How to Dye Rice for Sensory Play

Have you heard of rainbow rice? It’s just a fun name for dyed rice, and it’s the perfect base for a fun, easy, taste-safe sensory bin for toddlers. And the best part is, it’s SO easy to make! If you’re ready to learn how to dye rice for sensory play, you’re in the right place!

What is sensory play?

Sensory play refers to activities that engage a child’s senses—sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell—as well as their sense of balance (vestibular) and spatial awareness (proprioception). These activities stimulate exploration, creativity, and problem-solving while helping to develop fine and gross motor skills, language, and cognitive growth.

Sensory play could look like playing with textured materials like sand, water, or rice to engage touch, experimenting with colorful objects or lights to engage sight, or exploring scented play dough or herbs to engage smell.

Sensory play is especially valuable in early childhood as it fosters brain development by building neural connections and helping children process sensory information effectively. And fortunately, it doesn’t have to be complicated. In fact, if you think about it, everything we do is a sensory experience!

Before I ever made rainbow rice, I used plain, undyed rice in a sensory bin for my oldest daughter, and that was plenty of fun, too! But dyeing the rice different colors gives you the opportunity to talk about colors, among other things – plus, it’s pretty, too!

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Materials Needed to dye rice

White rice (plain, uncooked)
Food coloring
Vinegar (to help the color stick)
Ziploc bags or airtight containers
Baking tray and/or parchment paper for drying

**Optional: You could use liquid watercolors in place of food coloring, and rubbing alcohol in place of vinegar. I’ve never tested this method but I know others have and had lots of success! However, using either of these items makes your sensory rice no longer taste safe.

Add 1 cup of rice to a Ziploc bag.

Add approximately 4-6 drops of food coloring (more drops = deeper colors) and 1 teaspoon of vinegar to the bag.

(If you’re just making one color of rice, I suggest at least doubling or tripling this recipe to have enough colored rice to play with.)

Shake until the rice is evenly coated.

Repeat the process with different colors in separate bags.

Experiment with mixing primary colors to create secondary colors; for example, try 2 drops of blue + 4 drops of red food coloring to make purple (if you have little ones helping you, this is a great time to talk about color mixing!).

rice dyed blue and spread out on a baking sheet

Spread the dyed rice on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.

Allow it to air-dry for several hours or overnight.

six different colors of dyed rice spread out on baking sheets to dry

Optional: Speed up drying by placing it in a low-heat oven.

Ideas for Using Rainbow Rice

The uses for your colored rice are really endless! Some ideas to try:

Layer the rice in clear containers for a rainbow effect.
Hide small objects for kids to find.
Provide scoops, cups, and funnels for pouring and measuring.
Create themed sensory bins for different holidays!

Frequently asked questions

How long does dyed rice last?

If stored correctly, dyed rice lasts for a LONG time. Like, years. Just make sure to store in an airtight container. (Sometimes I use tupperware, sometimes I use gallon sized baggies. Either one works!)

Can I use natural dyes?

I haven’t personally tried to use anything other than store bought food color to dye rice! However, I did find an article here that describes how to use natural ingredients to dye rice. If you try it out, let me know!

Is the rice safe for younger kids?

Yes, especially if you use taste safe ingredients like food coloring and vinegar! Adult supervision is always recommended, and you certainly don’t want your toddler eating handfuls of uncooked rice. Use your best judgement, but yes, the rice is generally safe for young children.

More DIY Sensory Fun

Looking for more sensory play recipes and ideas? I’ve got you covered! You don’t want to miss these fun sensory play recipes:

Rainbow rice is such a fun way to add excitement and color to your sensory play adventures. If you try this recipe to dye rice for sensory play, comment below or send me a message on Instagram and let me know how your rainbow rice turns out!

How to Dye Rice for Sensory Play

What is sensory play?

Materials Needed to dye rice