My children have always enjoyed sensory activities, the ones which allow them to use touch, taste or smells have always worked well with them. This is a lovely quick activity if you are looking for a quick, indoor boredom buster. It takes minutes to set up and is easily enjoyed by a wide age range. Even better it’s a mess-free activity for toddlers which is great for celebrating St Patrick’s Day too!

Easy rainbow sensory bag supplies:
Shaving Cream
Water Beads
Zipper Seal Bag
Sharpies in every colour of the rainbow

Easy rainbow sensory bag instructions:

Draw a rainbow on a zipper seal sandwich bag with Sharpies.

If you have an older child, like I do, then you can let them help with this step.

When you have added the rainbow to the front of your bag you can fill it. Add several squirts of shaving cream to the bag (about a tablespoon or two of shaving cream is ideal). Drop water beads in the colours of the rainbow used into the bag.

Make sure you seal the zipper bag well. If your child can be a little rough you might want to reinforce the sides with duck tape to prevent the sides from bursting open. (This is a good idea for toddlers, but can be skipped for older kids!). If your child is more gentle then you can skip this step.

Invite your child to push the beads through the shaving cream and place them on the colour they match.

When finished, check the seal to make sure it is closed. You can keep this activity for up to a week, just in case you need another quiet activity. The shaving cream turns watery, but can be used for up to a week.