Coloured rice is just the best sensory base — it’s bright, satisfying to scoop and pour, and holds up beautifully across weeks of play. If you’ve ever wondered how we make those big, beautiful bins at Smudge, here’s my simple method.
Easy, vibrant, and perfect for play
How to make coloured rice:
You can use any kind of rice (I usually grab long grain), and I like to make a few colours at once so we can layer or theme them depending on the setup.
Pour your rice into a large tub or smoosh it out over a tray.
Add a few glugs of poster paint, plus one glug of white poster paint. This little trick helps the colours pop and keeps them nice and vibrant when dry.
Use a spatula to mix the paint through until all the rice is evenly coated.
Flatten it out and pop it in the sun (or somewhere warm) to dry. It doesn’t take long!
I often do three or four trays in different colours at once, especially if we’re building a themed sensory world.
To store everything between classes, we use the extra-large IKEA Samla tubs with lids — they’re super sturdy and keep our rice fresh and ready for play.
Have fun!
Emma x
