Easy Pom-Pom Sensory Bottle


Published: July 7, 2021 · Updated: March 25, 2024 by Sacha — This post may contain affiliate links. Read our full disclosure.

You’ll need only a few dollar-store supplies to make this simple pom-pom sensory bottle that makes fun sounds when you shake it. This easy project only takes a few minutes to complete, and children will love to use it as a musical instrument!


Have I ever mentioned just how crazy I am about sensory bottles?

I’m not sure what it is about them that I love so much. They’re definitely fun to make… and fun to play with!

But if I had to pick a reason, it would probably be the fact that there are SO MANY ways to customize them and make them unique.

Sensory bottles can be magnetic. They can glow in the dark. They can be turned into sensory toys, or used as a way to teach children how to spell. They can flow as slowly or as quickly as you want, and they can combine colors in novel ways.

And, in the case of this particular bottle, they can even produce fun sounds that children can use to make music—and all you’ll need to make it are a few dollar-store supplies!

(P.S. Want to learn more about making your own sensory bottles? Check out our detailed step-by-step guide for making sensory bottles at home!)

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Required Materials

Here’s what you’ll need to make this easy pom-pom sensory bottle at home:

Supplies to make a musical pom-pom sensory bottle.
  • Clear plastic bottle (I love these ones, but you can use any bottle you have on hand—including an empty water bottle from the recycling!)
  • Glitter pom-poms
  • Reusable plastic straws (we got ours at the dollar store)
  • Plastic beads of any kind (if you have any leftover, use them to make this Slow-Falling Bead Sensory Bottle as well!
  • Hot glue or strong glue (optional)

Note: We chose to coordinate the colors of the straws, pom-poms and beads using a blue, green and yellow colors scheme. However, feel free to use whichever colors your like!

How to Make a Musical Pom-Pom Sensory Bottle (Step-by-Step)

1. Cut Straws

Start by cutting the plastic straws using a pair of sharp scissors.

Straw cut into pieces with scissors.

We chose to use reusable straws rather than single-use ones because we wanted them to be sturdier and hold their shape better. However, this did make them more difficult to cut, so I wouldn’t recommend letting a young child complete this step if your straws are also on the thicker side.

If your child really wants to do the whole project on their own, consider prepping the straws in advance before handing over the materials!

2. Add Pom-Poms to Bottle

Pour some glitter pom-poms of various sizes and colors into an empty plastic bottle. (You can also use regular pom-poms, but I liked the look and texture of the glitter ones!)

Bottle with glitter pom-poms inside.

3. Add Straws to Bottle

After you’ve added the pom-poms, pour the pieces of straw into the bottle as well. They’ll probably just sit on top of the pom-poms, but that’s perfectly fine for now—we’ll be addressing that during a later step.

Bottle with pom-poms and cut straws.

4. Add Beads to Bottle

Pour some beads into the bottle. We used translucent pony beads, but feel free to use whichever sort of beads you have at home.

Bottle with pom-poms, cut straws and beads.

5. Seal & Shake Bottle

Once the pom-poms, straws and beads have been added, cap the bottle and shake it vigorously to combine all the items and stop the straws and beads from resting on top of the pom-poms.

Note: I don’t usually bother to seal our sensory bottles with glue, especially if they don’t contain any liquid. However, if you’re worried that your child will try to open the bottle and put the beads in their mouth, you can absolutely seal the bottle to ensure their safety!

Hand holding pom-pom sensory bottle.

And that’s all there is to it! Our kids love to shake this bottle and use it as a rain stick or musical instrument.

Related Sensory Bottles Ideas

Love sensory bottles as much as we do? Check out these articles:

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