INSIDE: Painted Pasta Necklace Craft for Kids is a fun and colourful craft perfect toddlers, preschoolers and even bigger kids. It’s a great indoor activity but it is also makes a fun summer craft!

Painted Pasta
Using painted pasta for activities is great. I like to make a batch in every colour of the rainbow in the summer and store it in a ziplock bag. Every other week I would break it out and incorporate it into a craft or activity that we are doing. Check out this Painted Pasta Owl Craft that we did that was a huge hit!

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Play is at the core of learning during the early years and it can take many forms. One of the most important of these is sensory play because it engages all of a child’s senses (taste, touch, smell, sight and hearing) and has a enoumous positive impact on brain development.
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How to Make Painted Pasta
Making painted pasta is super easy. Grab a few colours of your tempera paint. I find this type of paint works best. You could do it with regular washable paint but the colour transfers and it does not stay as well. You can also use food colouring and hand sanitizer. For the full recipes using food colouring and hand sanitizer, checkout my book Exciting Sensory Bins for Curious Kids.
- Place the Rigatoni into a ziplock bag and add one colour of tempera paint. I used florescent colors for a bright summery look. If you are doing this activity for Christmas or during a another time of year you can use colour to reflect it.
- Seal the bag carefully and then shake and massage the pasta and paint together until it has been evenly distributed. Open and check to see if the colour is as vibrant as desired. Add more paint and repeat for a more vibrant colour.
- Prepare a baking sheet with wax paper and place the painted pasta on it to dry. This may take few hours depending on how much paint you used. Once dry it is ready to use!



Make Painted Pasta Necklaces
- Cut a piece of string the desired length for a necklace. I made the necklace a little longer for my 6 year old but shorter for my 3 year olds.

- Cut the tip off a toothpick and tie one end of the string to it. This will act like a needle which they can thread through the pasta.

- At the other end of the string I tied a wagon wheel pasta to the end in order to prevent the coloured Rigatoni from falling off.


- Take a piece of string and thread a painted Rigatoni through the needle and down the string.

- Continue until the end, leaving space to tie the end to the other end to make the necklace.
- Put it on and have a fashion show. Dress up and head outdoors for a fancy pretend play!
Supplies
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- Tempera Paint
- Dried Uncooked White Pasta Rigatoni
- Ziplock Bag
- Wax Paper
- Baking Sheet
- String
- Toothpick (optional)
- Scissors
Age Suitability for Painted Pasta Necklace
This activity is good for kids 2.5 years and up . My kids are 3, 3, and 6 year old.
Looking for more summer and outdoor activity ideas? Check out of these other round-ups for more ways to keep your toddler or preschooler busy this summer:
- 25+ Outdoor Water Activities to Keep Kids Cool This Summer
- 40+ Awesome Outdoor Learning Activities for Kids
- 30+ Easy Outdoor Art Projects for Kids
- 60+ Awesome Outdoor Activities for Kids
- 45+ Awesome Water Sensory Bins for Toddlers & Preschoolers
- 40+ Water Table Activities for Toddlers
- 21+ Spray Bottle Activities for Toddler
- 20 Amazing Backyard Obstacle Courses
- 21+ Amazing Summer Sensory Bins
- 25+ Adorable Summer Crafts for Toddlers
- 40+ Ice Sensory Play
- 12 Healthy Smoothie Recipes for Toddlers + Kids
The Best Book of Sensory Bins
Did you know I wrote a book of sensory bins? Click here for more information Exciting Sensory Bin for Curious Kids. Or grab your copy at Amazon.

WILL YOU TRY PAINTED PASTA NECKLACE CRAFT WITH YOUR TODDLER OR PRESCHOOLER? PIN IT FOR LATER!
