Star Sparkle Jar

Create a star sparkle jar with your children or students to provide them with strategies to calm down and be mindful.

 

Show the children a previously completed star sparkle jar as an introduction before inviting them to make their own jar.  Ask them questions about their emotions such as:

• What makes you sad?
• What makes you angry?
• Have you ever felt emotions you couldn’t explain? What did that feel like? What did that look like?

 

Explain that at times we have really big feelings. Like the Star Sparkle Jar (shake the jar) our minds may be feeling all swirly and mixed up because we are mad, angry, confused, sad, or something else.

 

When you have these feelings, you can take a mindfulness break, watch your feelings, and then let them settle.

 

Breathe in and out with whatever is going on, be still and watch your big emotions as they gently float down. Put the jar down and let the children watch what happens to the glitter.

 

As you breathe and are still, the glitter starts to slowly settle and become more calm. Watch until you can see through the jar again. We don’t want our feelings to disappear, we just don’t want them to block our view of what is really going on.

 

Materials you need:

• Small mason jar or plastic bottle that holds liquid tightly
• ½ cup hot water
• ½ Cup clear glue
• Glitter (any colours you like)
• Food colouring

 

Directions:

1. Pour hot water into the jar.
2. Pour clear glue and glitter into the jar. Add desired food coloring.
3. Shake the jar vigorously to disperse glitter evenly in the jar.