Written by contributor Melissa Allen of Green Owl Art.
If your child is like mine and time-outs only cause a bigger eruption of emotions and never seem to work the way intended this can be a great tool. When Emma needs a moment to herself (to put in nicely) I ask her to sit with her calm down jar for a few minutes and come find me when she sees most of the glitter fall to the bottom. She usually starts off by giving it a good shake, this helps get some of that frustration out. Then she sits memorized by all the glitter falling to the bottom. By the time I get my over tired and emotional child back, she is ready for a cuddle. Yes, it’s not magic, but it seems to help smooth things out. It is actually pretty relaxing for me to watch as well.
I had Emma help make it and explained to her what her special calming jar was. This was a good opportunity for us to chat about feelings and good ways to express them.
Calm Down Jar Materials
Small jar- make sure it’s one that will hold liquid tightly
2 tubes of glitter glue
Half a tube of glitter
A few drops of food color
Water
This is pretty simple: just add everything to the jar. Use warm water and give it a good shake to get the glue mixed in well. I had Emma help me by adding all the materials and of course the shaking. Bring on the peace!
For other fun craft ideas, check out Green Owl Art.
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Nice article, I want to try this out for Jackson. I hope that the transition to Portland is going well.
Thanks, Ryan. Going pretty good here so far, besides Emma requesting more sunshine each day. Wish there was a jar for that.
I saw this on Pinterest and have been wanting to make one! I think I’m going to need to add some super glue to the top though, because I think my little guy will have a hard time resisting taking the top off to get the glitter out!
I love this idea! I actually saw it on Pinterest too and plan to make one with my daughter!
Love this idea! Do you have any suggestions on other options besides the jar? Or, if you have suggestions on how to secure the top (in addition to screwing it down tightly), I would love to hear.
I think if you use a mason jar it should be pretty easy to add a little strong glue to the the lid since it comes in two pieces. Another option would be to use a pretty to look at sand timer or snow globe. For us anything that allows the children to relax and get their minds off the issue without feeling like they are being placed somewhere to cry their eyes out. Emma knows this time is for her to take deep breaths and calm down so she can feel better.
We also use zen tables to help get out of a cranky mood. A few minutes for Emma to smooth out a tray of rice and place stones in a nice pattern can do wonders on her mood. For Grayson this consists of just a some rocks that he moves in and out of a few different sized containers. It is surprisingly very therapeutic.
Those are just some things we do, hope it helps!
Melissa, we should work on a zen approach and positive alternatives to “time out” post. Sometimes I am cranky and get in “angry mommy” mode. Once I calm down or I am searching for the calm. I invite Zoe to hold my hands while we sit and breathe together. It lets her know I care, we connect, and it brings me back to the present. I think my mom is going to try the calming jar with sand and beach items since she lives on Kauai. Thanks for sharing your awesomeness!
When I was little I had one that had glitter and crayon shavings from all our broken crayons that was pretty cool….
Just take a piece of a crayon and whittle it down with a butter knife, and then break up the shavings so they aren’t too big…
I also loved the idea – but not the glass bottle part. I used pop bottles (had to go out and buy them because the water bottles seem too thin). Anyway – I put the hot water in them and then dumped the glitter glue (I used an elmers bottle of glitter glue that looked liked a regular school glue bottle) and let the kids shake the glue/water mixture by holding the top. It worked great. I then superglued the tops and I think they look good enough for me to make one for myself for work
A plastic peanut butter jar can be used and a little glue on the inside of the lid will keep it shut.
Hi Jen, thanks for including the link in your comment over on The Idea Room. I really appreciate your thoughts on the post about Enforcing Consequences. This is a great idea! And so quick and simple to put together. Glad to hear it is making a difference with your little girl.
xo
Heather
Family Volley
How much water did you use? Is the jar full? Not sure on quantities. This would be absolutely fabulous for my add daughter when she starts having her meltdowns. Thanks so much for the great idea!
Yes, Danielle. It is a full jar of water with just enough room to be able to shake it all up! This jar has been very calming for my children during melt downs. I hope it helps for yours too.
Thanks for the reply! We are making them today!
We made these today. Both kids dropped in a squinkie. Turned out great. Did them in plastic water bottles. Didn’t want to drop and break.
Hope your kids enjoy it Sara! I had my kids make their about a month ago and they really do calm down while focusing on the jar. Such a cool idea.
I’ve seen these all over and finally made one yesterday. I love the idea, but ended up so frustrated myself. thre different brands of glitter glue and all three of them clumped… immediatly. Yes I used HOT water. Any advice?
I used crayola brand and VERY hot water. Good luck
This is great, and I’m definitely trying it, but I’m having a hard tim visualizing how the glitter glue gets mixed in with the water, etc. Won’t it just clump and/or stick to the sides or other glitter? Am I missing something?
It’s going to be a sure hit as a time out alternative, though. We may make one for each room so they’re always close at hand.
Hi, so I am making this for one of my clients who has some frustration management problems (I work with people with developmental disabilities). I made it up in a jar, but it seemed like the glitter was settling too fast, so I added extra plain school glue, but now it seems like it is settling even faster and I was wondering if you had any suggestions.
Hi Bella,
School glue does not work the same for some reason. I would start over adding double the glitter glue (I found that dollar store glitter glue works great) and maybe add some extra glitter. The measurements all depend on the size of the jar too. Hope that helps. Good luck!
I made these using the SMART brand water bottles. Used the tall ones and glued the lid on. Use in my classroom with no problems.
Do you put the whole tube of both glitter glues in the water? I think this woild be perfect for my children. Especially when my 1 year old gets bigger because he’s already showing to have a bad temper! Might look into something not.made out of.glass.
Can you omit the glitter glue? I just have regular glitter (very fine Martha stewart stuff) Does it have to have the glitter glue??
I had the same question about omitting the glitter glue. I tried using olive oil as a replacement, which didn’t work. The olive oil made the glitter clump together. I suppose I will be starting over after I buy some glitter glue.
You can use regular glitter, but add a couple tiny drops of dish soap to the top of the water to break the surface tension and keep it from clinging to the tops & sides. To make it fall more slowly, add some glycerin to the water (available at craft stores in the soapmaking aisle). I did some snowglobes like this one year, with babyfood jars.
The majority of my glitter won’t settle to the bottom but I also made mine before I saw this article and omitted the glitter glue. Any suggestions? Does the glue make it settle better?
Made my four year old niece one, I can’t wait to give it to her when she comes home from her dads. And now my twenty three year old sister wants me to make her one. Great idea(:
Hi everyone, I was wondering how long it takes for the glitter to settle?
Thanks so much I am looking forward to making these
i am using a see through plastic vitamin jar with a child proof lid that n does not leak i get double duty child proof lid and plastic