Inside: 18 fantastic giant water bead activities for toddlers and preschoolers. Just like regular sized water beads, giant water beads are an amazing sensory play activity. The only different is their size!

What are Giant Water Beads
Giant Water Beads beads are just like normal sized water beads, however, they will grow much much larger. Most are 100% biodegradable so they make a wonderful outdoor sensory play activity in the summer. They also make a great learning tool in a summer sensory bin and a great way to keep kids busy at home. They are also great for developing fine motor skills, color recognition and counting skills.
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Where to Get Giant Water Beads
The best place to get them in on Amazon. Look for a brand that is intended for sensory play with children.

How to Grow Giant Water Beads
Just like normal sized water beads, you grow giant water beads in water but they will take much longer to reach their full size at about 24 hours. But after about a few hours (6-8 hours), they are fun to play with.



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What to do When They are Done Playing
Once you are done playing with giant water beads they will likely not looks like the beads that you started out with. This is because the more water they absorb the more fragile they become and they are easily broken. We ended up with a pile of water bead pieces. We tossed them into our mud kitchen to continue the fun!

Supplies
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- Giant Water Beads
- IKEA colour bowls
- 41 Qt, Clear Sensory Bin (Large) or a IKEA FLISAT Children’s Sensory Table
- Handy Scoopers
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9 Activities With Giant Water Beads
- Giant Water Beads and Water Table Sensory Play. Add giant water beads to your water table for a great sensory play outdoors with water.
- Colour Sort with Giant Water Beads. Use colourful bowls to sort the water beads by colour using scoopers.

3. Balance Water Beads on Pool Noodles or Stacking Cups. For a fine motor activity use cut pool noodles or stacking cups and have your little one balance the giant water beads on the them. If you are using stacking cups you can also have your little one colour sort the beads on the cups.

4. Giant Water Bead Poke. I haven’t tried this one. But you can use toothpicks to poke the giant water beads for a great fine motor activity.
5. Giant Water Bead Whisk. Use a whisk and have your little one push a giant water bead through it for a great fine motor activity. The water bead, especially if its full sized will probably get squished so do this activity near the end of their play.
6. Giant Water Bead Rescue. Grab your painter’s tape or masking tape and create web on your sensory bin or sensory table for your little ones to try and avoid while they rescue the giant water beads and colour sort them.

7. Salad Spinner and Giant Water Beads. Add your giant water beads to your salad spinner for a quick STEM activity. Watch the beads bounce and spin around. This is best done with beads that aren’t full grown so that they aren’t as fragile.

8. Circle Themed Sensory Bin. Create a circle themed sensory bin with other circle toys and supplies such as ball bit balls, stacking donuts, stacking cups, any small plastic balls.
9. Counting Game with Giant Water Beads. Label plastic cups, 1-5 and have your little one use the scoopers or their hands to count the beads into the cups.
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8 More Activities that you can do with Giant Water Beads
- Giant Water Bead Eyeball Sensory Bins – Fun at Home with Kids
- Calm Down Bottle with Giant Water Beads – Raising Dragons
- Summer Fun Giant Water Bead Toss – Miniature Mastermind
- Practicing Dexterity with Giant Water Beads – Mud Pie Fridays
- Cutting Giant Water Beads With Egg Cutter – Dad Lab
- Giant Water Bead Dirt Sensory Bin – Happy Toddler Playtime
- Giant Water Bead Painting – Hello Wonderful
- Frozen Water Beads – Busy Toddler
