Mind Jar / Relaxation Jar

We've experienced an unsettling time recently having just moved house, & as a result Minnie has had to face many new situations. She's said goodbye to special friends & left the familiarity of a house & situations she's known all her life. Suddenly we're in a new house, in a new town, & she has found the transition far from easy. She's just turned 4yrs & finds it hard to explain exactly how she's feeling (as an adult it's not easy to express all the emotions a change like this brings) so it's understandable that she has been feeling rather frustrated lately.

Inspired by the Mind Jar featured on the fabulous Here We Are Together last year, we created this one for Minnie.

These simple jars are a gentle way of calming a child when they feel overwhelmed or distressed. The glitter represents thoughts & feelings, & when you shake the jar they swirl & whirl around. As you hold the jar still the glitter slowly settles encouraging you to pause & calm down.

To create our Mind Jar we used

*Glitter (we used confectioners glitter)

*A few drops of food colouring (we used a pink)

*Glycerin (we used a small 38ml bottle)

*Hot water 

*Clean glass/plastic jar with tightly fitting lid 

We filled our jam jar (almost to the top) with hot water & stirred in the food colouring & glycerin. We then added our glitter & sealed the lid tightly to prevent any leaks.

It's hard not to love this jar! I think it would be a great gift for any parent too. 

It has really helped Minnie to focus & calm down when she's become frustrated or angry. We've had it sitting in an accessible place in the kitchen so Minnie knows where it is if she needs it, & we know where it is if we need it!! Minnie is able to independently collect the jar enabling her to personally take control of any negative feelings which are causing her distress. 

This jar is fantastic to use with children who struggle to express their thoughts, feelings, or those who find it difficult to stay calm or focused. I think this would be a wonderful resource to have in any classroom & offers so many opportunities for all ages. Such a simple but effective method of calming & focusing the mind. 

I am so grateful to Here We Are Together for sharing this idea with us, & giving my little girl an oasis of calm amongst all the recent chaos in our lives. ♥