Explore colorful hands-on fun this spring with Rainbow activities for Preschoolers. Focus on learning colors with your preschool with rainbow science and rainbow crafts using everyday items around your home.
Here’s a collection of our favorite rainbow activities.
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Rainbow Themed Week
Our Weekly Virtual Book Club for Kids has some fun weekly themes and I must admit rainbow week is one of my favorites to do with preschoolers and toddlers. There’s something quite magical about a rainbow to kids and adults alike! Grab a prism (like this one on Amazon) and explore how you can make your very own rainbow with sunlight.
In the story How the Crayons Saved the Rainbow the Sun and the Clouds are best friends. Together they keep the world warm, the gardens growing, and the sky full of beautiful rainbows. However one day they get into a fight and refuse to be in the sky together. Which you can only guess means there are no longer any rainbows.
In the story, you discover that without rainbows, the colors start disappearing until Earth was left with no color … except for one little forgotten box of crayons in one little school desk. You’ll have to read with your preschooler to see how they solve this problem.
How the Crayons Saved the Rainbow teaches the importance of teamwork and perseverance through the eyes of some very colorful crayons.
After reading the story you’ll want to do some rainbow activities with your child and I’ve gathered some of my favorites just for you! Here’s a few more rainbow books to read too!
Rainbow Activities for Preschoolers
- Drip Painting Rainbow Name Activity
- Rainbow Sea Shells
- Rainbow Activities for Spring
- Rainbow Themed Language Book
- Rainbow Snack Ideas
- Rainbow Acorn Math Activity
- Making Rainbow Clothespins Plus Game Ideas
- Rainbow Color Word Game with Lids
- Rainbow Name Activity Inspired by the Book Mouse Paint
- Rainbow Ice Sculptures
- Rainbow Stew Felt Food Activity
- Rainbow Busy Bag Ideas
- Rainbow Ice Painting with Watercolors
- Rainbow Density Experiment
- Make a Rainbow with Technology
- Crayon Sensory Bottle and Math Activity
Preschool Learning with Rainbows
Rainbow activities provide a fun and hands-on way for preschoolers to learn several key concepts, including:
- Color Recognition: By exploring the colors of the rainbow, children improve their ability to identify and name different colors. This is an important skill in early childhood development.
- Fine Motor Skills: Many rainbow activities involve cutting, drawing, or arranging colorful objects, which helps develop fine motor skills as children practice hand-eye coordination and dexterity.
- Creativity and Imagination: Working with bright colors and a variety of materials encourages creativity. Preschoolers can experiment with different ways to create their own rainbow art and crafts, fostering imaginative thinking.
- Science Concepts: Rainbow activities provide opportunities to explore basic science concepts like light, rain, and the color spectrum. For example, children can learn how rainbows form through simple experiments or discussions about weather.
- Math Skills: Sorting, counting, and organizing rainbow-colored objects can help with early math skills like pattern recognition, sequencing, and understanding more or less.
- Language Development: As preschoolers talk about the colors, shapes, and patterns they see in their rainbow activities, they build their vocabulary and improve their communication skills.
- Sensory Development: Rainbow activities often involve sensory play with various textures, such as soft fabric, shiny paper, or smooth paint, providing opportunities for sensory exploration.
Overall, rainbow activities offer a rich learning experience that supports cognitive, physical, and emotional development in preschoolers.
Are you ready for some fun with colorful rainbow activities?
Rainbow Crafts for Preschoolers
Kick off your rainbow week with this adorable Rainbow Scavenger Hunt. Then head to the craft table to make your very own Rainbow Themed Book where you can work on colors words and even more. We even focused on a new language in our DIY Rainbow Book.
Don’t forget to plan for your Rainbow Snacks with these fun recipes that sneak in some fruits and veggies too!
Then it’s time for a little rainbow craft! Grab your paint and recycled cardboard to explore this Drip Painting Rainbow Name Activity. It makes for a perfect rainbow craft that can hang on the wall for a keepsake.
You can sneak in a little color word fun with your preschooler by making this Rainbow Color Word Game with Lids.
It’s always fun to see how you can reuse items in nature and sneak in a little learning too. This colorful Rainbow Acorn Math Activity kept my preschooler busy for weeks, literally.
Plus you can turn it into a finished craft project when you’re doing with the math games. Test out this Rainbow Blow Painting STEAM challenge with the paint you used.
Get inspired by a popular book with this Rainbow Name Activity Inspired by the Book Mouse Paint. Plus learn how the colors of the rainbow are made through a paint craft. Who’s name will you discover under the mouse prints?
Want another story craft? Try this Rainbow Stew Felt Food Activity that makes for a perfect sibling activity.
One of the best things about Rainbow Crafts is that they can easily become a busy bag too. Take a look at our 17 Rainbow Busy Bag Ideas to add to your activities.
Start off your rainbow busy bag by learning how to Make Rainbow Clothespins plus explore our clothespin game ideas.
Rainbow Science Activities for Preschoolers
Kick off your rainbow science by making your very own Rainbow Crystal Experiment . Leave it out the whole week while you explore the following rainbow science experiments with your little one for hours of discovery and learning.
Buy these adorable tiny crayons buttons here
Later in the week, you can “eat the rainbow” during science with this Skittles Rainbow Science Investigation.
Have you ever painted with a frozen rainbow? Text your science skills with this Rainbow Ice Painting with Watercolors Experiment. Plus now that you’ve made rainbow ice you can test your skills at making Rainbow Ice Sculptures.
Growing crystals in your home is a very fun science experiment for kids. Learn how you can grow crystal rainbows with this neat project!
I could easily see tons of fun with this Water Beads on Ice Experiment with rainbow-colored beads too.
It wouldn’t be Rainbow science without a frozen Rainbow snack too.
This one counts for both a rainbow craft and rainbow science. Make your own Rainbow Sea Shells !!! You’ll never guess what we used to dry our shells!
There’s something very powerful about using water to make a rainbow with your preschooler. Did you know that with just a few supplies you can set up a Rainbow Walking Water experiment? Or add a little milk and dish soap for a colorful Rainbow Milk Science Experiment.
Liquids make the best fun for Rainbow Science! This Rainbow Density Experiment adds colorful layers or go even further into the rainbow theme with these Rainbow Glitter Sensory Jars.
One of our favorite collections is this featured Rainbow Activities for Spring, it’s pretty cool to see how much you can do with a few supplies around the house. Which one will you try first?
You can even sneak in the computer with this activity on how to Make a Rainbow with Technology.
Don’t forget to stop by our Virtual Book Club for Kids Facebook group to share your Rainbow Activity Photos for Rainbow Week!
Rainbow Books for Kids
A Rainbow of My Own by Don Freeman
There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Rainbow! by Lucille Colandro
How the Crayons Saved the Rainbow by Monica Sweeney
The Little Raindrop by Joanna Gray
Rain Before Rainbows by Smriti Prasadam-Halls
The World Made a Rainbow by Michelle Robinson
My Color is Rainbow by Agnes Hsu
Over the Rainbow (Book & Audio CD) by Eric Puybaret
Raindrops to Rainbow by John Micklos Jr.
Chasing Rainbows (Dr. Seuss/Cat in the Hat) by Tish Rabe
Curious George Discovers the Rainbow by H. A. Rey
How To Catch A Rainbow by Naomi Jones
Moonbear’s Skyfire by Frank Asch
Hope Is a Rainbow by Hoda Kotb
Raindrops ARE Rainbows by Valerie Bessette
The First Rainbow by Jordon P Frye
The Magic School Bus Makes A Rainbow by George Bloom
With these fun and engaging rainbow activities, preschoolers can explore colors, creativity, and science while having a blast! Whether it’s through hands-on crafts, sensory experiences, or interactive learning games, each activity helps to nurture curiosity and encourage important developmental skills. We hope these rainbow-themed ideas inspire colorful moments in your classroom or at home.
So grab your supplies and let the vibrant learning begin – the world is full of color, and now your little ones are ready to see it all!
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