Have fun with this dyed chick peas sensory play by making your own brightly coloured play material! So simple and easy to DIY and lasts for a very long time, ready to be used in sensory bins and small world play over and over again.
I love sensory play and especially enjoy the satisfaction of making sensory bin fillers which can be stored and re-used for months and years to come! Making some dyed chick peas for sensory play has been on my must-do list for ages and I’ve finally made a colourful batch which turned out so well. It’s easy-peasy!
How to make dyed chick peas for sensory play:
Materials Needed:
[Amazon affiliate links]
We found these chick peas at the supermarket but I’ve linked to a bigger, more budget batch in the list above.
Split the dry peas into batches of equal amounts and place into bowls. Now squirt a large amount of liquid watercolour into each bowl and stir through using spoons. Ignore the fact that I used a wooden spoon and dyed it permanently purple- that wasn’t my best decision ;-D
Once the colour has coated the chickpeas, tip them into baking trays and leave to dry for a few hours.
When they are dry to the touch they are ready to play with and will look A W E S O M E!! So rainbow-filled and colourful. I wish I had used even more colours to get the full rainbow effect!
I tipped them into a white box and added our metal measuring spoon set alongside some small buckets and a mini muffin tin. This was invitation enough to get stuck right in and have fun!
They all loved the feel of the chickpeas and found them so satisfying to pour and scoop with. They also make a lovely sound- not too loud, just right for the nerves 🙂
My 3 served me copious amounts of rainbow cakes and whipped me up some batches of colourful coffee too (he know’s the way to my heart!)
There was lots of opportunity for mathematical language such as more and less, full and empty, half full, big and small etc. If you get alongside and join in the play then its easy to model this language and encourage discussion as they’re playing too. “Oh that’s amazing, can you FILL this bucket?” ” Which cup has MORE in it?” ” Can you give me LESS than this?” etc.
Mr 3 is still very into transporting so of course I had to keep an eye that he didn’t tip these all over the garden (they hurt as bad as Lego to stand on with bare feet, so I have discovered!)
Once play was over they were so easy to tip into a storage tub and keep in the drawer for next time. I think all of my Tupperware is full of sensory play materials and play dough and never sees its true purpose at all! Whoops.
I hope you’ll love this and give it a try- soooo easy and brilliant for earning you a well deserved coffee on a rainy day!
Obviously, it goes without saying I would hope, that you need to supervise small children and don’t offer this to any who still like to poke things into their noses!
If you loved this dyed chick peas sensory play idea please do share it on social media! Tell your friends about The Imagination Tree and follow along on Facebook and Instagram page for more daily play ideas.
You may like to try our fail-safe, 2 minute slime recipe too!
If you like the chick peas you’ll love making rainbow rice for an everlasting sensory tub filler too!
And our play dough recipe is the BEST EVER!Â
[This post contains some Amazon affiliate links to help you find resources that I love and recommend. Thank you!]
Thank you Anna, I love your ideas and as a grandma of four I find them very useful, especially during the long summer holidays. I appreciate your generosity in sharing.
Hi, I have used several items for my sensory tables in the last 15yrs but never chickpeas. What a great idea. Love it.