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The EASIEST Way to Color Rice for Sensory Play

By: Author Katy Ashcroft

Posted on  - Last updated:

Dying rice for sensory play is so easy! You only need a few ingredients to get beautiful colored rice your kids will love.

In this post, you’ll learn how to dye rice with acrylic paint and hand sanitizer. One reason I love dying rice is because it’s really cheap! With sensory play, many times you have on had or only need a few ingredients to make. Dying rice is no exception!

One benefit of playing with colored rice is that it helps babies and toddlers with their fine motor skills.

If you don’t have any acrylic paint, check out my other post about dying rice with food coloring.

This is a wonderful sensory play recipe! Are you ready to have little pieces of colored rice all over your home?! I’m kidding….hopefully. You can keep your dyed rice in a sensory bin for easy cleanup. 😉

Different pastel colors of rice in a tray.

Colored Rice Recipe

Ingredients

Rice (as much as you want to color)

Acrylic paint

Hand Sanitizer

Directions

  1. Add rice to a ziplock bag.
  2. Squirt some non toxic acrylic paint to it. Be careful not to add too much. You just need a little, and you can always add more.
  3. Add some hand sanitizer to the bag.
  4. Close the bag and shake it until everything is evenly coated.
  5. Lay it out on a cookie sheet or parchment paper to dry for an hour. Play!
4 ziplock bags of pastel yellow, pink, green, and purple colored rice for sensory play.

Educational Ideas for Colored Rice for Sensory Play:

  • Have your kids use the rice to spell letters of the alphabet
  • Draw their numbers on a cookie sheet full of rice
  • Sort multi-colored rice into individual colors
My son and daughter pretend eating the colored rice.

FAQs about Colored Rice for Sensory Play

What do you do with the rice after it’s been played with?

I store it in ziplock bags in a bin and put it in my craft closet.

What kind of rice do you use for sensory bins?

I use long grain white rice, but any kind of rice will work!

How do you dye rice for sensory play without vinegar?

Add rice to a ziplock bag. Squirt some non-toxic acrylic paint in it. Add just a little, because you can always add more. Put some hand sanitizer in the bag. Shake it and mix it very well. Lay it out on a cookie sheet or parchment paper to dry for an hour. Play!

Multicolored pastel rice for sensory bin

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Final Thoughts on The EASIEST Way to Color Rice for Sensory Play:

I hope you like to color rice for sensory play as much as I do! Let me know what you think in the comments.