Exploring colors and patterns through play is a fantastic way to engage young minds and encourage learning in a fun, interactive way. Our Rainbow Matching Activity does just that, combining the joy of crafting with the educational benefits of color recognition and sequencing. This activity is perfect for a rainy day indoors or as a vibrant addition to any lesson plan on weather, colors, or the science of rainbows. With simple materials and a splash of creativity, kids can create their own colorful rainbow that’s as fun to make as it is beautiful to display.
Activity Overview
- Age Suitability: This craft is good for preschoolers aged children 3 years old and up with adult assistance.
- Mess Level: The mess level for this craft is low.
- Difficulty to Create: Low.
Materials Needed
- Rainbow colors of construction paper (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet)
- Scissors
- Dot stickers in rainbow colors
- White cardstock
- Black marker
- Glue
- Cotton balls
- Light blue cardstock
- White construction paper
How to Make Rainbow Matching Activity
- Prepare the Clouds: Cut out two large cloud shapes from white construction paper and outline them with a black marker for definition. These clouds should be large enough to span the width of the light blue cardstock, simulating the sky.
- Assemble the Sky: Glue the clouds onto either end of the light blue cardstock, creating the scene for your rainbow.
- Cut Rainbow Strips: From each color of construction paper, cut out one-inch strips that will serve as the arcs of your rainbow.
- Add Dot Stickers: Place dot stickers in the sequence of a rainbow (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet) on the edge of each cloud. These will act as guides for where to place each color strip.
- Create the Rainbow: Match the colored construction paper strip to the corresponding dot sticker on one cloud, stretch it across the blue cardstock, and then glue the other end to the matching sticker on the opposite cloud. Repeat this process with each color until your rainbow is complete.
- Fluffy Clouds: Take some cotton balls, fluff them out to create volume, and glue them around each cloud for a fluffy, realistic effect.
How They Played
My kids absolutely loved matching the colors to the stickers, stretching the paper strips across to form the rainbow. After completing the rainbow, they enjoyed adding the fluffy cotton ball clouds, giving their artwork a three-dimensional look. They were so proud of their creations, they insisted on displaying them in the living room for all to see.
Tips for Success
- For younger children, pre-cut the strips and clouds to make the activity more about matching and assembly.
- Use this craft as a learning opportunity to discuss the order of colors in a rainbow and why rainbows appear.
Skills Learned
- Color Recognition: Identifying and matching the colors of the rainbow helps reinforce color recognition skills.
- Fine Motor Skills: Cutting, peeling stickers, and gluing improve dexterity and hand-eye coordination.
- Sequencing: Arranging the colors in the correct order of a rainbow introduces basic sequencing skills.
- Creativity: This craft encourages artistic expression and creativity through the design and assembly of the rainbow.
This Rainbow Matching Activity not only brightens up your crafting table but also offers a hands-on learning experience about colors and the natural world. It’s a wonderful way to blend educational content with creative fun, leaving kids with a sense of accomplishment and a beautiful piece of art to show for their effort.
Play2Learn Toddler & Preschool Programs for Curious Toddlers
There is no limit to your toddler’s energy and curiosity. That energy and curiosity although a joy can be challenging at times. Their interest in just about everything around them is what makes them great learners. One and two year olds can soak up so much just from their senses!
But as a teacher or parent that thirst for learning can be exhausting. That is why I created this toddler and preschooler program. To help you get the most out of this time with your curious toddler without having to come up with creative ways to play and interact with them.
Play2Learn for Toddlers includes 20 Units for toddlers. Each 2-week toddler unit has 20 super easy to set up and engaging activities for toddlers 18 months to 3 years.
Play2Learn Preschool which includes 20 Units for preschoolers. Each 2-week preschoolers unit has 20 unique and easy to set up and engaging activities for preschoolers 3 years to 5 years. That’s over 800 learning activities for your toddler and preschooler at your fingertips! So many ideas you and your child will never be bored again!
These toddler and preschool lesson plans and activities will definitely keep you and your toddler and preschooler busy playing and learning!
Click here for more information: Play2Learn
Book: Exciting Sensory Bins for Curious Kids
Did you know I wrote a book of sensory bins? Click here for more information Exciting Sensory Bin for Curious Kids. Or grab your copy at Amazon.
Boring afternoons are made exciting with awesome animal-based bins, like Salty Shark Bay or Yarn Farm. Pretend play bins like Birthday Cake Sensory Play or Bubble Tea Party encourage creativity and imagination. And your kids will have so much fun they won’t even know they’re getting smarter with STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) activities like Sink or Float Soup, Magnetic Letter Hunt or Ice Cream Scoop and Count.
Designed for toddlers 18 months and up.
Book: Super STEAM Activity Book for Kids
Learning all about science, technology, engineering, art, and math sets kids up for scholastic success―and it can be so much fun! Watch kids enjoy building STEAM skills as they color friendly fish, help water find its way to tree roots, solve math problems with mazes, and more.
Find out more and grab your copy here.
Designed for preschoolers 3 years old and up.
Book: Big Book of Riddles for Kids
Riddle me this: What’s an exciting way to practice critical thinking while having a blast? The Big Riddle Book for Kids, of course! From hilarious puns to tough brain teasers, kids can build problem-solving skills with hundreds of riddles tha. t show them how to think outside the box.
- 350 riddles for kids—Have hours of fun with riddles, puns and jokes, and math and logic puzzles that’ll get their wheels turning!
- Level up their skills—Riddles get trickier as kids progress through the book, challenging them as they get better at solving puzzles!
- Double-check their work—Kids can check their answers in the back of the book with a handy answer key.
Help children expand their minds while having fun with this puzzle book for kids!
Designed for kids ages 6 years old and up.
TV Show: Curious Crafting
I’m so excited to share my crafting TV show Curious Crafting which launched in July 2022 on TVOkids and TVOkids YouTube! Season 2 aired in August 2023! My show was also nominated in 2023 for Best Live Action Preschool Series by the Youth Media Alliance Awards of Excellence.
Curious Crafting Season 1 is also now airing in Australia on ABC! Watch it here!
Set in the ultimate crafting space, Curious Crafting is a short form pre-school age series about the joy of making crafts. I lead a rotating cast of adorable little preschoolers (including my own) making magic out of common household objects.
In each episode we transform recycled items into magical crafts like a milk carton school bus, paper bag puppet or cotton pad turtle. The crafters learn and laugh their way through each activity while demonstrating what their young imaginations can create.
Curious Crafting shares the adventure and joy of making art with takeaway lessons for creating crafts at home.
This show designed for toddlers and preschoolers 2.5 years old and up.
Rainbow Matching Activity Summary
Materials
- Rainbow colors of construction paper (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet)
- Scissors
- Dot stickers in rainbow colors
- White cardstock
- Black marker
- Glue
- Cotton balls
- Light blue cardstock
- White construction paper
Instructions
- Prepare the Clouds: Cut out two large cloud shapes from white construction paper and outline them with a black marker for definition. These clouds should be large enough to span the width of the light blue cardstock, simulating the sky.
- Assemble the Sky: Glue the clouds onto either end of the light blue cardstock, creating the scene for your rainbow.
- Cut Rainbow Strips: From each color of construction paper, cut out one-inch strips that will serve as the arcs of your rainbow.
- Add Dot Stickers: Place dot stickers in the sequence of a rainbow (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet) on the edge of each cloud. These will act as guides for where to place each color strip.
- Create the Rainbow: Match the colored construction paper strip to the corresponding dot sticker on one cloud, stretch it across the blue cardstock, and then glue the other end to the matching sticker on the opposite cloud. Repeat this process with each color until your rainbow is complete.
- Fluffy Clouds: Take some cotton balls, fluff them out to create volume, and glue them around each cloud for a fluffy, realistic effect.
