Sensory Play Activities: How to Make Colored Rice for Your Sensory Play Table by Mike Prochaska

Playtime Crafts
2 years ago

Sensory Play Activities: How to Make Colored Rice for Your Sensory Play Table

Sensory play is important for toddlers and preschoolers because of the experience and multitude of ways it allows them to learn. DIY colored rice is a fun sensory play tool for parents. Kids love it! 

Here’s how to make colored rice at home for your child's sensory table. Store the colored rice in airtight containers.

You’ll need:

  • 5-pound bag rice, or whatever size you want, depending on how much colored rice you want to make
  • jar with lid (I used a pickle jar)
  • food coloring
  • vinegar
  • cookie sheet 
  • aluminum foil

Here’s how to make it:

  1. Preheat your oven to 175 degrees F.
  2. To the jar, add a tablespoon of vinegar, food coloring and at least 1 cup of the rice.
  3. Shake the jar! Mix it all up. If the rice is not turning bright enough, add more food coloring and continue to shake.
  4. Pour the colored rice onto a cookie sheet covered with aluminum foil.
  5. Bake for about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and put on the counter to dry.
  6. Once dry, pour it onto your sensory table. We used a Tupperware container, so when the kids were done playing with the rice I just put the top back on. Add scoops and little buckets, too, to make it even more fun.

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White Rice $2 & Up
Jars With Lids $4 & Up
Food Coloring $4 & Up
Vinegar $2 & Up
Cookie Sheets $8 & Up
Aluminum Foil $3 & Up

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Donna John
What a fun project, Mike Prochaska ! Kids would love this. How long does it take to dry once it's out of the oven?
Mike Prochaska
About an hour. Can cook it longer to make it dry faster but the. It might stick
Cassiday
Fun idea! 🙌🏼
Ann Marie Patitucci
I love sensory play ideas like this one! Thanks, Mike Prochaska !

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