The blustery gray days of early Spring are the perfect time to do this mixed-media rainbow art craft. It adds a burst of cheerful color to the classroom while allowing students to explore different art materials. It’s simple enough that students can revisit it independently as often as they’d like at the art center. The hardest part? Finding room for displaying all of the gorgeous rainbows!
Materials Needed for the Rainbow Art Craft
One of the best parts about a mixed-media craft is that it allows a teacher to really show their inner McGuyver-like skills. Out of watercolors? Substitute crayons, chalk, or even food coloring. No tempera paint sticks? Markers to the rescue! This is a great opportunity to allow students to explore different art supplies or even just to clean out an overstocked cabinet.
Begin by gathering some supplies. Pictured are tempera paint sticks and liquid watercolors, but use what is on hand. Add some large white construction paper or cardstock to provide a sturdy canvas for the artists. Here are some other options – but the options are only as endless as your imagination!
- Markers
- Crayons
- Glitter glue
- Fingerpaint
- Tempera paint
- Watercolors
- Chalk
- Collage paper
- Tissue paper
- Crepe paper streamers
- Yarn
Making the Rainbow Art Craft
Begin by demonstrating how to draw a rainbow. Colorful rainbow blocks are also fantastic inspiration for students. Tempera paint sticks are a low-mess option with bright colors that dry quickly, making them perfect for students eager to move on to the next step. Once the rainbow is complete and dry, students can use another medium – such as liquid watercolors (as pictured) – to fill in the sky around it.
Adding Details
Some students have an eye for detail and want to add more to their work. Provide fluffy white cotton balls and glue to create clouds, glitter, or other materials for the young artists to make the painting truly unique and their own.
Here’s an entire TEN DAYS of rainbow lessons – ready to teach!
Rainbow Preschool Unit
$4.75Find your good fortune with this Rainbow Circle Time mini-unit for preschoolers. Each day includes fun songs and activities to help you teach your preschool and Pre-K students about rainbows.
Educational Benefits of the Rainbow Art Craft – and Beyond
Art is not just something fun to do to fill the time (and the refrigerator door) for young children. Creative activities are crucial to child development in a number of ways. Art serves multiple purposes in the early childhood classroom. When creating art, student are honing skills that will benefit them throughout their school years and beyond!
Fine Motor Skills
Manipulating art materials such as markers and brushes strengthens hand-eye coordination. The students have to plan their movements and choose what they need to do to make the picture on the page match what they are trying to express. Grasping and controlling different tools help develop the fine motor muscles in the hands – the same muscles needed for writing, tying shoes, and buttoning coats.
Color Recognition
Any activities with rainbows are perfect for practicing color words. Using color words is one of the earliest introductions to using descriptive language through adjectives – a very necessary skill for day-to-day life.
Creative Expression
Making art or talking about it can help young learners learn new words for colors, shapes, and actions. Even one-year-olds can do simple activities, like crumpling paper and calling it a “ball.” As they age, elementary school students can describe their artwork and share how different kinds of art make them feel. Just discussing art is a great way to boost conversational skills, so creating art and talking about it is even better!
Decision Making
Providing students with complete agency over their artwork is important for developing decision-making skills. Do they want to use finger paints and have to wait for the paint to dry? Would they prefer to use markers and move on to the next step right away? Do they want to include clouds or a sun in their painting? What colors should they use? Learning to make decisions is a skill that many students need to practice and hone as they get older – and art is a perfect way to practice!
This rainbow art craft is more than just a fun activity—it’s a meaningful way for young learners to explore creativity, develop essential skills, and bring a splash of brightness to the classroom. By offering a variety of materials and allowing students to make their own choices, teachers foster independence, problem-solving, and self-expression. So open up the art cabinet and enjoy the colorful masterpieces your students create.. After all, every rainbow is unique—just like the little artists who make them!
