How To Make A Mermaid Colored Rice Sensory Bin

Create a magical Mermaid Sensory Bin with dreamy ocean colors like turquoise, blue, purple, pink, and seafoam green! This easy, budget-friendly, summer activity will keep your kids entertained with creative play ideas and summer fun!

Looking for a fun, easy, and sparkly summer activity for the kiddos? Let’s dive under the sea and create a mermaid-themed sensory bin using colorful dyed rice that looks like shimmering mermaid scales!

This quick and simple activity uses supplies you can grab from Amazon, Target’s Dollar Spot, or your local Dollar Store. With a few basic kitchen staples, you can even dye your own rice to get that perfect mermaid hue. The setup is so easy!

Why Make A Mermaid Sensory Bin?

Sensory bins are always a hit because they’re inexpensive, easy to set up, and kids absolutely love them! Using dyed rice in mermaid-inspired shades makes the bin feel like an underwater treasure trove, perfect for Summer Sensory Play. It’s great for scooping, pouring, and swirling. Plus, the smooth texture and soft crunch are irresistible for little hands.

Add some sea creatures, seashells, pearls, and glittery treasures, and you’ve got a magical ocean world fit for a mermaid! Themed activities like this help kids engage with seasonal play, build special memories, and spark their creativity.

The Best Mermaid Colored 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 mermaid sensory bin is how customizable it is, so you can get creative with what you have on hand. I linked some of our favorites from Amazon below.

Here’s everything you’ll need to make a batch of Colored Rice (this recipe is based on using 1 cup of rice. If you’d like to make a larger batch, simply multiply the ingredients by the number of cups of rice you plan to use):

• 1 cup Uncooked Rice
• 1 tsp Vinegar or Rubbing Alcohol
• Food Coloring or Liquid Water Colors

Extras for the mermaid sensory bin:

• Mini Mermaids, Mini Sea Creatures, Pom-Poms, Rocks, Gems, Pearls, or any mermaid-themed toys and trinkets.
• Silicone Cupcake Liners or Small Bowls
• Scoops and Funnel or Tongs and Tweezers or Spoons
• 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 sensory bin fillers like Kinetic Sand, Colored Chickpeas, Colored Pasta, Taste-Safe Kinetic Sand, Moon Sand, 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 4-8 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 1 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 Mermaid Rice Sensory Bin

1. Fill the Bin

Start by pouring the dyed rice into your large container or sensory bin. Spread it out evenly, making sure to cover the entire base of the bin. Layer different shades, swirl them together, or keep colors separate. It all looks gorgeous!

2. Add Mermaid Trinkets

Sprinkle in all your mermaid-themed trinkets like seashells, sparkly gems, pearls, and sea creatures. Bury some deeper for an extra surprise when kids dig around. We also scattered rocks in the bin and nestled the mini mermaids on top, just like they’re resting on ocean rocks by the sea.

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 sea creatures, or pour rice into bowls.

4. Let Them Play

Once everything’s ready, let your little ones explore their magical mermaid world! 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 Mermaid Sensory Bin

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

1. Treasure Hunt

Bury shiny gems, faux pearls, or little treasures in the rice. Challenge your child to find all the hidden treasures using their tweezers, scoops, tongs, or even their hands. Have them count the treasures or sort them by type for an extra activity.

2. Mermaid Potion

Set up a “Mermaid Potion Station” by including small jars or cups. Encourage your child to scoop the rice and mix in gems, shells, and pom-poms to create their own sparkly potions.

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 Mermaid Sensory Bin

What’s not to love about this sparkly mermaid sensory bin? It’s super easy to set up, budget-friendly, and reusable year after year. Once summer 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 treasure hunt or mixing up a magical mermaid potion, this activity brings beachy, magical fun straight to your playroom!