How to Make a Sensory Tube!

What is a sensory tube?

Sensory tubes are tubes filled with various materials in a liquid suspension that are typically shaken and then let sit while the individual watches the materials inside slowly fall.

Sensory tubes can be super helpful in support kids with various emotions such as anger, anxiety, and sadness. They support emotional regulation but utilizing distracting while supporting with calming their bodies. They can also be helpful and fun for adults as well!

How do I make a sensory tube?

There are lots of different ways to make a sensory tube! We are going to show you a few different examples of ones and give you the basic idea so that you can then go and make this your own!

For the first sensory tube we have, shown here, you will need the following:

-Tube (you can use sensory tubes, empty water bottles, or any other clear bottle with a lid)

–Clear glue

-Water

–Hot glue (for glueing the lid closed)

–Glitter

-Other materials – we used beads, glow in the dark stars, pom poms, and water beads, but you can also use toys, or anything else you want that is going to hold up in water!

-Optional: food coloring

For this tube, you start by adding the water and glue. We did about ¾ the tube filled with water and the rest with glue, leaving space for the other items going to be added to the tube. We then mixed the water and glue until well mixed.

Next, you add in the other add ins (glitter, beads, stars, etc). I then like to put the lid on and give it a shake to make sure that we like the outcome!

If everything looks good, go ahead and use the hot glue to glue the lid shut. This is an important step so that liquid doesn’t leak out and so that kiddos don’t get access to any materials in the tube that may be choking hazards. It is recommended to frequently check the lid on the bottle to make sure it does not need to be re-glued at any point.

Color Separated Tube

For the next sensory tube, we did the same process as above, but added in baby oil to create a cool color separate. My kiddos lovingly refer to this tube as their “anger tube” as it gives the illusion of the red exploding and bubbling.

You will need the same items as the first tube with the addition of baby oil or other oil.

For this tube, we did about 1/3 water, 1/3 glue, 1/3 oil. We added red food coloring to the water to make the water red. You can also use oil-based dyes to dye the oil instead of or in addition to the water as well.

You then are going to do the same steps as above, adding whatever mix-ins you want and then glueing the tube shut!

We also have made a sensory tube with bingo magnets. Simply add different magnetic items to a larger container (we used an empty glue container), and then use magnet wands to find different items in the container! You can use paper-clips, fridge magnets, bingo magnets, etc. You can also add in non-magnetic items for kiddos to find or “rescue” in the tube. This one is a little bit more hands on than the liquid ones and can be a good developmental tool!

We offer support for parents that need help with regulating themselves or support their kiddos! Reach out to us today for a complimentary consultation!