DIY Montessori Sensory Shaker Bottles (Cheap and Easy!)

If you are looking for an easy and budget-friendly Montessori DIY activity, this is it! I will share with you how you can make DIY Montessori sensory shaker bottles for your 7+ month-old baby. This DIY will provide your baby with a great sensory exploration opportunity and is super simple to make.

Table of Contents

4 glass spice bottles filled 1/4 full. one with coffee beans, one with sesame seeds, one with dry popcorn kernels, and one with white rice.

What makes something Montessori?

The name Montessori comes from a woman’s last name, Maria Montessori. She developed an approach to education that looks at the developmental needs of a child. Based on those needs, we can provide materials and activities that will support their development. Montessori toys are typically open-ended, allow for exploration and reveal something about reality or a concept to the child.

These sensorial shaker bottles will provide a few different sensorial experiences: different sounds, and the weight of the objects, as well as a visual component.

Supplies Needed

Empty spice containers with labels removed – If you don’t have any, you could purchase these.
Dry food items-popcorn kernels, rice, dry beans, coffee beans, chia seeds, oatmeal, pumpkin seeds, etc.
Small funnel

Making Montessori Sensory Shaker Bottles

Remove labels from the jars.
Empty the contents of the jars and clean if necessary.
Choose the dry food items you want to put into the jars. Use whatever you have on hand.
Use a small funnel to fill each jar 1/4 full with the dry food item. Screw on the cap tight. (If you are concerned that your baby will open the jar you could glue the lid on)
Store the Montessori sensory shaker bottles in a small basket in the kitchen or another play area in the home.

4 glass spice bottles filled 1/4 full. one with coffee beans, one with sesame seeds, one with dry popcorn kernels, and one with white rice. All placed in a cloth basket

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Alternatives and Variations

Alternatively, you could put household objects inside the jars. Things such as beads, mini bells, pom poms, buttons, or coins. Anything that will offer different sounds while the baby shakes the bottles.

You could use different-sized and shaped bottles. This will provide an additional sensorial experience. Also having plastic vs. glass bottles will create a different sound with the objects. You could put the same object into 2 different kinds of jars as a comparison.

What age baby is this activity good for?

I made these when my twins were 8 months old. I could have seen them begin using them around 7 months old. The bottles I used were glass, and a little bit heavier. A lighter bottle could be used much sooner. This activity would probably remain interesting for the next few months. You can rotate it in and out of their play space, this can help keep more interest in the shaker bottles.