Tapioca pearls sensory play activity

This tapioca pearls sensory play activity from our friends at Mud Mates is lots of fun and cheap and easy to do at home.

The tapioca pearls are soft, squishy and sticky and kids will have a blast mixing them altogether then scooping them out into bowls, ice cube trays and containers.
 

Tapioca pearls sensory play activity

 

What you’ll need for your tapioca pearls activity

 

• 1 x packet of tapioca pearls
• Colander or sieve
• Small bowls
• Food colouring in a range of colours
• Spoons for mixing
• Large container or bowl
• Ice cube trays, containers etc

 

How to make your tapioca pearls activity

1. Cook the tapioca pearls according to the directions on the packet.

2. Drain and rinse the tapioca pearls under cold water and allow it to cool slightly.

3. Divide the tapioca pearls evenly into the small bowls.

4. Add a few drops of food colouring to the first small bowl and repeat for the other small bowls; use one colour per bowl.

5. Mix each small bowl thoroughly with a clean spoon then leave for 5 minutes to allow the colour to absorb.

6. Empty the first small bowl of tapioca pearls into the sieve or colander, rinse well under cold water and then put the rinsed tapioca into the large bowl or container. Repeat for each small bowl.

7. Once all the rinsed tapioca pearls are in the large bowl, mix all the coloured tapioca pearls together with a clean spoon.

8. You’re good to go! Scoop the tapioca pearls into the bowls, ice cube trays and containers for hours of fun.
  

Things to try with your tapioca pearls

 

• Try adding some cold water to the large bowl or container of tapioca pearls to take away the stickiness and create lots of new ways to play and explore the tapioca pearls. The food colouring may start to run a bit and you might end up with a bit of a murky mess, but it probably won’t stop the kids from playing!

 

• Try spreading the tapioca onto a baking tray and leave it outside in the sun to dry for a new sensory play activity.

 

Tips on tapioca pearls

 

• Packets of tapioca can be found at your local supermarket or health food store. If you can, buy quick cook tapioca which will take about 5 minutes to cook, otherwise you may need to boil it for around 30 minutes for the non-quick packs.

 

• We would recommend doing this activity outside as the tapioca pearls tend to spread and stick to things, and can also be difficult to clean up off the floor.

 

• Once the kids have finished playing, drain off any water and store the tapioca in a plastic container in the fridge for another day or two.

 

• Tapioca pearls are edible, but we don’t recommend your children eat too many as there is a lot of food colouring on them.

 

• You'll notice that the food colouring does come off slightly in the water and onto your children's hands, but it should wash off pretty quickly and easily.

 

• The size of the tapioca pearls means that they could be a choking hazard for wee ones, so please always supervise your children closely if they are likely to put them in their mouth.

More kids activities articles to enjoy:

• Colourful soap slime
• Magic rainbow milk
• Tie dye art

Source: This article was written by Mud Mates - Taking care of messy kids with protective over-garments, perfect for dirty, messy play, indoors and out.