10 Easy Rainbow Crafts For Preschoolers (2025)

We love doing rainbow crafts in our home, so if you’re looking for easy rainbow crafts for preschoolers that don’t require too many supplies, this post is for you, mama.

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As a not-so-crafty mom of three, I’m not looking for perfection. I only care about creating memories with my kids, and how a simple, low-effort craft can turn a rainy afternoon into a fun one, and maybe even sneak in a little learning along the way.

That’s why I love these rainbow crafts that I did with my kids. They’re not just bright and cheerful; they are doable with what you already have at home, and low-mess.

So, here are the nine rainbow crafts my preschoolers and I had a blast doing together.

1. Handprint Rainbow

Supplies: Glue and paint

We painted each finger a different colour and pressed the hand onto paper, one handprint for each of the seven rainbow colours. Once they dried, we carefully cut out each handprint, arranged them in an arc, and glued them together to create a beautiful handprint rainbow. Then, we added paper clouds at each end. It turned out beautifully and made a lovely keepsake.

2. Puffy Paint Rainbow

Supplies: Shaving cream, paint, white glue, paper

For this one, we mixed equal parts shaving cream and white glue. We didn’t have food colouring, so we used paint instead. We added a drop of paint to each portion for the rainbow colours, stirred until it became fluffy, then painted thick rainbow stripes, colour by colour.

3. Popsicle Stick Rainbow

Supplies: Popsicle sticks, markers, glue, googly eyes.

We drew a cloud outline and cut it out, then glued each coloured popsicle behind the cloud. We made two versions, one with eyes drawn and the other with googly eyes.

4. Roll-A-Rainbow (with playdough)

Supplies: Printable rainbow arc, Play-Dough

This one has become a fave in our house, and honestly, it saved the day when I had no plan to do anything with the kids.

I made a simple rainbow template and made a colour dice out of recycled cardboard. My preschooler rolled the dice, matched the colour, and added a playdough “stripe” to the rainbow.

It was a full-on sensory game, with some rolling and moulding and a lot of exercise. No preparation at all, just sneaky learning and fun. And to be honest, it’s one of those activities I’ll pull out again and again.

5. Toilet Paper Roll Rainbow

Supplies: Empty TP roll, paint, paper, scissors

This was one of those crafts that just happened, you know, when you have a pile of TP rolls sitting in your trolley and you’re wondering, “What else can I craft with these”?

We painted each toilet paper roll a different rainbow colour (yes, I helped speed that part up), glued the rolls in a row, then made a happy little sunshine face using yellow dot markers and paint sticks. It turned out SO cute. I added the smiley face and eyes, and suddenly it was sunshine with rainbow hair!

6. Tactile Rainbow with Coloured Rice or Pasta

Supplies: Dyed rice or pasta, tray or cardboard base, glue

Making this was an absolute favourite for my kids; they wouldn’t stop playing with the rice because the crunch gave them a satisfying feeling.

We made it using a cardboard base, some dried pasta and rice I dyed a while ago. I cut rainbow arcs into a piece of cardboard and sealed the back with transparent tape. No glue needed, so it was completely mess-free! My kids carefully filled each section with colored rice and pasta, and the result was beautiful and low-stress.

If you’ve never dyed pasta or rice before, and would like to know how, this step-by-step tutorial makes it easy and mess-free!

7. Dotted Rainbow Art

Supplies: Paint sticks

This one was so simple, I almost didn’t expect how much my kids would love it. We used paint sticks and dotted in curved lines across the page to form a soft, colourful rainbow.

We finished it off with cotton ball clouds in the corners.

What I love most about it is the zero stress that came with it. No cutting, just free, colourful painting.

If you’d like to make your rainbow crafting moment a full rainbow-themed one, then check out these beautiful rainbow books for toddlers and preschoolers

8. Clothespin and Sponge Rainbow Stampers

Supplies: Sponges, clothespins, paint

You’ll love doing this one just as much as we did. I just clipped a cotton ball to a clothespin, cut some sponge pieces and squeezed rainbow paint onto a paper plate. Then, I let my kids have fun stamping colours all over their paper. We drew some fun shapes first (hearts, clovers, an ice cream cone!) and left them unpainted so the stamped rainbow could shine all around them.

The stamping part was so satisfying. They could press, dab, blend, and layer the colours, and because the cotton ball was clipped to a clothespin, their fingers stayed (mostly) clean.

9. Rainbow Flower Garden Craft

Supplies: Egg carton, glue, paint, paper straw.

We used cut-up pieces of an egg carton to make the flower tops, then paired each one with a rainbow-painted paper straw for the stem. My kids loved choosing their flower colours, and we even added leaves and painted the sky when the flowers were done.

The texture of the egg carton made it feel like 3D and “real,” which was the highlight for my kids.

Why These Rainbow Crafts Are Perfect for Your Preschoolers

Apart from just being bright and pretty colours, rainbow crafts are also good for:

Learning colour order and names
Developing fine motor skills through cutting, glueing, and sorting
Practising pattern recognition and sequencing
Exploring sensory play in a safe, engaging way

Tips for Doing Rainbow Crafts With Preschoolers

Prep in advance: Lay out all supplies before you start
Let them lead: It’s about the process, not perfection
Talk colours: Use the opportunity to reinforce colour names and order
Snap a pic: Document their art and celebrate their effort!

I hope this post helped you, like it has helped us. And, if you’re looking for more low-prep craft ideas? Check out our related posts or join the 3craftmama email list for free printables and weekly ideas!