Rainbow Activities for Preschool

The thaw of winter and the welcoming of springtime means that it’s time for rainbow activities for preschool! There’s nothing quite as beautiful as a classroom filled with rainbow handprints, rainbow weather crafts, and sensory bottles that mesmerize the soul. 

It’s one of the best preschool themes. Make sure to use some of our favorite rainbow songs to pair with these activities. If you are planning rainbow activities in March, we have even more theme ideas in our March preschool themes.

One amazing thing about rainbow thematic units is that there’s so much learning in them. Activities can organically teach the science behind rainbows, colors, color words, sequencing and so much more!

Need more great ideas for themes? Fill out the form below to receive a free printable list of other amazing themes to use in your home or classroom.

Rainbow Activities for Preschool

Kids just love rainbows and the joy and magic they bring. They will be intrinsically motivated to try any of the fun activities included here. What’s even better is that these all require minimal materials and prep! Roy G. Biv will not let you down – give all of these rainbow activities for kids a try!

Rainbow Literacy Ideas

Rainbow Name Tracing Activity – Preschool Inspirations
Are you looking for a way to brighten up your classroom? Kids love seeing their name displayed proudly for all to see. With this activity, they get to manipulate an array of rainbow dot stickers which makes for excellent fine motor practice and a beautiful display! 

Rainbow Sight Words – Preschool Inspirations
Did you know that sight words account for as much as 75 % of early reading materials for children? Sight word mastery is clearly essential in the exciting journey of learning to read. This activity is a fun hands-on way for kids to practice building and reading sight words. It’s great for fine motor development, and the kinesthetic piece will help it stick in their minds. 

Rainbow Salt Writing Tray – Natural Beach Living
This activity adds a rainbow twist to a traditional salt tray, and it is a great rainbow activity for toddlers or preschoolers.  Salt trays make for an inexpensive sensorial experience that kids can enjoy over and over again. It’s a perfect way for kiddos to practice writing anything from lines and shapes to numbers, letters and words! 

Rainbow Climb – Growing Book by Book
I don’t know about you, but I love when my kids can learn through games and movement! With this activity, your kiddos get to practice language and vocabulary skills while climbing a rainbow to a pot of gold. Sound exciting? Of course it is! Your little leprechauns will be so excited when they reach that pot of gold. 

“I See a Rainbow!” Book – Fun-A-Day
Flip books for kids are so much fun! This one includes a rainbow of colors and allows kids to practice with colors, sight words, and writing.  They will have so much fun making it their own.You could even provide colorful stickers to match to their colors. Your kiddos will be so proud of their books and want to read them over and over again!

Math Activities with Rainbows

Rainbow Train Counting Game – Stay at Home Educator
Choo, choo! Calling all train fans! This engaging rainbow train counting game has so much learning and fun embedded in it. It’s the perfect addition to your rainbow activities for toddlers and preschoolers but is also appropriate for older kids. With materials you probably already have on hand, this will be a fun addition to your classroom or home. Your little conductors will surely love it. 

Rainbow Bear Color Matching Game – Life Over C’s
Rainbows and counting and bears, oh my! Rainbow bear counters are not only adorable, they are also very versatile. This adorable game enables your little ones to practice colors, matching, patterns, and more! Click the link for your free game board and spinner. 

Rainbow Number Puzzles – From ABC’s to ACT’s
These free rainbow counting printables are a colorful addition to your rainbow activities for preschool. They also work great for older and younger kiddos, as you can modify the learning goals. I love to extend this activity and have my kindergartener add multiple rainbows together.  Grab some counters (colorful mini erasers work great!) and just print, cut, and learn! 

Math with a Rainbow Abacus – 123 Homeschool 4 Me
It’s a DIY abacus. This hands-on project is a craft and math activity, all in one. Your kiddos can practice the colors of the rainbow and counting by 1’s, 10’s, and more. With a lot of fine motor practice and a pinch of magical fun, you will definitely want to add this one to your preschool rainbow activities! 

Rainbow Science and Sensory Activities

Rainbow Sensory Bottle – Preschool Inspirations
When planning your rainbow activities for preschool, you absolutely cannot leave out this gorgeous sensory bottle! The really exciting part is that the colors will stay mostly separate for quite a while. The kids might just think it’s a little leprechaun magic! 

Rainbow Counting Bear Discovery Bottle – Preschool Inspirations
Simple and fun! Easy to make, and you can choose to use “baby”, medium, or large bears…or all three. Like baby bear would say, these sensory bottles are JUST RIGHT! 

Many More Rainbow Science Activities
Somewhere over the rainbow….there’s a pot of gold in the form of tons of fun rainbow science activities right here all in one place! Yes, you heard me right! This link has several amazing learning activities for your budding scientists.  Click here for exciting, engaging science fun with a rainbow twist. Your kiddos will be mesmerized by these and learn a lot in the process. 

Rainbow Arts and Crafts

Rainbow Marble Painting – Preschool Inspirations
When I discovered marble painting years ago, I had wondered how I had gone my whole life without knowing about this activity. Most young kids are fascinated by marbles. And, the fact that they get to create a unique masterpiece with beautiful colors, makes it the perfect addition to your rainbow activities for toddlers and preschool. The best part of these? They are like snowflakes – no two are alike! 

Rainbow Button Collage – Preschool Inspirations
One of my favorites! A fun collaborative rainbow art project for preschool or kindergarten. Just get some button donations from parents, grab a canvas and some mod podge, and let your little Van Goghs get to work! 

Rainbow Rolling Pin Art – Preschool Inspirations
Rolling pins are for much more than baking. If you haven’t been using them for art lessons, it’s time to start! For this preschool rainbow activity, you just need the aforementioned rolling pin, paint, and LOTS of butcher paper. Why do you need a lot of butcher paper? Because your kiddos will want to create rainbows over and over again with this fun yet simple painting activity!  

Rainbow Craft – Preschool Inspirations
I am fairly certain you want more activities where you can use materials you already have or that can be found at the dollar store, right? Well, look no further! This adorable craft uses basic materials and incorporates weather, rainbows, and some fine motor fun. These also will make amazing decorations for your classroom walls! 

Paper Plate Rainbow Craft – Messy Little Monster
What is it about paper plate crafts that makes them so irresistible? These beautiful rainbow paper plates will decorate your classroom or home with perfect Spring flare. With materials that you probably already have or can easily pick up at the dollar store, this craft is a winner! 

Handprint Rainbow Painting – Kids Craft Room
Handprint crafts are a timeless keepsake, am I right? As a parent, I can never throw away those precious handprint crafts! This one is beautiful, fun, and oh so easy! Add it to your rainbow activities for toddlers and preschoolers and enjoy the magical fun!