I don’t think there’s ever a time or season when rainbow crafts don’t make an appearance. Rainbows are bright and calming; they just fit beautifully into any moment of the year.
In our home, the second we spot colours of different sorts, the first thing that pops into our heads is, “Let’s make a rainbow.” And I’m pretty sure we’re not the only ones who feel that way.
That’s exactly why I put this list together. In this post, I’m sharing 10 easy rainbow crafts your kids would actually sit for. My kids and I had a blast doing them. They are really simple ideas you can do with your own kids to create colourful memories without overthinking it.
Here are 10 Rainbow Crafts Your Kids Would Definitely Sit For
1. Handprint Rainbow
Supplies: Paper, glue and paint
I painted each of my daughters’ fingers a different colour and pressed their hands onto paper – one handprint for each of the seven rainbow colours. Once they dried, I carefully cut out each handprint, arranged them in an arc, and my kids glued them together to create a beautiful handprint rainbow. The last thing we did was add the 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, and 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-Doh
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 Kids
Apart from just being bright and pretty colours, rainbow crafts are also good for:
- Learning colour order and names
- Developing fine motor skills through glueing.
- Exploring sensory play in a safe and engaging way
I hope this post helped you, as 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!
