Rainbow Pasta Sensory Play

Here’s what you need:

• Pasta (any shape works, but if you want to use them as beads you’ll want one that has a hole you can thread)
• White vinegar
• Food colouring (we used gel, but liquid food colouring would work too)
• Container with a tight lid (we opted to use a lock & seal container to mix the pasta with the colour and rinse it between colours, but you could use baggies)
• Baking sheet(s) and/or wax paper to dry the coloured pasta on
• 1 tsp measuring spoon
• Small dish to mix vinegar and colour
• Small spoon for mixing

Here’s what to do:

• Measure 1 tsp of white vinegar and mix in a small dish with approximately 1/8 tsp of food colouring
• Pour desired amount of pasta in container or baggie (we used about half a bag for each colour)
• Add coloured vinegar to the pasta, make sure lid is well sealed, and shake shake shake (my daughter loved this part)
• Lay coloured pasta to dry on baking sheet or wax paper (we used a roasting pan and layered each colour of pasta with sheets of wax paper in between)

Things you can do with it:

• Sensory play: explore the texture and the sound of the pasta rattling (you could fill empty plastic bottles to make discovery bottles)
• Seek and find: hide small toys and objects in a bin of pasta and have little one(s) reach in to feel around and find the hidden items
• Fine motor skills: thread pasta like beads on pipe cleaners or yarn to make jewelry or decorations
• Crafts: use white glue to stick pasta on paper, disposable plates, etc. to make 3D artwork

There are so many fun educational benefits for young children with this activity, and since it’s reusable you can try all the different ideas using one batch.

What are some other ways you’d use this colourful pasta?  Let me know in the comments below!