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    Home » Crafts

    How to Dye Q-Tips for Play and Learning

    Modified: May 19, 2022 · Published: Jun 18, 2014 by Vicky · This post may contain affiliate links · 9 Comments

    301 shares
    • 3

    Being a frugal sort of mama, I love finding ways to use items I already have at home to create play and learning experiences for my kids. I recently bought a giant package of Q-Tips on sale, and I knew I would be using them for some kid activities, since we only have so many ears in our house. I have been on a bit of a liquid watercolor kick as of late, as you can see by our Outdoor Color Station (don't worry you can use food coloring if you don't have liquid watercolors) and I decided to use it to turn ordinary Q-Tips into some colorful learning manipulatives. The possibilities for using these are really endless, and when you see how easy they are to make, you will want to make some for your kids to enjoy. Check out how simple it is to Dye Q-Tips for Play and Learning.

    How to Dye Q-Tips for Play and Learning - These are so simple to make and you can use them in countless learning and play activities.

    You will need:

    • Liquid watercolors or food coloring
    • Q-tips
    • Small cups
    • Surface for drying (we used parchment paper)
    liquid watercolors and q-tips

    Fill up some plastic cups with a few drops of liquid watercolors and some water to dilute the color. Dip each end of the q-tip into the dye.

    dying q-tips

    Place the wet q-tips on some paper to dry.

    q-tip dying tutorial

    Ours took a few hours to become completely dry. As they dry, the color will begin to seep up the q-tip a bit, creating a cool effect.

    coloring q-tips

    The nice thing about these colored q-tips is that once they are dry, the color doesn't come off on hands. We have been using these for all sorts of learning and play activities and I will be sharing some of them with you in the coming weeks.

    How to Dye Q-Tips for Play and Learning - These are so simple to make and you can use them in countless learning and play activities.

    For more ways to use household objects for learning and play check out:

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    1. Maria says

      January 21, 2018 at 9:42 am

      I really like your ideas for using Qtips and straws. I teach at a daycare and this idea is very useful for my kids.I will use it in class .can you give me an idea of where to find liquid watercolors.thank you

      Reply
    2. Sara Steele says

      May 03, 2017 at 3:20 pm

      Could you also use washable markers to color the tips? Or would that rub off? I love the straw idea!

      Reply
      • Vicky says

        May 04, 2017 at 9:32 am

        I have never tried that Sara. It is an interesting idea. It might take a while but I am curious about what the results will be. Please let me know if you try it. Thanks for the kind words.

        Reply
    3. Sarah says

      August 19, 2016 at 12:54 pm

      What do you use them for? Is there a link to some activities?

      Reply
      • Vicky says

        August 19, 2016 at 2:13 pm

        Here are a few: https://www.messforless.net/fine-motor-activity-with-playdough-and-q-tips/
        https://www.messforless.net/q-tips-and-straws-fine-motor-skills-activity/

        Reply
    4. tru shah says

      June 20, 2014 at 5:37 pm

      I am excited to see the activitines you are going to share using the ear buds. They look colorful and fun

      Reply
      • Vicky @ Mess For Less says

        June 28, 2014 at 12:49 am

        Thanks Tru!

        Reply
    5. Miss Melissa says

      June 18, 2014 at 4:21 pm

      These would be fun to turn into a domino game making different colors on each end and having kids match the colors like dominoes.

      Reply
      • Vicky @ Mess For Less says

        June 28, 2014 at 12:48 am

        We plan on doing just that! Thanks for stopping by!

        Reply
    Vicky from Mess for Less

    I'm Vicky, the founder of Mess For Less, which I started in 2011 to share easy, family-friendly recipes. With over a decade of experience as a home chef and recipe developer, I love creating meals that bring people together. I also design play and learning activities for kids, using my background as a former teacher with a Master’s degree in education. Learn more about me.

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