Calming Jar: Shake a Virtual Glitter Jar and Breathe Until It Settles

Shake the glitter jar, drop in a feeling, then breathe slowly while everything swirls and settles.

FamiliesKidsCalm & regulateMindfulness
1–3 minutesIn person and on video
Free interactive tool
Designed by Michael Thompson, MSc

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About the technique

A calm-down jar is a bottle of water, glitter and glue. Shaken, it swirls, and the glitter takes a minute or two to settle. Teachers, parents and play therapists use it as a visual timer for waiting out a big feeling, and the picture of a stirred-up mind slowly clearing is easy for young children to grasp. It has no single originator and almost no formal research, so it is a practice-based tool.

Two lines of research suggest why pairing the jar with a feeling word may help. In affect labeling studies, putting a feeling into words reduced the amygdala’s response to emotional faces in adults (Lieberman et al., 2007). Mindfulness programs for anxious children teach the same move the jar invites: noticing a feeling and the breath without having to act on it (Semple & Lee, 2011). Children differ widely in how well they understand and regulate emotions, and those skills develop with practice and adult support rather than being assumed (Southam-Gerow & Kendall, 2002).

It suits preschool and school-age children, and some teens like it as a quiet break. Introduce it when the child is calm, so it becomes a familiar routine rather than a punishment or a time-out. During a meltdown, stay close and keep your voice low; the jar supports an adult’s presence and does not replace it. A child who is unsafe needs an adult and a safety response, not a timer.

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For therapists: how to run it

Goal

Give a big feeling time to settle: breathe slowly until the glitter lands, then notice how you feel.

In session

  1. In person, let the child hold the tablet and shake the jar. On video, share your screen and let the child tell you when to shake, or send the link so they can shake it on their own device.
  2. Ask: “What's the big feeling right now?” and type it into the jar together.
  3. Breathe in and out together, counting breaths, until the glitter has settled. Tick Share tab audio for the soft sounds.
  4. Pick the face that fits now and talk about what helped.

As homework

  1. A grown-up opens the link when a big feeling shows up. Shake the jar and put the feeling in it.
  2. Breathe slowly together until all the glitter has landed.
  3. Pick a face for how you feel now. A grown-up taps Copy for my therapist, then pastes it into the therapist's secure messaging (client portal) or brings it to the next session. Nothing you type is saved, so copy before closing.
Mandated reporting

Exercises like this can lead to disclosures of abuse, neglect or risk. Know your reporting duties before you start, and pause if one comes up.

Good to know

A calm-down (glitter) jar is a visual timer for waiting out a big feeling: the swirling glitter stands for a busy, upset mind and it settles if you breathe and wait. It is a practice-based tool used in classrooms and play therapy, best introduced when the child is calm. Pair it with an adult who helps name the feeling afterward. Use it as a calm-down choice, never as a time-out or punishment.

Worksheets that pair with this tool

Deep Breathing Worksheet

Deep Breathing Worksheet

One page with a paced inhale, hold and exhale cycle, plus guidance on when to practice it.Adults and teensChildrenAnxietyStress and burnoutCBTMindfulnessPsychoeducational+4Free PDF 1 pageWorry Coping Skills for Kids Worksheet

Worry Coping Skills for Kids Worksheet

Three illustrated pages with eight child-friendly strategies, from Bubble Breathing to a Worry Box.ChildrenAnxietyCoping skillsBehavioralCBTPsychoeducational+3Free PDF 3 pages

Sources & credibility

Method
Calm-down (glitter) jar as a visual timer for waiting out a feeling
Developed by
No single originator; classroom and play-therapy practice
Approach
Child emotion regulation / mindfulness for children
Evidence
Practice-based (limited trials)A popular classroom and play-therapy tool with little formal research; naming the feeling while waiting draws on affect-labeling studies.

References

  1. Lieberman M. D. et al. (2007). Putting feelings into words: affect labeling disrupts amygdala activity in response to affective stimuli. Psychological Science, 18(5), 421–428. Source
  2. Semple R. J. & Lee J. (2011). Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Anxious Children. New Harbinger.
  3. Southam-Gerow, M. A. & Kendall, P. C. (2002). Emotion regulation and understanding: implications for child psychopathology and therapy. Clinical Psychology Review, 22(2), 189–222. Source

How it was made

Built by the Mentalyc team from the original method and the published sources listed here. Nothing you enter is stored.

Questions people ask

What is a calming jar?

A calming jar, also called a calm down jar or glitter jar, is a jar of water and glitter that you shake and watch settle. Watching the glitter fall gives children a focus while they slow their breathing.

What is glitter therapy?

'Glitter therapy' is an informal name for using a glitter jar to calm down. The swirling glitter is like busy feelings, and as it settles, the mind can settle too.

How do you use a calm down jar with kids?

Shake the jar when big feelings come up, then breathe slowly together until the glitter settles. This virtual version works the same way on any screen.

How do you use a calm down jar in therapy?

Shake the jar when a big feeling shows up and invite the child to breathe slowly while the glitter settles. The settling works as a visual timer for waiting out the peak of a feeling; afterward, talk about what helped.

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Your game designer
Michael Thompson

Michael Thompson, MSc

Michael's background combines doctoral training in clinical psychology with research on motivation, learning, and emotional regulation.

More about Michael Thompson, MSc →

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Table Of Contents
  1. About the technique
  2. For therapists: how to run it
  3. Worksheets that pair with this tool
  4. Sources & credibility
  5. Questions people ask
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Made for use in therapy: a licensed mental health professional decides whether a tool suits their client and guides its use.

Children should use this with a parent, therapist or teacher, not on their own.

Educational practice aid, not a medical device. Not a substitute for therapy, diagnosis or emergency care.