Water beads make a great sensory play for kids. They are slimy, squishy, and invite all sorts of play both indoors and out. They hit almost all of the senses and are so much fun to play with.
How to hydrate water beads
Take a plastic bin, put 1 tablespoon of dry water beads and add 8-10 cups of water to it. Wait for 6-8 hours for them to grow. You may have to add additional water as they soak up a LOT of it! Just watching the water beads grow and observing the changes along the way is fun on its own.
Part of the sensory experience is to allow your child to explore. Anay loves to play with water beads. Today while playing with them he noticed that they are rainbow colored. So we decided to make a rainbow with them. We sat together and talked about rainbow colors and started putting the beads according to it.
After we finished making rainbow I asked him if he would like to make something else. He suggested that we should make some flowers too! So, we made some flowers and grass. We had so much fun making this rainbow art!
Skills Involved
- Counting the beads
- Color Recognition
- Fine motor skills
NOTE: Although water beads are non-toxic and environmentally safe, they can be a choking hazard for younger kids who still mouth items.
Other Activities
Water beads can can be used in so many ways. Kids love them so much. Here are some other activities you can do with them that can hold their attention for a long time.
Pouring Water Beads
This is the most obvious use for water beads. Fill up a bin with water beads and add some spoons, bowls or scoops. Let your child fill up scoops with water beads and pour them back into the bin. You maybe also add sea animal toy as a surprise for your child to find.
Threading Water Beads
Grab some uncooked spaghetti and thread water beads onto it. It takes a couple of tries to get a hang if it. This is a great activity for working on fine motor skills.
Freezing Water Beads
You can also freeze water beads. They freeze pretty quickly and get stuck together in a big clump. As they slowly thaw they start falling out. You can squirt some warm water with a squirt bottle to help them thaw.
Color Sorting
Give your child a bowl full of different color water beads. Then give some small bowls and ask them to sort the beads by color.
How to Dispose Water Beads
- Do not put them in the drain.
- You can put it in the trash.
- You can put them in the soil, they will help retain moisture in the soil.
- You can let them dry they will return back into small beads.
If you plan to store the water beads for a while, please make sure to check for mold. Discard them immediately in such cases.
