Rainbow Rice Toddler Sensory Activity

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Recently my 2 year old has started repeating commercials and her favorite cartoons. While this is adorable and even hilarious it just made me realize that she’s watching way more tv than I ever thought I’d allow before children. I know we’ve all said “my kids won’t do that” or “my kids won’t act like that” and then you have kids and they do act like that and do actually do those things. And then I remembered that Pinterest app I saved a ton of toddler activities and crafts on. Saturday was forecasted to be a rainy day, so I saved my chores for that day and with a little prepping had a toddler sensory activity to occupy my toddler. You can check out this post and my Pinterest board here for more ideas.

Rainbow Rice Toddler Sensory Activity

Materials

• Large, clear plastic bin

• 10-15 lbs rice

• Food coloring

• White vinegar

• Gallon freezer bags (6)

Instructions

1. Measure 5 cups of rice into each bag.

2. In a small cup, mix 3 tbsp vinegar with 30-40 drops of food coloring. I made 6 different colors: red, yellow, orange (10 drops of red & 30 drops of yellow), blue, green, and purple (10 drops of blue, 30 drops of red).

3. Pour mixture over your rice, seal and shake!

4. Open freezer bag to air out and dry overnight.

5. The next day, pour all the rice (I made a rainbow pattern) into your plastic bin and add whatever toys/gadgets you would like. I threw in some of her play kitchen toys (pot with lid, spoon, cup), cut up a smoothie straw, and regular measuring cups.

She was starting to give me a little attitude, so that’s when I put everything out for her. I called her and just when she was about to say something smart she noticed the bin and her face just lit up. She easily played there by herself for about an hour. I was able to put her brother down for a nap, clean up breakfast, and start tidying up the house. Mom win!!
Typically I stray away from activities that look messy. There’s enough of that going on in my house, but with a large sheet thrown down, clean-up was a breeze. I just popped the lid on the container and stored it away for another day.

Hope you and your littles enjoy!