How to Make Colored Rice for Sensory Bins

Making colored rice for sensory bins is so easy! Your child will love all the colors and have a blast playing with it.

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As a mom of two toddlers, I’m always on the look out for easy ways to keep them entertained without screen time. Sensory bins have been my go-to lately.

We had a lot of fun doing kinetic sand but I thought it was time to switch up our bins with some colored rice. I never knew how easy it was to dye rice and my kids were thrilled with it. The colors also look great all mixed together.

Supplies needed

To make colored rice, you will need:

• Rice: You’ll need white rice. One cup per color you want to make.
• Food coloring: You’ll need regular food coloring, not gel food coloring.
• Vinegar: You’ll need one tablespoon of white vinegar.

How to dye rice

There are printable instructions further down in this post!

To dye rice, you will need to measure out one cup of rice. I put mine in a dark colored bowl so the food coloring would not stain it (I did find it just washed out of the bowl, but I like to err on the side of caution).

Next, add one tablespoon of vinegar. Add the food coloring (I used about 10 drops) and stir well.

Let the mixture dry for 2 to 3 hours then it will be good to play with. Mine took about 2 ½ hours to dry but I live in a very humid climate.

Fun ideas

Dye your rice red and green for Christmas or pink for Valentine’s Day themed sensory bins. You could also use your child’s favorite colors.

Use the rice to practice writing numbers or letters with your fingers.

Dying rice brown or black is great for construction themed sensory bins.

We used these measuring cups that actually represent the measurements. I think they are really cool for learning.

If you have any other fun ideas, please share them in the comments below!

Other fun crafts and activities

• How to make color changing play dough
• Free busy binder printables
• How to make unbreakable bubbles
• How to make snow dough

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