Color isn’t the only thing these picturesque rainbow crafts will bring to the table—they offer exciting and illuminating activities for kids to enjoy.
These activities will provide the sunshine and vibrancy needed for a gloomy day, especially after a dark storm.
So revel in the serene and relaxing rainbow crafts which will lighten the ambience in any room!
11 Rainbow Painting Ideas
Painting doesn’t always have to be done with a paintbrush. Below are 10 easy rainbow painting ideas for preschoolers and toddlers that use a variety of interesting tools.
1. Rainbow Feather with a Toothbrush
If you have a worn toothbrush you’re about to throw out, let your kids use it instead to paint a pretty rainbow feather like this one from nkcreations5.
The bristles of the toothbrush are incredible for making neat textures in this art.
2. Fingerprint Rainbow
Kids won’t need any brush for this easy rainbow painting! DLTK shows kids how to paint a rainbow using their fingers, paint, cotton balls, and a piece of paper.
3. Handprint Rainbow Art
Kids got bored with using just their fingers? Let them use their entire hand instead just like 3 Dinosaurs did!
With just a piece of paper and paint, along with a paper plate and a pencil, kids will be able to paint a rainbow with just their hands.
More handprints are coming your way with these snowman handprint ornaments.
4. Mess-Free Rainbow Art for Kids
Powerful Mothering shows kids this mess-free rainbow painting option with cardstock, Ziploc bags, painter’s tape, and paint.
Don’t fret if you don’t have any paint handy. They also include a quick recipe for homemade paint, and all you’ll need is flour, water, salt, and food coloring.
Plus you can save some for all the other rainbow crafts you’ll do. Neat, right?
5. Rainbow Drip Name Painting
Time to let gravity do the work!
The Educators’ Spin on It shows kids how to do just that with droppers, paint, scissors, cardstock, and cardboard. They also add an activity featuring a kid’s name with it!
6. Celery Stamping Rainbow Fish Painting
Vegetables are good for you, kids! Conveniently, they add unique textures that paintbrushes lack.
In a quick video, Crafty Morning shows kids how to use celery sticks to paint this simple rainbow fish. They even include a free template for the fish!
7. Rolling Pin Rainbow Art Project
There are various rainbow art projects out there that let kids use different tools to paint.
Such as this project from Preschool Inspirations that uses a rolling pin, paint, and easel paper to produce this simple rainbow artwork.
8. Rainbow Art with a Balloon
Do you have any spare balloons from a recent party? Or better yet, have a party where the kids all make rainbow crafts of their own! Kids will only need a couple of balloons, paint, a paint palette, and a large sheet of paper.
Once you’re done painting, these balloon crafts are lined up next.
9. Sponge Painting Rainbow Art
Have an extra sponge lying around? Here’s an easy rainbow painting idea from Living Well Mom. Aside from the sponge and paint, your kids will need cardstock, a clothespin, and scissors.
10. Rainbow Abstract Painting
With a canvas, masking tape, paint, a palette knife, and a paintbrush (just to splash a bit of paint at the end), Gibi Art shows kids how to make a wonderful abstract rainbow painting.
It’s best if a grown-up puts on the masking tape so kids can just have a go at it and paint.
11. Rainbow Leaf
Have you never seen a rainbow leaf? We see it all the time in the fall! Half a rainbow at least, because a blue and purple leaf exists pretty much just in our imaginations.
But with Grace, Giggles & Naptime, you’ll be able to visualize the whole spectrum of rainbow leaves.
14 Rainbow Craft Ideas
Aside from paintings, here are 13 different easy rainbow craft ideas your kids can make.
12. Simple 3D Rainbow Craft
Kids will be reaching for the skies with this 3D rainbow craft from Make Kids Craft. Grab some colored paper, cotton balls, glue, scissors, and a stapler so kids can make their 3D rainbow.
13. Rainbow Pop-Up Card
Greet a friend with a craft bursting with color with Red Ted Art‘s rainbow pop-up card!
They show kids how to make one with paper, white and colored cardstock, scissors, glue, and colored markers.
14. Stained Glass Rainbow
How pretty is this stained glass rainbow craft from From ABCs to ACTs?
With construction paper, contact paper, colored tissue paper, and scissors, your kids can make their own stained glass rainbow to stick on their windows.
Wondering what to do with the leftover tissue paper after you finish this stained glass rainbow? Here’s a whole separate article full of fun and easy tissue paper craft ideas.
15. Rainbow Cloud Craft
Clouds are a fun addition to any craft rainbow. That Kids Craft Site gives them emphasis on craft foam. Other than the craft foam, kids will need cotton balls, construction paper, glue, scissors, and blue yarn.
What’s neat about That Kids Craft Site is that they provide a template to help guide kids for this craft. How convenient!
16. Pipe Cleaner Rainbow Craft
Rainbow crafts don’t always have to be arcs.
Instead of a rainbow arc, Preschool Inspirations uses pipe cleaners, a hole puncher, cardstock, scissors, and a pencil to show kids how to make this colored chain-like rainbow craft.
17. Rainbow Popsicle Sticks
One popular crafting material for preschoolers is a popsicle stick. In fact, I have a whole separate article about popsicle stick craft ideas.
The Resourceful Mama uses colored versions of them so kids can make this easy-to-do rainbow craft together with some cotton pads, glue, and cardstock.
18. Rainbow Tambourines
What a fun way to use your spare paper plates! Kids Craft Room uses them to make these cute rainbow tambourines. You’ll also want to have some paint, a hole puncher, ribbons, tiny bells, cotton balls, glue, and clothespins.
19. Rainbow Garlands
Enhance children’s motor skills with this rainbow garland craft from Mini Eco. What will they need? Just colored paper, glue, scissors, and their folding skills. That’s all!
20. Marshmallow Rainbow Craft
Using yummy marshmallows (either white or colored), cardboard, glue, pencil, and food coloring (optional), The DIY Nuts show kids this tasty rainbow craft.
The best part? Kids can have the leftover marshmallows as a celebratory snack!
Remain in the land of fluffiness with these marshmallow crafts.
21. Rainbow Pasta Mobile
Continuing with food as crafting materials, B-Inspired Mama has this lovely rainbow pasta mobile for kids to make. The materials kids will need are:
- Uncooked penne pasta
- Food coloring
- Ziploc bags
- Cotton balls
- Hole puncher
- String, yarn, or pipe cleaners
- Scissors
- Rubbing alcohol
Phew! That’s quite a lot of materials, but the process of making it is easy enough for kids with a bit of help from a grown-up when dyeing the pasta.
22. Rainbow Salt Craft
Have you or your kids ever tried to use salt for crafts? Well, Babble Dabble Do has got you covered.
With salt, plastic lids, watercolors, eye droppers, plastic containers, and glue, kids will be able to paint and even lift a print of colored salt!
23. Rainbow Rice
Here’s an easy rainbow craft preschool level kids can do!
Kiddy Charts paints some rice with different colored paint and uses paper, pen, cotton balls, glue, and a Ziploc bag to make this rainbow rice craft.
24. Rainbow Slime
Last but not least, check out this cool rainbow slime! Sue from Slick Slime Sam shows kids a quick and easy tutorial on how to make and color the slime.
While you can purchase a kit with all the materials to make slime, you and your kids can also make them with glue, water, an activator (such as Borax or contact cleaners), and food coloring.
25. Soft Rainbow Tissue
Rainbows are just an optical phenomenon, sure. But who said they’re untouchable?
Easy, Peasy, And Fun demonstrates exactly how tangible it is with their soft rainbow tissue craft.
A Rainbow Art and Craft Project to Add Color to Your Day
Painting and crafting are great sensory activities that enhance a kid’s motor skills. These rainbow crafts for toddlers and preschoolers alike will definitely add color to their lives!
Looking for more toddler painting ideas? I’ve got you covered!