Of all the time I’ve spent planning activities for my toddlers, this prep work has been the most satisfying. I put a little extra time planning stages with the rice bins, and it has really paid off. And a great thing about rice bins is you can add what you have to extend time of play. Below I’ll share how I break it down by stages.
For this activity you will need:
- White Rice (enough to fill the bottom of your bin)
- Colored Rice (in small containers, or fillable Easter eggs)
- Small containers of dried beans of choice (I use black beans and pinto beans)
- Utensils of choice (spoons, tongs, something hole-y, empty Easter eggs, small containers, measuring cups, use what you have!)
- Goldfish or small snack of choice
The first time I laid out this activity I just put the white rice in the bin and the beans in fillable Easter eggs. I didn’t give the kiddos any direction, and just let them mess around. They loved collecting the rice in their hands and letting it pour out like sand. Colby got bored first, and I told him to make some music with the eggs (none of the kids had even touched them). That kept them entertained a little longer. When that had run it’s course, I asked what was inside the eggs. Kyla opened hers first, and they went everywhere, which was great fun. Colby hates a mess, so he asked for help opening his, and then they continued to play with the beans and rice (Cam was still interested in the plain rice so I let him explore on his own). When boredom set in again, I showed Colby how to pick through the rice and separate out the beans. This kept him entertained for a longgggg time. Kyla and Cam kept at their independent play with the bins, and Mama got her work done. This session lasted at least 90 minutes and I only stopped it because it was time for lunch. While I made their lunch, I engaged them in clean up by having them put all of their containers/utensils back in their bins and clean up fallen rice. (Cleaning up the fallen rice made a bigger mess since most ended up on the floor. But, I tried to remind myself that I needed to sweep/vacuum anyways and I am teaching them valuable lessons about cleaning up after themselves, right???)
The next time I took out the bins I had a really busy day at work, and hoped that the bins would keep them entertained again. I stayed up the night before and colored rice with food coloring, and put it in small containers. I didn’t put the containers into the bins, though. First, I just let them play with the bins how they were left from the time before. I was pleasantly surprised with how long they played with them without getting bored. And, honestly, if I had put more effort into direction, they probably would have been content continuing to play with them as is. But, I was busy, and I had already made the colored rice, so I had them turn the backs, close their eyes, and count to ten while I “surprised” them with the containers of colored rice. Boy, was this a huge hit. They were SO EXCITED, and played for such a long time. Again, they only stopped because they needed to eat, but play lasted over two hours. Let me say that again: PLAY LASTED OVER TWO HOURS!! With RICE. I couldn’t believe it!
The next few times they played with their bins, we got at least 30 minutes out of it, but they wanted new materials. This was when there were food shortages in the beginning stages of the pandemic, and I felt like an asshole buying rice for my kids’ play when people were desperately trying to buy food. So, they continued to play with the bins, but for shorter periods of time. Well, insert another busy day of work, and I needed to get creative to keep them engaged for longer than 30 minutes. So, once they got bored and wanted to move on, I had them turn their backs, close their eyes, and count to 10. While they did this, I hid 10 goldfish in each of their bins. I told them they needed to hunt for the treasure, find all 10 of what I hid, and then they could eat what they found. Again, I was blown away by their imaginations after adding this element. They made it a competition, then they made the fish characters, then they had the fish fight each other. All the while, I worked away, and every so often needed to have them turn their backs again so I could add more fish. This was another two plus hour adventure with rice bins.
I am inherently aware that I am lucky to have multiple children in the same age bracket to play and bounce ideas off of each other. I am also aware that I am extremely lucky to have a young toddler who is such an amazing independent player. I would think that one child using a rice sensory bin may not last as long. But, I wouldn’t know for sure.
Also, parents, remember to back off. There are times I really want to dictate how they play, but I have learned that their imaginations are far greater than mine. I really hold back unless they are bored. That’s really the only time with these sorts of activities that I interject. And yes, they are going to make a mess. Sometimes when Jim gets home from work he would never be able to tell that we used the bins, and other days he comes home and there’s rice as far as the eye can see. We never know how our days are going to play out over here!
Do you use rice sensory bins? If so, comment below with how you make them last. Also feel free to tag me on Instagram @twinmamawama if you make your own rice bin! I hope this helps you get some work done!
