Easy Rainbow Spaghetti Recipe

What’s more fun than colorful rainbow spaghetti for young kids to dig their hands into! Find out how to make rainbow spaghetti for sensory play that’s taste-safe! Plus, read about the benefits of getting kids engaged in rainbow spaghetti sensory play. Sensory play activities are easier than you think!

Make Rainbow Spaghetti For Messy Play

Sensory play ideas really don’t have to be expensive or elaborate for kids to benefit! Head to the kitchen cupboard for all the ingredients you need to make this rainbow pasta recipe!

Sensory play with rainbow spaghetti is an excellent way to engage children’s senses and promote their learning and development. Children can feel the texture of the pasta, which helps to develop their tactile sense and fine motor skills as they manipulate them with their hands.

Our simple rainbow spaghetti recipe makes beautiful colors that kids will have a blast digging their hands into. Prep and make it in the morning, and you can set up your sensory bin for an afternoon activity. Here’s how to color pasta with food coloring for sensory activities.

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Why Is Sensory Play Important?

Sensory play makes for awesome hands-on fun and learning for young children as they explore and discover more about the world through their senses! Sensory activities can also calm a child, help a child to focus, and engage a child.

The Many Benefits of Sensory Play

Motor Development Skills ~ Sensory play helps a child explore, discover, and create using motor skills like dumping, filling, and scooping.

Play Skills {emotional development} ~ For both social play and independent play, sensory activities allow children to play cooperatively or side by side. My son has had many positive experiences with other children over a bin of rice!

Language Development ~ Sensory play increases language development by experiencing all there is to see and do with their hands, which leads to great conversations and opportunities to model language.

Using the 5 Senses ~ Many sensory activities include a few of the senses! Touch, sight, sounds, taste, (where appropriate), and smell are the 5 senses. Kids can experience several senses at a time with a sensory bin or sensory play recipe.

Calming tools ~ Sensory play recipes calm many anxious or worried kiddos. You might find that one works better than another for your kiddo.

Some sensory play materials can settle and soothe, and some can help keep kids’ attention and build their connection with you.

Helpful Resources To Get You Started

There’s so much more to learn about sensory play. Here are a few ideas, with free printables, to help you set up sensory activities easily!

Get Your Free Sensory Play Guide!

Explore more fantastic sensory play activities at any time of the year.

Rainbow Spaghetti Recipe

This is a taste safe recipe!

Supplies:

1 box of spaghetti noodles (supplies to prepare: pot, water, colander, olive oil, pan)
food coloring (rainbow colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple)
6 plastic zipper sandwich bags
large pan
sensory bin

Instructions:

STEP 1. Cook the spaghetti according to the directions on the packaging. Drain using a colander.

STEP 2. After cooking and to prevent the spaghetti from sticking, add a very small amount of olive oil and mix around the noodles. Do not use too much or it may be too oily!

You can start out with a few drops at a time. This will help the noodles move about freely in the child’s hands during sensory play vs. it clumping into a sticky, giant mess!

STEP 3. Place the spaghetti noodles on a pan and allow the noodles to cool down completely.

STEP 4. Once the noodles are cooled down, separate the noodles equally into the sandwich bags.

STEP 5. Squirt food coloring into each bag. You’ll be using about 20+ drops of food coloring for each bag to color well.

STEP 6. Close the bag well and gently shake the bag around to color the pasta. If you notice that some of the noodles aren’t colored well, you can add more drops of food coloring.

STEP 7. When the noodles are colored completely, transfer to a large pan to help the noodles dry a bit.

STEP 8. Invite the child to explore the rainbow spaghetti as a sensory activity, mixing the colors together. You can keep the spaghetti in the pan or transfer to a sensory bin.

Note: Since using olive oil, the spaghetti will have a slightly oily texture when handling. Use a smock or have a set of paper towels nearby for the child to wipe their hands on after handling. Always wash hands well after use! See our tips for set up of sensory bins!

More Sensory Play Materials You Can Make

DIY Sensory Bins Ideas

If you loved this sensory rainbow spaghetti, check out these DIY sensory bin ideas below that you can easily put together yourself!

Click on the image below or on the link for more fun and easy sensory activities for kids!

Easy Rainbow Spaghetti Recipe