DIY Water Bead Sensory Light Box

We love our Water Bead Sensory Light Box! It amazes me to see how water beads are so versatile! You can use them for decor, floral arrangements, science activities, and best of all, sensory play.

I was trying to come up with a safe way to play with water beads with my toddler. See what I quickly put together became a total hit in our house!

How to make a Water Bead Sensory Light Box

You’ll need the following items to make your light box:

– Clear Tote (best size is 14″ x 11″ approx)
– LED light bar/flashlight strip (battery operated is best)
– Water Beads
– Large Ziploc Bag
– Duct Tape is best but you can also use packing or painter’s tape.

Let’s make our light box!

1 – Start by making sure that your clear tote is large enough. A flat Ziploc bag should cover most of the surface like this example below.

2 – Fill a large ziploc bag with enough water beads that when it lays flat, it covers the fills the whole surface.

Making the light box

3 – Grab your clear tote and add your LED light strip. LED is best as it’s super bright, as you can see here. It will give enough light for the beads to light up like little crystals. Your child will be mesmerized by this activity!

4 – Grab the bag filled with water beads and remove all air before closing it. That’s very important. If there’s too much air in the bag, they won’t be able to move the beads around as much. Once the air is out, lay it flat on the top of the box, as shown below.

5 – We need to secure the bag in place. I would recommend taping the end opening of the bag first. You want to make sure it seals well. You can start taping the bag all around the edge once your opening is sealed.

I prefer to use duct tape as it’s much more secure. You can use any large tape you have on hand. Make sure that the tape doesn’t go below the edge of the lid. We need to be able to open the box so that we can turn off the light.

4 – Once your water bead bag is fully taped, it will look like this.

You have completed your water bead light box! Now let your child delight their senses with these colorful and bright water beads.

My daughter could play with this box for a long time and would keep asking for it day after day!

More Sensory Activities You May Like:

Edible Colorful Sand with Fruit Loops
Sensory Activity Cube for Toddlers and Preschoolers
Edible Play Dough