Last Updated on July 5, 2024 by Editorial Team
Rainbows are a beautiful natural phenomenon that never fails to amaze children. Show them the arch of color in the sky and see their eyes twinkling with happiness and wonder. Besides being a beautiful sight, kids associate rainbows with positivity and good times. Through rainbows, we can teach them that there is always hope for better weather after the storm and good times after challenging situations.
With this thought in mind, we have created a lovely rainbow craft for kids. And we are eager to share it with you today! We will also talk about the need to learn about this natural wonder and how you can turn this craft into a full-fledged lesson.
Why should you teach young kids about rainbows?
Young kids are naturally attracted to colors. Therefore, including rainbows in their learning experience never fails to grab their attention. In addition to better engagement, children can achieve a lot by learning about rainbows.
- It can strengthen their color recognition.
- It boosts their cognitive development.
- It helps them relate to this natural occurrence.
- They learn about the different colors and their sequence in a rainbow.
- They can learn about primary and secondary colors.
- They can learn about the science behind the formation of a rainbow.
- They develop the vocabulary to describe things around them.
- It boosts their fine motor skills and serves as a fun activity involving eye-hand coordination.
How to conduct a rainbow-themed lesson?
Organizing a simple rainbow-themed lesson can be a lot of fun for the kids. You can club it together with our printable colors lesson plan or conduct them one after the other to stick to the theme of teaching colors.
Here’s how you can go about it:
1. Read a book.
Begin your lesson by reading a rainbow-themed book like “What Makes a Rainbow?” by Betty Ann Schwartz.
2. Talk about rainbows.
Ask the kids if they have seen one if they know any of the colors and their arrangement, and if they have noticed rainbow colors in other places besides the sky, etc.
3. Educate the kids.
Teach them about colors in a rainbow, the correct sequence of colors, and a little bit about the science behind it if the kids are old enough to understand.
4. Make a craft.
Follow it up with a rainbow craft to encourage hands-on activity and reinforce student learning.
Colorful rainbow craft to captivate and enrich young minds
Things you’ll need:
- A4-size paper (beige, white, and green)
- Colorful markers
- Ruler
- Glue
- Pencil
- Scissor (Disclaimer: Adult supervision is required as a pair of scissors is a sharp tool. Please be vigilant.)
Steps to make the craft:
Take an A4-size sheet in white or beige color and tear it in half. Use another sheet to make similar halves. You will now have four half sheets, of which you’ll need only three halves for the rainbow craft.
Use a ruler and a pencil to make half-inch markings close to the margin of the paper.
Now, draw lines at these points using colorful markers. Make sure you follow the rainbow sequence of colors (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet).
Make two sets of rainbow-colored lines on each piece of paper.
Fill individual colors in the spaces created on both sides of the paper. Let it dry for some time so the color does not smudge off.
Now, let’s work on folding the paper. Fold the paper in half to make a crease in the middle.
Now open the paper and fold it to the middle crease. Make another fold on top of this one.
Open the paper, and you will notice an array of creases on one side.
Start making similar folds on the other side of the paper as well.
Open the folds on both sides of the paper, and you will see a paper with creases, as shown above.
Next, fold the paper, beginning at the first crease. Alternate the side of the paper by revealing the colored side and making the second fold.
Again, switch to the opposite side of the paper and make another fold. Continue the process until you have folded the paper at all creases. You will have a thin strip of folded paper with two distinct sections of rainbow colors on each side.
Finish off the folding spree by making the last fold in the middle of the paper strip to obtain a winged structure like this.
Prepare the other two halves of paper you had cut out earlier in a similar manner. You will now have three rainbow paper wings to work with.
Take one of these pieces and apply glue to attach it to the center. Repeat this with other pieces as well.
In the next step, use glue to join the three individual rainbow pieces together.
Upon completion, you will have the final piece that opens wide like a paper fan.
It’s now time to make the sticks to hold the rainbow fan in place. Take a green A4-sized sheet and tear it in half.
Make the middle crease by folding it in half, as we have done previously. Open the paper and fold it on one side till the middle crease.
Fold the other side as well.
Make the next fold on both sides of the middle crease to obtain another thin strip of green paper.
This is what it will look like.
Apply glue to one side of the strip, and gently fold the other side over it. Apply firm pressure so the fold doesn’t open up.
Use the other half of the green sheet to make two similar strips.
Let’s add a little art to the rainbow fan by making a cloud and the sun peeping at one corner. Draw this on the white sheet and cut it out with a pair of scissors.
Add a hint of color and facial expressions to the cloud and the sun to make them look cute and appealing.
Attach the green strips to the rainbow fan by applying some glue to one end of the strips and fixing them on both ends of the fan.
Your rainbow fan is now ready! You can open and close it to see if it is working fine.
To add the cloud and sun trinket, simply glue a small paper square on one side of the top portion of the closed fan.
Upon opening, you will have a small portion of the square paper sticking out of the fan.
Put some glue on this small bit of paper and stick the cloud on it. This way, your cloud won’t fall off when you open or close your rainbow fan.
And now your craft is ready! Looks amazing! Right?
Extension activities to go with the rainbow craft
If you still have time after the craft-making activity, you can have a few extension activities lined up for your students.
- Provide seven paper strips of rainbow colors to each kid and have them arrange them in the right order, as seen in a rainbow. Allow them to take the strips home for further practice.
- Arrange transparent sheets of primary colors and have the kids observe them against the light. When held individually, kids will see only the primary colors. However, when two sheets of primary colors are held one above the other and seen against the light, kids will notice a secondary color on the sheet.
Wrapping up
Making a rainbow craft is an interesting way to learn colors and appreciate Mother Nature. It provides the kids with the benefits of coloring and crafting and evokes feelings of joy and wonder in their minds. We all know how happy we feel when we see a rainbow in the sky. Imagine the happiness quotient when every kid has a rainbow of their own! So, feel free to bookmark this page for your next rainbow-themed activity and see the kids have a blast!
I am Priyanka Sonkushre, a writer and blogger. I am the person behind “One Loving Mama,” a mom blog. Equipped with a Bachelor’s degree along with an MBA, my healthcare background helps me deeply understand learning difficulties. I know how challenging it can be for parents to find the right resources to help their children excel in life. So, here I am to blend my healthcare expertise with my parenting experience to create valuable and helpful resources for parents and teachers supporting children with learning differences. If you wish, you can follow me on Facebook and LinkedIn.