Reply
  10. Lupe says

    January 18, 2017 at 8:16 pm

    Where I can find the heart glitter

    Reply
    • Mary Catherine says

      January 19, 2017 at 9:45 am

      It looks like the heart glitter I used JUST went out of stock on Amazon. I’ve heard that the Dollar Tree and Target’s “Dollar Spot” has some heart glitter right now. Additionally, there are other choices on Amazon (affiliate links) –> red foil heart glitter and pink heart glitter. This Valentine’s Day glitter from Martha Stewart is in stock and the closest to the one I used.

      Reply
  11. Katie says

    January 19, 2017 at 11:12 pm

    Hello! Love the look of these sensory bottles, I’ve made lots of them over the years for my prekindergarten class. I’m having a bit of trouble, or maybe just a “duh” moment…my hearts want to float on top and won’t sink to the bottom. They are more like sequins instead of glitter…think that’s the problem?

    Reply
    • Mary Catherine says

      January 20, 2017 at 8:19 am

      I completely understand! Sometimes more experimenting is needed when making sensory bottles. 🙂 Do they still move and float in a calming way? If so, I wouldn’t be bothered if they go up or down. But yes, it might just be that the weight of what you used causes them to settle up rather than down.

      Reply
  12. Anita says

    February 3, 2018 at 7:38 pm

    I’m going to try thes with my granddaughters! Will love it for calming

    Reply
    • Mary Catherine says

      February 13, 2018 at 11:40 pm

      Let me know how it goes!!!

      Reply
  13. Rebekah says

    January 28, 2021 at 1:13 pm

    What size jars did you use?

    Reply
    • Mary Catherine says

      January 28, 2021 at 6:48 pm

      Hey Rebekah! For our first set of jars, I used a 10 ounce bottle. The newer bottles are 11.8 ounces. I’ve got both listed within the post. 🙂

      Reply
      • Rebekah says

        February 1, 2021 at 2:16 pm

        Thanks!

        Reply
        • Mary Catherine says

          February 1, 2021 at 4:36 pm

          You’re welcome! 🙂

          Reply
  14. Carolyn says

    February 2, 2023 at 7:20 pm

    When making the Corn Syrup Sensory Bottles:
    1. How long do they last?
    2. Can you use Polyester Confetti? I have bottles of it made by Recollections.
    3. Do colors run off items with the corn Syrup?
    Thanks!

    Reply
    • Mary Catherine says

      February 2, 2023 at 10:55 pm

      Hi Carolyn! The ones I’ve made have lasted quite a while (months and months and months), as long as everything was clean beforehand. You can replace the corn syrup with clear glue or clear soap to last even longer. I haven’t used these types of homemade glitter jars with polyester confetti, so I’m not sure how they interact with the water and syrup. I haven’t had issues with colors running with these calm down bottles. I’m sorry I can’t give you more definitive answers. I’ll have to try out the confetti one of these days!

      Reply
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My name is Mary Catherine, and I love to share meaningful {and fun} learning activities for kiddos! Feel free to browse and stay awhile!

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