How To Dye Beans & Pasta For Sensory Play

There are a few different ways to dye dried pasta, rice and beans for sensory play but I’ve finally figured out my favorite! I’m picky when it comes to colors and I find food coloring makes it tricky to always get the right shade that I want. Acrylic paint is my go-to and here’s how I make it.

I place the dried beans, rice or pasta into ziplock baggies. I add a few squirts of acrylic paint and one large squirt of hand sanitizer into the bag.

Then it’s time to shake! My kids love to help with this step. I often will need to add a little more paint to fully coat the pasta.

Once everything is fully coated I lay it out to dry on freezer paper, ensuring that every piece is laying flat and not overlapping. I like to let them dry 4-5 hours, flip and then usually let them sit overnight.

My kids enjoy using scoops, funnels, jars and small characters to play with in their sensory bins.

I store my sensory filler in ziplock bags or air-tight bins for about a month!