Spring is the perfect time to learn all about rainbows. You can include a rainbow unit as part of your St. Patrick’s Day activities or even with a theme on weather. Rainbow theme preschool activities can be a fun learning theme for spring holidays or a fun way to transition in your spring themes.
Here are some fabulous resources for planning your preschool rainbow theme. Most of these activities are designed for kids ages 3 through 5, but many can be modified for younger and older kids as well.
WHY IT’S FUN
During the spring months, especially during April, there are a lot more rainy days which means a lot more chances to see a rainbow. Rainbow activities are also a great way to teach your kids about St. Patrick’s Day symbols. Rainbow activities have so many different visual sensory elements you can include, and there are so many opportunities to learn about everything from weather to color identification!
WHEN TO TEACH A RAINBOW THEME
We like to teach a rainbow theme during the spring months or alongside St. Patrick’s Day. This way we can learn about rain and the weather before April showers begin, and we can squeeze in a quick educational activity in between all the St. Patrick’s Day excitement. A rainbow theme can also serve as a great opportunity to learn about colors as well.
TEACHING TIPS & MAJOR CONCEPTS KIDS WILL LEARN
If you’re planning a preschool rainbow theme there are many possibilities for incorporating meaningful early learning skills.
These are just some of the concepts kids can learn about during a rainbow theme:
- Color names
- Weather
- Color mixing (Blue and yellow make green, etc.)
You can also use colorful erasers or Skittles as manipulatives for many learning activities to teach math and literacy concepts.
ITEMS TO COLLECT AND REQUEST IN ADVANCE
If you get parents, friends, and family involved you can enrich the experience kids have during your preschool rainbow theme.
Collect or ask people to help you collect:
- Mini erasers
- Skittles
- Colorful pom poms
- Kaleidoscopes
You might even invite special guests (or go visit if you can) to come and share about fields and hobbies related to rainbows. You could include:
- Meteorologists
- Climatologists
- Artists (specifically painters)
PRINTABLE RAINBOW THEME LESSON PLANS
Save time and get right to the playful learning with our printable lesson plan sets. Each set includes over 30 playful learning activities related to the theme, and we’ve provided different versions for home preschool families and classroom teachers so all activities are geared directly toward your needs.
RAINBOW THEME LESSON PLANS
Explore a rainbow theme with your preschoolers for St. Patrick’s Day or Spring. This pack includes editable lesson plans and hands-on activities for a week full of math, reading, & science learning activities. There are also many color activities included so that preschoolers can learn colors and be introduced to basic color theory. Watch this short video to see just a few examples of the types of activities and printables included in this set:
This set currently includes active hands-on learning ideas and the following printables:
- Color Sorting Mats
- Color Word and Color Matching Puzzles
- I See a Rainbow Book Making Activity
- Rainbow Color Word Matching Mat
- Rainbow Letter Cards
- Rainbow Number Cards
- Rainbow Roll and Graph Game
GET YOUR LESSON PLANS
Also available on Teachers Pay Teachers.
INDIVIDUAL RAINBOW ACTIVITY IDEAS ON FANTASTIC FUN AND LEARNING
Here on Fantastic Fun and Learning we’ve shared the following ideas to go along with a preschool rainbow theme.
Your kids will love making this tasty colorful water using this Skittles Rainbow Science experiment.
This Rainbow Color Word Matching activity is a great way to teach your kids about color words!
This amazing dollar store Rainbow Color Matching Fine Motor Activity is the perfect budget-friendly activity for your rainbow theme.
There are so many unique Rainbow Science Experiments to try with your kids on this list!
Make a magnetic rainbow with this Magnetic Letter Rainbow Color Activity.
Painting Rainbow Race Cars is a great fine motor and hands-on activity for kids!
Candy hearts are a great thing to use for science activities, and this Candy Heart Rainbow Science Experiment is no exception.
If you are looking for a quick craft for your kids, then give this Quick Rainbow Window Display activity a try.
Make beautiful and colorful flowers using this Pom Pom Painted Flowers activity for kids.
This magical Unicorn Rainbow Play Dough will be an instant hit with your kids.
This easy Pom Pom Painted Rainbow Craft is the perfect rainbow to put in front of a pot of gold!
Your kids will love learning about color recognition using this Rainbow Play Dough Color Matching Caterpillar activity.
Get your kids outside and try this fun Rolling Rainbow Painting Action Art activity!
St. Patrick’s Day
Use pom poms to make this easy Rainbow Pot of Gold St. Patrick’s Day Craft for kids.
You don’t need many materials to make this fun Rainbow Gold Pom Pom Water Play activity.
This Rainbow and Bits of Gold Streamer Craft is so easy to make and tons of fun for your little ones.
This fun Race to the Gold Counting Game is a great addition to your rainbow theme, and a fun way to teach your kids to count.
This St. Patrick’s Day Play Dough is full of rainbows and gold for a fun rainbow theme activity.
MORE ACTIVITIES FROM CREATIVE EDUCATORS
If you’re looking for some fun activities to go with the Rainbow Fish books, check out these Rainbow Fish Book Activities.
Need some fun science activities to go with your rainbow theme? Give some of these Rainbow Science Experiments a try.
Kids love to mix colors and these Fun Ideas for Mixing Colors will keep them entertained for hours!
INFORMATIONAL YOUTUBE VIDEOS
Ever wondered where rainbows come from or how they got there? Learn more about rainbows in this fun and information video Billy Blue Hair – Where do Rainbows Come From?
This fun video will teach your kids about the order of rainbows and How Rainbows Form.
Teach your kids all about Rainbows and Refraction with this fun and educational video.
YOUTUBE SONGS
Sing along with Bo Peep in this fun Rainbow, Rainbow karaoke song.
Learn all about the colors of the rainbow in this fun song The Rainbow Colors Song.
Your kids will love learning about the colors of the rainbow using this song The Rainbow Song.
OTHER ONLINE RESOURCES
Finger plays and action rhymes are a great addition to your preschool themes. Here are a few terrific options to go along with a rainbow theme.
30 Preschool Color Action Songs, Finger Plays & Rhymes
FAVORITE RAINBOW BOOKS
This collection of Books about Rain and Rainbows is the perfect read for your rainbow theme or to read on a rainy day.
These St. Patrick’s Day Books have a bunch of stories about pots of gold at the end of rainbows!
Flowers are majestic and come in so many different colors, just like a rainbow! These Flower Books can add a colorful element to your rainbow theme.
OTHER PROPS AND TEACHING TOOLS
Reinforce learning with these hands-on materials for your Rainbow theme. They can be used for sensory bins, crafts, and learning activities.
POSSIBLE FIELD TRIPS OR ADVENTURES
- Visit a weather station
- Meet a meteorologist
- Go to a science center
WHAT NEXT?
As you wrap up your preschool Rainbow theme take note of what the kids were most interested in throughout the theme. Continue on by investigating one of those concepts more in-depth. Below are some possible suggestions.
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