Why we love sensory rice!
Need a quick and easy activity to keep your little ones busy? Rice play is IDEAL – cheap, easy to set up and can just be swept away or hoovered up when they’re finished!
Rice play is a staple at most Little Learners sessions – it’s such a brilliant sensory experience (for adults as well as little ones!). Follow my recipe below to colour your rice and then just add a pinch of imagination……and if you’re all out of that, a couple of cups and a spoon will be just as good!
Sensory Rice Recipe
To make your own sensory rice you will need:
Non-toxic ready mix paint
Plain rice (uncooked)
Ziplock bag
Empty the rice into the ziplock bags and add a dollop of paint. You can always add more, so do it in stages to avoid making it too wet. Zip up the bag and shake, shake, shake!
You may need to give it a gentle squeeze to disperse any paint that sticks to the side of the bag. Check and see if you’re happy with the colour, add more paint as needed.
Once coated, leave the bag open to air dry. This only takes 10 or so minutes so it’s a brilliant, quick recipe. I tend to make up several bags of different colours and store until needed.
What can I add to my sensory rice?
In short, ANYTHING! Some of my favourite things to add to sensory rice trays are listed below:
Water wheels
Stacking cups
Small character figures
A piece of drainpipe
Sieves
Measuring cups and spoons
Pom poms and tweezers
Scoops (like those you find at pic n mix)
To try and keep the sensory rice more contained, try using a deep baking tray or a plastic drawer.
Please take some inspiration from the pics above, these are some popular rice trays that I’ve created over the years – visit the Little Learners UK franchise pages to find a class and I bet you’ll find lots more!
Happy playing 💜
Anita
