How To Make A 4th Of July Colored Rice Sensory Bin

Create a patriotic 4th of July Sensory Bin with red, white, and blue colored rice! This easy and budget-friendly activity will keep your kids entertained with creative play ideas and patriotic fun! This sensory play activity is perfect for kids of all ages!

Looking for a fun, easy, and budget-friendly 4th Of July, Memorial Day, or Labor Day activity for the kiddos? Let’s create a patriotic 4th of July sensory bin using dyed red, white, and blue rice as the base!

This quick and simple activity uses supplies you can grab from Amazon, Target’s Dollar Spot or the Dollar Store. With the help of some basic household ingredients, you can even dye your own rice for an extra festive touch. The setup is so easy!

Why Make a 4th of July Sensory Bin?

Sensory bins are always a hit because they’re inexpensive, easy to set up, and kids absolutely love them! Using dyed red, white, and blue rice as a base adds a colorful and patriotic vibe that’s perfect for 4th of July, Memorial Day, or Labor Day. It’s great for scooping, pouring, and digging, plus it provides a smooth, crunchy texture kids enjoy.

Add some patriotic-themed toys, and you’ve got a bin full of festive fun! Holiday-themed activities like this help kids engage with the season, build special memories, and enhance their understanding of the holiday.

How To Create a 4th Of July Rice Sensory Bin

What You’ll Need

Before you get started, make sure you have everything prepped and ready to go. The great thing about this 4th of July sensory bin is how customizable it is, so you can get creative with what you have on hand. I linked what we used from Amazon, but Target’s Dollar Spot or the Dollar Store are also great places to find inexpensive patriotic-themed items.

• Colored Rice: You can either make it at home (which I’ll show you how to do in a sec!) or buy colored rice. It’s just as fun to make it as it is to play with it!
• 4th of July Themed Trinkets: Think Stars, Pom-Poms, gems, erasers, Patriotic Cookie Cutters, or any 4th of July themes toys and trinkets.
• Silicone Cupcake Liners or Small Bowls
• Scoops and Funnel or Tongs and Tweezers
• Sensory Bin (or any container big enough for your child to play in)

Pro Tip: This sensory bin uses Colored Rice as the filler. But if you don’t have rice or want to switch it up, other fillers like Taste-Safe Kinetic Sand, Taste-Safe Moon Dough, Colored Chickpeas, Colored Pasta, Cloud Dough or Edible Play Dough work great too! Click the links for step-by-step instructions to make your own.

Check out our blog post about Essential Sensory Bin Supplies to have on hand, making it easy to set-up multiple different sensory bins in seconds!

How to Dye Rice (Quick and Easy!)

If you’ve never dyed rice before, you’re in for a treat! It’s SO simple, budget friendly, and takes only a few minutes to prep. Plus, it adds a fun sensory experience before the bin even comes together.

Check out our post on How To Make Colored Rice with step-by-step directions, along with helpful tips and tricks for dying rice. Here’s a short version for how you can whip up a batch in no time:

1. Grab some uncooked rice

Go with the budget-friendly kind! You’ll need about 6-8 cups total, depending on the size of your bin.

2. Add food coloring

Divide the rice into ziplock bags, one for each color you want. Squirt a few drops of food coloring into each bag along with a teaspoon of white vinegar or rubbing alcohol per 1 cup of rice (this helps the color set).

3. Shake it up!

Shake the bags. Let your kids help shake them—this part is really fun! Shake until all the rice is evenly coated in bright color.

4. Spread out the rice to dry

Lay the colored rice on a parchment paper or a baking sheet to dry. It usually takes about 1-2 hours to fully dry, but it’ll be good to go once it feels nice and dry to the touch.

Now, you have beautiful dyed rice! You can store it in an airtight container and use it over and over again for different activities.

How to Set Up Your 4th Of July Rice Sensory Bin

1. Fill the Bin

Start by pouring the dyed red, white, and blue rice into your large container or sensory bin. Spread it out evenly, making sure to cover the entire base of the bin. The bright, patriotic colors will instantly create a festive 4th of July vibe.

2. Add 4th of July Trinkets

Next, it’s time to scatter the 4th of July-themed ttrinkets like stars, gems, and pom-poms into the rice. Hide some toys deeper while keeping others visible to create an element of surprise and discovery.

3. Add Scoops and Tongs

To make the bin even more interactive, toss in some scoops, tongs, bowls, and funnels. These tools encourage kids to practice fine motor skills as they scoop up the rice, use tongs to pick out 4th of July toys, or pour rice into bowls.

4. Let Them Play

Now that everything is set up, sit back and watch your kids dive into the 4th of July sensory fun! They’ll enjoy exploring the textures, sounds, and sights of the bin as they dig, pour, and scoop their way through the rice.

Creative Play Ideas for Your 4th of July Sensory Bin

Once the 4th of July sensory bin is set up, here are a few extra activities to keep the fun going:

1. Star Hunt

Bury the star-shaped items in the rice. Challenge your child to find all the stars using their tweezers, scoops, tongs, or even their hands. Have them count the stars or sort them by color for an extra activity.

2. 4th Of July Fireworks

Set up a “Fireworks” station by including small jars, scoops, and 4th of July-themed items like red and blue pom-poms, star-shapes, or gems. Encourage your child to scoop the rice and mix in the items to create their own fireworks.

3. Scoop and Pour

Include measuring cups, scoops, funnels, and small bowls in the sensory bin for a classic scoop-and-pour activity. Kids can practice transferring the rice from one container to another, experimenting with quantities and different tools.

Why We Love This 4th of July Sensory Bin

What’s not to love about this 4th of July sensory bin? It’s super easy to set up, budget-friendly, and reusable year after year. Once the holiday is over, just store the rice and toys in a separate bag, and you’re ready to go again next year. It’s a fun way to create lasting memories with minimal effort!

Whether your kids are on a star-shaped treasure hunt or mixing up their own fireworks, this 4th of July sensory bin is sure to be a hit!