DIY Perler Bead Seek and Find Sensory Bottle

A fun and easy project for all your extra unsorted beads; a Perler Bead seek and find sensory bottle.

Psst…I’ve got a secret to share.

I hate sorting Perler Bead. OMG…I hate it.

I even have this super sweet straw method of sorting beads that makes it go pretty quickly, but I still hate it.

So, when a project goes by the wayside and we decide not to iron it, I just dump the beads into a plastic container and they sit. I guess it’s kind of like my very own Perler Bead graveyard.

I won’t say that I never use the Perler Bead graveyard, in fact, I’ve taken pictures of it that I use on my Perler Bead swag. Check it out at this affiliate link to my Zazzle store.

Anyway, the other day, I noticed that my container was full. So I had to get a second container…or sort the beads. Spoiler alert: I wasn’t sorting the beads. Then, I had a brilliant idea, I was going to take my Perler Bead graveyard, and make it into something useful. A seek and find sensory bottle.

It’s really similar to the game Find It that you can buy at the store. So, after I made it, I turned it into a game that we could play.

So Perler Bead graveyard be gone! Now I’ve got this cool Perler Bead game that my kids like to play. Heck, they even like to play with it solo.

This simple seek and find sensory bottle only takes minutes to make, and can provide hours of entertainment for kids of any age. Heck, I even like to spend time looking for the items.

Let’s get started

Supplies needed for Perler Bead seek and find sensory bottle

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Non-sorted Perler Beads (if you don’t have any, here’s a cheap Amazon bucket of beads)
Voss water bottle or other similar clear container
Little trinkets or toys that are less than an inch big
Funnel (optional, it just makes it easier)
E6000 glue (optional)

This sensory bottle is so easy to make. In fact, the hardest part may be to find all the supplies. Of course, you can use your own stock of Perler Beads or if you need a mixed bucket here’s a link to a great one on Amazon.

One of the reasons we used a Voss water bottle is it can be a bit hard to find tiny trinkets and toys to fit inside a small opening, but the opening on a Voss water bottle is pretty large. You could also use a Gatorade bottle, pickle jars, or any old clear container that you’ve recycled.

Here’s the selection of toys we used for our seek and find bottle.

We used old Star Wars and Polly Pocket toys in the bottle. If you are having difficulties finding tiny things to place in the bottle here’s a couple of suggestions:

Paper clip
Safety Pin
Penny
Barbie Shoes
Alphabet Beads
Dice
Buttons
Charms
Jingle Bell

I came this close to buying this miniature fairy garden (affiliate link) bundle on Amazon. The items in it would be perfect, plus I want to make a miniature fairy garden someday.

Creating your Seek and Find bottle

Once you’ve gathered all your supplies the rest is easy.

First write down the names of the trinkets or toys you plan on putting in your bottle. It’s nice to have a list of what is in the bottle for later.

Once you have your list remove the label off of your water bottle. If you get any gunky residue left after you peel it off, goo gone works wonders to remove it.

Next, pour about an inch of Perler Beads into your bottle using the funnel, if you aren’t using the funnel you can make one easily by rolling up paper. Next add a couple of your trinkets.

Continue adding Perler Beads and then a few trinkets and toys until your bottle is filled, leave about an inch remaining at the top. You need that inch to give the Perler Beads, toys and trinkets room to move around.

You can put the lid on your bottle and call it complete, or you can put a bead of E6000 around the threads of the lid if you want to seal it shut.

I recommend sealing your Perler Bead Seek and Find sensory bottle if you have any intention of giving this to small children. All of the pieces are choking hazards. It’s probably a good idea to supervise kids 4 and under with the bottle even if it is sealed.

Peek a Boo! Look at the little Storm Trooper who was hiding in this easy seek and find sensory bottle.

Games for your Perler Bead Seek and Find sensory bottle

Just handing the bottle to a young child is a game in and of itself, they will get hours of enjoyment discovering the contents inside.

You can also create a more structured game by printing up a check list of all the items inside with the challenge being to find them all.

In addition, we’ve made individual cards for each item. Someone picks a card from the pack and is timed to see how long it takes for them to find it. It’s a fun way for the kids to challenge each other. If you want to make your own set of cards use this Google Doc I created.

If you are like us and love creating fun and unique sensory bottles check out some of our past ones below. I know that in theory sensory bottles are for young children, but my kids are 11 and 16 and still love making and playing with them.

Dungeons and Dragons Dice Sensory Bottle

Perler Bead Glow in the Dark Sensory Bottle

Oil and Water Sensory Bottle

One last thought before I leave you to creating your very own Perler Bead Seek and Find sensory bottle. As I was making mine, I thought about how cool it would be to make different themed bottles. I don’t know, maybe one for Christmas, springtime, princesses or even Star Wars.

For example, if you want to make a Christmas one, you could use red, green and white Perler beads, or even the Perler Christmas mix. Then your trinkets could fit the theme. Just another idea for consideration when making this fun sensory bottle.