Rainbows have a magical way of lighting up little eyes with wonder and that’s exactly why they’re the perfect theme for preschool fun! From colors to curiosity, there’s so much learning packed into these masterpieces from nature.
Get ready to sprinkle your day with giggles, glue, and a whole lot of color! These rainbow activities will bring the joy without having to wait for the rain.
Allowing your littles to explore through crafts and activities is always So grab your paints, papers, and maybe a snack (for you, not the project)—it’s time to dive into some bright and brilliant fun!
How Can Rainbow Worksheets Enhance Learning for Preschoolers?
Rainbow worksheets are a fantastic way to take your preschooler’s learning to the next level! These worksheets are targeted to engage your child’s growing minds with fun activities like matching shapes, tracing rainbows, or identifying the colors you’ll see on the rainbow.
What makes rainbow-themed learning extra special is the curiosity it builds. Children begin to notice color in the world around them such as in their snacks, their clothes, even the sky after a rainy day. They begin to ask questions, make connections, and feel proud of what they’re learning. Worksheets that include sorting colorful items or matching objects to their color “homes” sneak in early math and critical thinking practice in the most delightful way.
It’s more than just a pretty picture, it’s an invitation to wonder, explore, and grow.
What Types of Crafts Can Preschoolers Make to Learn About Rainbows?
Rainbow crafts are full of magic and so easy to tailor to curious little hands. Crafts can be as simple as giving children strips or squares of colored paper and let them tear and glue to create their very own rainbow arch. It strengthens fine motor skills and encourages color recognition, all wrapped up in creativity!
The best part? Rainbow crafts let children express themselves while reinforcing sequencing, motor coordination, and even emotional learning (talking about how colors make us feel!). Every project becomes a tiny masterpiece full of magic and meaning.
How Do Worksheets and Crafts on Rainbows Foster a Sense of Pride?
There’s something so heartwarming about watching a child hold up their finished rainbow with a giant smile. You can feel their accomplishment just by looking at them. Whether it’s a colored rainbow picture or a craft bursting with texture and glue, rainbow activities give children the opportunity to create something uniquely theirs.
With rainbow worksheets, children can see their progress. Maybe yesterday they only traced one line, but today—they traced the whole rainbow! Each little step becomes a big accomplishment.
Remember. crafts are a big deal and their effort turns into beauty. Even the messiest rainbow has a story behind it, and when children get to display their work on the fridge, in the classroom, or just clutched in their little hands, it builds confidence and encourages that important sense of ownership over their learning.
Pride doesn’t just come from perfection. It comes from trying, creating, and seeing that their work matters.
What Are Some Easy-to-Implement Rainbow Activities at Home?
Bringing rainbows into your home is as easy as opening up a crayon box! Start with a classic book such as The Rainbow Fish. Then jump into activities that involve your littles building their fine motor skills and building colorful necklaces out of cereal.
Move onto a rainbow letter sort to tie in some literacy and sharpen their math skills with a number activity math printable. Add in some sensory and science fun by exploring how a candy such as skittles, turns a plate into a rainbow by simply adding water.
With just a few simple materials and a splash of imagination, rainbow play can brighten even the rainiest day.
Did you know?
All the printables included in this plan are free of charge with the Teaching Littles Membership OR from other generous bloggers.
I have tried to include as many activities in various categories for your preschool lesson plans. Of course, most activities may overlap into multiple categories.
I’ve included information about each activity, but you may need to click the link for more information. All activities that require instructions, have an active link that you can click directly from the PDF if you have internet connection.
There are resources for varying levels of students from ages 2-5. You’ll have to use your discretion on age and level to decide which activities will be appropriate.
Rainbow Literacy Activities for Preschool
Rainbow activities provide an exciting avenue for preschoolers to develop their literacy skills. Everything from letter recognition to name rainbows- there are so many activities that will be a hit.
Rainbow Letter Sort – Draw a big rainbow on a large roll of paper. Place magnet letters at the table and let the sorting begin! This is a great multi-sensory way to learn letters for young learners.
Rainbow Letter Sort – Draw a big rainbow on a large roll of paper. Place magnet letters at the table and let the sorting begin! This is a great multi-sensory way to learn letters for young learners.
Rainbow Letter Match (Printable) – After printing, cut each rainbow in half. Have students match the upper and lower case letters together. Encourage them to also say the letter sound or the picture word that the letter makes.
Make a Kindness Rainbow – Create a rainbow and attach raindrops hanging from string. Each raindrop can have a happy or kind word attached.
Rainbow Name Craft (Printable) – Name crafts work on strengthening fine motor skills with scissors practice, learn name recognition, & letter order! Each kid gets their own craft template to cut, color & paste their name. You will have to use Powerpoint to edit the name on the cloud and then simply print everything on one page. You can also paste the letters onto clothespins or use velcro dots so students can take on and off the letters to keep making their name.
Alphabet Letter Recognition Matching & Write the Room (Printable) – This game comes with a set of uppercase & lowercase letters and matching square cards as well. You can choose to velcro or glue the small square cards onto clothespins and have the students match the uppercase or lowercase letters. You can also use the small square cards in the room and have students match them to the correct letters (Write the Room).
Rainbow Hop Letter Sounds – This is a great letter sound learning activity that incorporates movement. Simply write letters on different colors of the rainbow cut into a circle. Have them roll a dice and walk to that letter and then say the sound that the letter makes.
About Me Rainbow (Printable) – This activity allows each student to write a word, phrase or sentence within the arch cells of the rainbow about themselves. Adapted Supporting Visuals are included to support the early education students who aren’t quite writing but are able to make picture selections of their favorite choices to then cut and paste onto their rainbow all about me page.
Rainbow Sight Words (Printable) – This resource is a fun way for students to practice reading and spelling sight words on a rainbow!
Rainbow Trail for Reading Sight Words – Use construction paper in all different colors to create a path. Write a sight word, color word, or any word that they’re working on. Have them hop to each word and read it. Using movement helps stimulate the brain for learning!
Rainbow Math Activities for Preschoolers
Let’s build some math skills while having fun with rainbow themed activities! From counting the rainbows to rainbow patterns built with legos, these hands-on math exercises will help your littles strengthen their numbers and problem-solving skills in the most magical way!
Counting Pathway Game (Printable) – Pathway games make counting and adding come to life. Roll one dice and move the corresponding number or roll two dice, add the numbers and move the total.
Counting Ten Frame (Printable)– Use math counters or any manipulative for this activity. Place counters to complete the 10 frame then circle the correct number that will make up to 10.
Number Activity Mats (Printable) – First, identify the number at the top left corner of each page. Follow the instructions to build the 10 frame with counters to show that number, trace, write, add, circle, and then use counters again to count and cover the number of items at the bottom. Use math link cubes or manipulative.
Rainbow Counting (Printable) – Make a rainbow using Fruit Loops cereal with colors in the right order. Then, count how many were needed of each color to complete the row. You can glue on cereal if you wish to keep them or let them build & eat the cereal as a reward. After completing the rainbows, count how many cereal pieces of each color are used & answer questions such as: What color had the most/least pieces? How many more red than blue?
Rainbow Counting (Printable) – Make a rainbow using Fruit Loops cereal with colors in the right order. Then, count how many were needed of each color to complete the row. You can glue on cereal if you wish to keep them or let them build & eat the cereal as a reward. After completing the rainbows, count how many cereal pieces of each color are used & answer questions such as: What color had the most/least pieces? How many more red than blue?
Rainbow Patten Making with Legos – Teach patterns easily with all the colors of the rainbow. Model patterns with rainbow colored blocks & have students repeat the pattern. Talk about the colors & the patterns they make. You can stack them on top of one another as well.
Playdoh Mats (Printable) – Playdoh mats help students learn counting and numbers and develop fine motor control as they place the playdoh on the number and also count the rainbows on the page.
Pull Apart Rainbow (Printable) – This craft actually develops mathematical skills of sizing as kids will create a rainbow with different sized arches. Laminate the rainbow pieces and cut out each one individually. Use velcro dots or adhesive magnetic tape on the bottom back of each arch to attach them to each other. Let students pull apart and put them back together to complete the rainbow.
Rainbow Roll & Cover (Printable) – There are two mat options here to use with one dice (lower numbers) or two die (higher numbers and using addition) based on your student’s level. Give them the appropriate mat and have them roll the dice. They need to find and identify that number (or adding them together) and cover it on their mat. They can use any manipulative – coins, pebbles, or even dot markers, etc.
Rainbow Ten Frame Puzzles (Printable) – Match ten-frame clouds to the rainbows. Pair with the ten-frame building mats and show the numbers with the rainbow counters.
Rainbow Fine Motor Activities for Preschool
Get ready to brighten those fine motor skills with some rainbow inspired activities! From gluing rainbow pieces of paper to making rainbow necklaces out of colorful cereal, these hands-on tasks will help your little one strengthen their hands and fingers.
Dot Activities (Printable) – Use dot markers, dot stickers, finger paint, etc. to fill in the circles of these dot pages. Students will be practicing color recognition and matching, as well as fine and visual motor skills.
Torn Paper Rainbow Craft (Template) – Print out this rainbow template and have students rip up pieces of construction paper. Tearing paper is a great fine motor activity. Then they can paste the torn pieces in each arch to create a rainbow.
Make a Fruit Loop Rainbow Necklace – Stringing Fruit Loops onto a string is a great activity to work on fine motor skills, including dexterity and pincer grasp. In addition to fine motor practice, they will be sorting colors, counting the pieces, and creating a rainbow pattern- providing them with lots of math practice! You can choose to add marshmallows to the ends or not. This activity doubles as a fun necklace that they can wear or simply just eat their treats after they’re done making it.
Rainbow Coloring Pages – Work on fine motor skills with coloring pages. These coloring pages also include fun facts about rainbows that you can read to your students..
Dot Activities (Printable) – Use dot markers, dot stickers, finger paint, etc. to fill in the circles of these dot pages. Students will be practicing color recognition and matching, as well as fine and visual motor skills.
Rainbow Write Sight Words (Printable) – Have students simply trace and write the sight words 6 times using different colors of the rainbow each time. This is a great way to practice their sight word recognition and letter formation by repetition.
Rainbow Coloring Sheet – This coloring sheet is a great fine motor activity as the student colors within the lines of the rainbow. It will also help them recognize and read color words. Most kids will pick up quickly which order the rainbow goes in, so it is easier for them to read the color word on the rainbow. If they are emerging readers, put a dot of the color over the word so they know which color to use.
Rainbow Number Writing and Tracing Task Cards and Worksheets (Printable) – Build beginning writing skills, pre-writing, tracing practice, number recognition and more. This set makes a great addition to writing centers, math centers, morning work, task cards, task boxes and busy bins. This set includes numbers 0-20 and is designed with colorful rainbow clipart and traceable numbers.
Rainbow Q-Tip Painting (Printable) – With this fun Q-Tip painting activity your students will be able to enjoy painting with something other than finger paints and paint brushes. This will help them work on their fine motor skills as well as their color recognition.
Number Words Rainbow Writing – Your students will learn their words by sight when they write in colors bright! Just add crayons, markers or colored pencils and let the rainbow writing begin! They’ll be so excited and motivated to use markers or colored pencils to write!
Rainbow Arts & Crafts Activities for Preschoolers
It’s time to get creative with some rainbow themed arts and crafts! Your little will learn about the beauty of rainbows and create their own to keep. These fun projects will let your littles express their imagination while learning all about different colors.
Paint Chip Rainbow – Cut a paper plate in half and draw a rainbow on it. Students cut up the paint strips and glue the colors onto the plate. It is an engaging way to practice scissor skills. It’s also the perfect opportunity to talk about light and dark colors! Just be sure to grab extra red, orange, and yellow paint strips. Students will use lots of those colors to create their rainbows.
No Sew Rainbow Fleece Scarf – This vibrant Rainbow Dash inspired no sew fleece scarf and you won’t believe just how easy it is to make! Just grab 1/4 yard of fleece in various colors of the rainbow, cut long strips and small strips, then tie each small strip around the long strip to form a rainbow pattern.
Construction Paper Cloud Rainbow – Use rainbow colors of construction paper cut into strips glued onto a half moon paper plate to create this beautiful rainbow craft. Finish it off by gluing cotton balls to the plate to create fluffy clouds .
Bulldozer Craft (Printable Template)- Print out the template, staple it to construction paper and cut out multiple shapes at a time. This will be a great fine motor skills before building the bulldozer!
3-D Rainbow Craft – For this craft you will need construction paper in the colors of the rainbow and white, as well as blue cardstock, scissors, & a glue stick. For younger children, you can prep the paper ahead of time & just have them glue. Each paper strip will be 1″ wide and a different length – red the longest and purple the shortest. Glue each end down on the cardstock and clouds for this beautiful craft.
Paper Plate Rainbow Craft – Have student cut a paper plate in half then an arch in the middleto make a rainbow shape. They can color in the colors of the rainbow as they wish. Paste on some cotton balls to each bottom edge and you have a beautiful rainbow.
Pony Bead Rainbow – Threading beads on pipe cleaners takes a lot of concentration and is great fine motor practice. You can use a foam floral block or shoe box and add pipe cleaners for each color of the rainbow. Set out cups with beads in each color and have child thread beads onto the pipe cleaners. You may need to help with pulling out the color pipe cleaner they’re doing & then pushing them back in afterwards. When complete you have a beautiful 3D rainbow craft!
Cardboard Impact Hammer Toy- Use those recyclables to make this awesome impact hammer. Not only is this a creative craft but it can be used during pretend play with lego stacking blocks.
Rainbow Physical Development Activities for Preschool
Let’s get your littles moving with some rainbow-themed physical activities that will have your little one building strength and coordination! Rainbow limbo, tunnels and dances will help develop their muscles and keep them moving while they learn.
Rainbow Tunnel – Use crepe paper streamers to decorate the end of a tunnel. As your little ones are exploring or completing an obstacle course, they’ll end with a beautiful crawl through a rainbow curtain.
Rainbow Scarf Dance – Grab some rainbow scarves and let your students just dance around with them. They’ll love getting movement and using their favorite colors.
Rainbow Ribbon Dancing – This simple toy works like a ribbon wand, but is built on a clear plastic ring instead of a stick. This makes it safe and easy for little kids to use, but it’s just as much fun for older kids, too. All you need are inexpensive shower curtain rings (Dollar Store) and ribbon in rainbow colors. Tie each color ribbon to the shower ring and you have a fun toy that kids will love dancing and jumping around with.
Rainbow Limbo – Use rainbow scarves tied or clothes pinned to a rope or string. Have students take turns limboing or crawling/bear walking under the rainbow arch.
Action Word Toss – This activity only requires simple items you have at home. Simply write action words on rainbow colors of construction paper. Tape them down together. Toss an item (pen, toy, etc) on top & perform the action that it says on the paper.
Rainbow Science and Sensory Activities for Preschool
It’s time to explore the science behind rainbows with some hands-on sensory activities! Enjoy experiments with items around the house and turning them into colorful science projects. These activities will engage your child’s senses and spark their curiosity.
Playdoh Mats (Printable) – These playdoh mats are so much fun for students to create a rainbow with their play doh. Simply have them choose the color that matches the rainbow arch and place it on the mat to create a rainbow.
2 Ingredient Rainbow Foam Dough – What do you get when you whip up a batch of cornstarch and shaving cream? You get foam dough, a totally awesome texture for little hands and big hands to squeeze and squish. Add food coloring to different batches to create rainbow colors.
Rainbow Rice for Sensory Bins – Dye rice different colors of the rainbow and use it in sensory bins for fun sensory play. Add uncooked rice to a plastic bag along with drops of food coloring and rubbing alcohol. Shake each bag up for each different color of rice.
Rainbow Spaghetti Sensory Bin – Dying spaghetti different colors of the rainbow makes sensory bins so fun, plus this is edible and taste-safe. Give them tongs and even scissors to practice cutting. Simply cook the spaghetti as normal. Then place in plastic bag with 2 tablepoons of water and 10-12 drops of food coloring and refrigerate for 1 hour. Be sure to separate different colors when in bags to keep the rainbow effect until you combine.
Raised Salt Painting (Template) – Use watercolors, salt, & glue to make a rainbow. Print out the template and have student trace the lines with glue. Sprinkle salt on top of all the glue, shake off excess, then paint over it with watercolor paints. Just place the brush with color on the salt & watch as it quickly spreads through the whole line.
Color Mixing Science Table – To create color investigations, make a color wheel and color chart using art supplies. Make a color mixing chart to record your findings. On the table, set up colored water (with food coloring), pipettes, and Petri dishes or cups. Students experiment by mixing the colors and making new colors.
Make Rainbow Slime – Let your students see the results when they combine clear glue, baking soda, contact lens solution, and food coloring. They can really help with this science experiment and then they get a fun sensory toy out of it! Make all the colors in separate batches to create a rainbow.
Grow a Rainbow Experiment – Did you know that you can grow a rainbow at home? All you need is some paper towels, washable markers, and 2 glasses of water. First, paint a rainbow pattern on both ends of a paper towel. Place one end of the paper towel in one glass and another end in the other glass. Watch as the rainbow pattern grows from one end to another.
Coffee Filter Rainbow Experiment – Start by folding a coffee filter in triangles and using washable markers to color a rainbow. Then have students brush water on the coffee filter and watch science happen. The colors will diffuse and create a beautiful rainbow. You can paint a paper plate to glue the coffee filter on and add cotton balls for a keepsake craft. You can do the same thing with a paper towel as well.
Skittles Magic Rainbow Experiment – You’ll just need skittles, 1/4 cup of warm water, and a small app plate. Simply have your students place the skittle in a repeating rainbow pattern on the outer edge of the plate. Then, have them slowly pour the warm water in the center of the plate and watch as the colors disperse to the center of the plate to form a rainbow.
Rainbow Fizz Project – For this project you’ll need small cups or bowl, baking soda, vinegar, & food coloring. Try this outside or on a baking sheet to minimize the clean up. Place the baking soda in each cup and add a few drops of different food coloring in each. Mix it up. Make sure they’re all placed close together and slowly pour the vinegar in each. Watch the magic happen!
Rainbow in a Jar Experiment (Printable Instructions) – This experiment works on density. You’ll need sugar, food coloring, 6 small clear cups, 1 large clear cup, a syringe/dropper, and spoon. You’ll put different amounts of sugar & water into different cups with different colors. Then you’ll slowly put drops of each colored water into the large cup and watch as the colors separate into a rainbow!
Bubble Rainbows – Have your child blow bubbles with a straw in a water bottle filled with water & dish soap. They’ll love doing this! Then inspect the bubbles for rainbows. It’s easiest to find the rainbows near a bright window (but not in the direct sunlight) or outside (best on a super bright day in a well-lit shady spot). Explain to them why this happens- explanation here.
Rainbow Sort & Sequencing Activities for Preschoolers
Time to get sorting and sequencing with some rainbow themed fun! Activities sorting the colors of the rainbows will help your little one develop important problem-solving and organizational skills while exploring the beauty within each color.
Rainbow Circle Sort Necklace – This activity sorts circles by size in the pattern of a rainbow. Prep involves cutting out circles of each color getting progressively smaller through the rainbow. Laminate and hole punch each circle. Have students place the circle on a piece of string one by one while sorting by size.
Color Matching Wheel – This color matching game is an easy way for toddlers to learn to identify colors. You can also use this color wheel with preschoolers to teach not only color matching, but reading and recognizing the accompanying color words too. All you need for this activity is a paper plate, markers, and clothespins. Simply color the paper plate edges and a cooresponding clothespin the same color . Then, have student match a clothespin to the plate and clip it on.
Rainbow Color Sort – This activity is simple and can use all colors of the rainbow if you’re working on color recognition. Tape down construction paper in different colors with painters tape. Give student any type of manipulative and have them sort by color. You can use blocks, legos, or anything that you have in rainbow colors.
Magnatile Sorting Boxes – I love Magnatiles for so many reasons and here is one of them. Make boxes all in the same color. Have child place manipulatives of that color in each box. You can use foam letters, pom pots, etc.
Rainbow Theme Discussions and Graphing Ideas for Preschoolers
Use this time to get your preschoolers talking and thinking with some fun rainbow themed discussions and graphing activities! These activities will encourage your littles to think critically while practicing their communication, literacy, and math skills.
Graphs will back up their data and show them physical evidence of the data they collected.
Discuss Rainbows & Colors of the Rainbow
- What is a rainbow?
- What colors are in the rainbow and in what order?
Discuss Colors & Color Mixing
- What colors are the objects in our everyday life?
- What colors mix together to make other colors?
Discuss the Science of Rainbows
- Where do you see rainbows?
- How are rainbows formed?
- Why are rainbows and weather related?
Graph Student’s Favorite Colors
Make an “All About Rainbows” Anchor Chart
Rainbow Books to Read Aloud for Preschool
Let’s bring rainbow stories to life with some exciting read aloud books! These engaging tales will fill your littles imagination with magic, while also teaching them about teamwork, problem-solving, and other amazing stories about creativity and beauty.
“How the Crayons Saved the Rainbow” by Monica Sweeney – The sun and clouds are best friends, until they get into a fight and refuse to be in the sky together. That means no more rainbows & the Earth was left with no color … except for one little box of crayons. Determined to save the rainbows, they draw them all over town and hope it’s enough to bring color back to the world. This book teaches the importance of teamwork & perseverance through crayons with unique personalities.
“The Rainbow Fish” by Marcus Pfister – The rainbow fish is the most beautiful fish in the ocean, but since he is also vain & proud, he becomes more lonely over time. He realizes that you can’t win friends through beauty. He overcomes his pride & begins to distribute his glitter scales to the other fish. A beautiful fish learns to make friends by sharing his most prized possessions.
“A Rainbow of My Own” by Don Freeman – A small boy imagines what it would be like to have his own rainbow to play with.
“Peacocks Rainbow Feathers” by Little Hippo Books – Where are Petey’s feathers? Find out in this touch and feel book that features a sweet story about sharing. Perfect for little hands to hold and explore, this sensory board book features a variety of materials to touch and feel.
“Rainbows” by Martha Rustad – One of the best things about a rainy day is the possibility of seeing a rainbow, but there’s more to rainbows than meets the eye! Simple text introduces readers to the science behind rainbows. Including why rainbows occur and what they are made of.
Rainbow Songs for Preschool
Let’s add some rhythm to our rainbow theme with fun, upbeat songs! These catchy tunes will have your preschooler singing and moving along while learning about all the magic and wonder behind rainbows. This is the perfect way to reinforce those lessons with music and laughter!
“Rainbow Counting” to the tune of Ten Little Indians
This is a finger play song–use your fingers to count as you sing!
1 little, 2 little, 3 little rainbows. 4 little, 5 little, 6 little rainbows,
7 little, 8 little, 9 little rainbows, 10 little rainbows in the sky!
Then count backwards.
“The Rainbow Song”
Red and Yellow and Pink and Green
Purple and Orange and Blue
I can sing a rainbow, sing a rainbow, sing a rainbow too.
Listen with your eyes, Listen with your ears
And sing everything you see
I can sing a rainbow, Sing a rainbow too
“I Can Make a Rainbow” to the tune of Mary Had a Little Lamb
I can make a rainbow bright, rainbow bright, rainbow bright,
I can make a rainbow bright, with some rain and sunny light!
“I Blow Bubbles to Make Rainbows” to the tune of She’ll be Coming Round the Mountain
I blow bubbles to make rainbows, yes I do. I blow bubbles to make rainbows, yes I do.
They will bend and bounce and pop. When I blow them all non-stop.
I blow bubbles to make rainbows, yes I do.
“Rainbow Color Chase” to the tune of Farmer in the Dell
During this active song, the kids run and touch something as they sing each color!
I can find something red, I can find something red, Hi, ho, the colors, oh, I can find something red!
I can find something orange, I can find something orange, Hi, ho, the colors, oh, I can find something orange!
Repeat with all the colors
“The Colors Song” to the tune of If You’re Happy and You Know It
“Rainbow Rainbow” by Mother Goose Club
“The Colors of the Rainbow” by Jack Hartmann
“The Rainbow Connection” sung by Kermit the Frog
Rainbows have a magical way of turning ordinary days into something special. When little hands get busy with color, their imaginations bloom and their confidence sparkles. It’s in those moments of play that the real learning shines through.
These bright, colorful activities are more than just fun—they help children explore their world with wonder, curiosity, and joy. Every swish of a paintbrush or scoop of rainbow rice becomes a building block for future learning. And the best part? They’re doing it all through play. (Even the printables!)
So bring out the colors, spread out the giggles, and let the rainbows in. Because when a child sees beauty in something as simple as a handful of crayons or a painted arch, they’re also learning to see beauty in themselves. And that, truly, is the brightest part of all.
Want all of these in one easy-to-access location? Try our Rainbow Lesson Plan.
