Published December 8, 2025 Written by [email protected]

Early years activity: Rainbow rice art

Explore colours and textures in this sensory rainbow rice activity. Using their sense of touch, smell, sight and sound, children create a beautiful, unique, textured piece of artwork, developing fine motor skills and expressive language along the way.

Rainbow rice art activity learning aims

Explore different textures, colours and sounds
Develop fine motor skills
Encourage creativity and expression
Promote descriptive language.

Resources you will need for this activity

Rice (uncooked)
Natural food colouring
Tuff tray or other surface with an edge
Bowls, spoons in various sizes, small ladles, small containers
Glue – PVA or similar
Card, trays, pieces of acrylic (a surface for the art piece)
Essential oils – child-safe, vanilla extract.

Rainbow rice art activity outline

Colour the rice together with the children – let them choose the colours and dye the rice in batches, so that you end up with rice in a variety of colours
If using aromas, add them to the rice in droplets – smell and talk about the aromas before you add them
Spread the coloured rice across the tuff tray or other surface for the children to explore
Encourage them to touch, smell, scoop and pour the rice, noticing how it feels, smells and sounds as they do so
Provide a surface (card, tray, etc) for children to create their own rainbow rice art – this doesn’t need to look like anything, it can be impressionistic. The value is in the process, not the finished product
Discuss the textures, colours, smells and sounds as they create their masterpiece.

How to extend this activity

Display the children’s creations
Invite the children to mix the colours, observe and talk about what happens.

NDNA products to support you with this activity

Expressive Arts & Design nursery training – Face to face training

Back to myNDNA

Disclaimer: Activities with children must always be risk assessed, including for allergies or choking. Children must always have adequate supervision. Resources and materials must always be appropriate for children’s age and stage of development.

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