Rainbow Rice Bin

This rainbow rice sensory bin is such a fun way for kids to explore different textures and colors. Toddlers and older kids alike will love this bin because it allows them to have play that is both fun and educational. This would even make an amazing gift as well if you packed up all the pieces to give to a friend! 

WHAT IS A SENSORY BIN?

If you are new to this activity, a sensory bin is a large container filled with items specifically chosen to stimulate the senses. They often encourage fine motor skills and exploration. 

Sensory bins are also a great way to allow your kids to play with items that would usually make a mess. The mess is contained and so much easier to clean up when these items are put into a sensory bin to be explored.

In addition, sensory bins can encourage improvement in focus and concentration. This is a skill that has to be learned for most children. The sensory bin concept also allows opportunities for play based education.

BENEFITS OF RICE SENSORY PLAY

A rice sensory bin gives all the benefits I explained earlier. But what specifically are the benefits of RICE sensory play?

For younger children, along with stimulating the sense of touch, rice also helps them work on fine motor control. The uncooked rice is very small. The skill is learned that multiple can be scooped up at once or that they can pick up individual pieces. This is always a wonder. Using items such as cups, bowls, and spoons to scoop and stir the rice encourages the learning of hand eye coordination.

The rainbow colors of the rice are very visually stimulating. You can definitely do a rice sensory bin without dyeing the rice, but the rainbow rice makes this sensory bin in particular much more stimulating.

You will need a few things to put together this Rice Sensory Bin. I have linked some of the items below to make it easier for you to get what you need.

Supplies:

• A plastic box with a clipping lid
• Dyed rice in the colors of the rainbow
• Buttons
• Beads
• Pipe cleaners
• Cardboard
• Scissors
• Paint Markers 
• A sandbox tool, kitchen spoon, or tongs

Directions:

To make the rainbow puzzle:

• Cut a rainbow shape from the cardboard. I used half of an oval shape about 6” tall and 4” high.
• Cut that cardboard rainbow form into 7 sections. Cut the sections with the shape of the rainbow so that they will fit back together. This forms a simple puzzle for little hands to explore.
• Color or paint the sections of cut cardboard to represent the following colors of the rainbow: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet.
• Set aside.

To form the rainbow rice base:

• Layer the rice in the box in the following order: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet.
• Once you have your rainbow base down, begin to add beads to the rice base.
• Nestle the rainbow puzzle sections into the coordinating color of rice.
• Add a pipe cleaner or two.
• Add a sandbox tool, kitchen spoon, or tongs to offer new ways to explore!
• With supervision, invite your child to explore the colors of the rainbow, to thread the beads onto the pipe cleaners, and to build the rainbow puzzle. 
• When playtime is over, you can snap the lid on the box to store for future play sessions. 
• The children are naturally going to mix the colors together, and that is okay! The next time they explore this sensory bin, they can work on their sorting skills!

Have you ever made a sensory bin before? They are so much fun and allow for interaction through play while still learning so many skills.

If you liked this tub, you will love our Insect Sensory Tub. Click here to check it out!