You may also like this collection of St. Patrick’s Day shamrocks and four-leaf clover art and craft ideas! The fun collection below has a few more rainbow art and craft ideas that kids (and the young at heart) will LOVE to make!
Rainbow Arts, Crafts, and Painting Ideas
Here’s a list of easy rainbow art, rainbow crafts, and rainbow painting ideas that are fun to make on a rainy spring day, sunny summer afternoon, windy fall day, or gloomy winter morning to add a splash of color and help brighten your day!
Children love rainbows, and painting rainbow art is no exception. Choose from the fantastic rainbow art projects and painting ideas below–or find inspiration to create your own rainbow arts and crafts! You may also enjoy this list of Flower Art Projects and Painting Ideas.
Best Rainbow Art and Craft Ideas for Preschoolers and Older kids, Too!
Making rainbow arts and crafts is a fun activity for kids and adults of all ages. So, get out the paints and paint brushes, or your favorite art supplies, and try the rainbow painting ideas below, or find inspiration to paint a rainbow art masterpiece in any way you wish. And, if your children are curious and want to know how rainbows are made, look at Rainbow Science. Painting and learning about rainbows is so much fun!
15 Rainbow Art Projects and Painting Ideas
Art projects and painting ideas in a rainbow of colors are listed below. And if you like painting rainbows, you will love these Saint Patrick’s Day Art and Craft Ideas. Scroll down to see a list of rainbow crafts and DIY toys in the next section!
- Rainbow Rainy Day Art | Rhythms of Play
- Toothbrush Rainbow Painting | The Pinterested Parent
- Rainbow Scrape Painting Art | Hello Wonderful
- Easy Rainbow Yarn Art | Rhythms of Play
- Mosaic Rainbow Art | Parent Teach Play
- Rainbow Sponge Painting | Kids’ Craft Room
- Oil Pastel and Watercolor Rainbow Art | Buggy and Buddy
- Very Cool Way to Make a Rainbow | Happy Hooligans
- Shaving Cream Rainbow Art | Hello Wonderful
- Racing Rainbow Painting | Fantastic Fun and Learning
- Rainbow String Painting | Twitchetts
- Straw Blowing Rainbow Art | Arty Crafty Kids Blog
- Giant Rainbow Collage | The Imagination Tree
- Handprint Rainbow Painting | Kids Craft Room
- Rainbow Shamrock Art | Rhythms of Play (pictured below)
Rainbow Art Ideas For Kids
Check out this colourful collection of rainbow art ideas for kids! Kids of all ages love rainbows. What’s not to love—all those gorgeous colours together in a big, magical-looking arch in the sky—they’re pretty spectacular. Capture the wonder of this natural phenomenon with some fun rainbow art projects for kids.
From rainbow painting ideas to decorative ring dishes, you’ll find something here for your toddler, preschooler, or older child to make on a rainy day. Grab some craft supplies and have some colourful fun!
Do also check out our list of art projects for kids!
Rainbow Art Ideas for Kids
We’ll kick off this list of rainbow art ideas with some of our favourite rainbow art projects. Painted toast is a fun option for a rainy morning. It’s creative, fun, and a tasty way to start the day. If you’re looking for a fun project to make with your baby, try the no-mess rainbow art or the rainbow footprint dish. We have loads of ideas for you!
Rainbow Painting in a Ziplock Bag
If you love paint but don’t always love the mess it makes, our Rainbow Ziploc Bag Painting art project is for you. Both the paint and the cardstock are contained in a sealed plastic bag. Your toddler or preschooler can squish and spread the paint without getting their hands dirty! Once your child is done, remove the paper, let it dry, and then turn it into nice greeting cards or pretty wall art.
Edible Rainbow Art – Bread Painting
How about some rainbow art that you can eat? Kids love our fun Rainbow Bread Painting idea. It’s as fun to taste as it is to make. You can make edible paint in just minutes with two simple ingredients you probably have on hand already.
Sponge Painting a Rainbow
Use this Sponge Painting a Rainbow idea to make a rainbow quickly and easily! This is a fun way for toddlers and preschoolers to create some easy rainbow-printed paper to turn into greeting cards or DIY gift wrap.
Paper Towel Rainbow Art
Part art, part science, this Rainbow Magic Drawings art project is sure to be a winner with your kids. You’ll colour in the bottom layer of the paper towel and draw an outline on top. Put it in water, and as the paper towel becomes wet, it reveals the secret picture underneath. Fun!
Rainbow Footprint Clay Art Project
Create a keepsake that will last forever. Use clay to make Rainbow Footprint Art for Mom, Grandma, or just for fun. It’s the perfect project to do with your babies while they’re still so small. Use the dish as a ring dish to hold the jewellery you take off or just as a decorative piece.
Rainbow Cork Painting
We hope you’re saving your wine corks because they’re perfect for getting crafty. Take our Cork-Painted Rainbow, for instance—it’s bright, colourful, and super easy for young kids to stamp out a rainbow made of colourful circles using corks. Using our template, you can set up this craft for your kids in just a couple of minutes.
Rainbow Flower Spin Art Project
Into process art? We used the spin art technique to make this colourful and fun Rainbow Flower Spin Art Project. You’ll need a salad spinner, several pretty paint colours, and some paper to turn spin-painted art into flower petals. Add popsicle stick “stems,” and decorate the flowers with buttons or pom-poms to finish them off.
Rainbow Ice Activity
When winter comes back around, this Rainbow Ice idea needs to be on your list of crafts to make. Don’t worry—if the weather’s too cold and blustery outside, you can just bring some now indoors on a tray and use the coloured ice to make a rainbow or any other design your kids can dream up.
Rainbow Coloured Salt
Have fun Coloring Salt to use during sensory playtime or for your crafts. It’s quite easy to make using ordinary table salt and food colouring. Kosher salt or sea salt will give you larger grains to work with, which are easier for little fingers to grasp. Fine table salt, however, can be used like glitter in your crafts.
More Rainbow Art Projects for Kids
Need more colourful rainbow art projects? Take a look at the ideas below for inspiration.
Chalk Pastel Watercolour Rainbow Pillows
Your kids will adore these No-Smudge Rainbow Softies from Barley and Birch. Not only are they fun to make, but they make beautiful kid-made gifts to give to family and friends as well. If you’re worried about the chalk pastels smearing and smudging, don’t worry. The secret to keeping them smudge-free is included in the tutorial.
Rainbow Snake Pots Art Project
Kids who enjoy working with their hands will like these Rainbow Snake Pots from Childhood 101. Roll modelling clay into “snakes” and then stack and shape them together to make tiny pots. They’ll be perfect for holding your paintbrushes or pencils.
Confetti Rainbow Art Project
Grab some rainbow confetti and use it to make a work of wall-worthy art, like this Confetti Rainbow Art Project from Rainy Day Mum. All of those beautiful, brightly-coloured circles create wonderful texture on the page. And the paper towel clouds are a great idea, too. Kids can also use fluffy cotton to make clouds if preferred.
Rainbow Heart Suncatchers
Turn tissue paper into Rainbow Heart Suncatchers following the tutorial from Fireflies and Mud Pies. They’ll look beautiful with the sunlight streaming through. Make an extra one to give to the grandparents or friends to add a little cheer to their day.
Racing Rainbow Painting
Toy cars and paint make for a fun time with this Racing Rainbow Painting activity from Fantastic Fun and Learning! Roll the car’s wheels in paint and roll them across the paper to create colourful streaks and patterns. You never know what the final product will look like, but that’s part of the fun!
Rainbow Squeegee Process Art
Hello Wonderful has an amazing Rainbow Scrape Painting idea that’s a new, fun way to paint to give kids experience using different tools. Putting the paints in squeeze bottles makes it easier for young kids to get the paint on the canvas. Then, they can scrape the paint across it to create their own designs.
Rainbow Watercolour Salt Painting
Have you ever tried salt painting? If not, this Rainbow Watercolor Salt Painting from Fun With Mama is a great place to start. You’ll need glue, salt, and watercolour paints in a rainbow of colours. Make a butterfly, a rainbow, a leaf, or any other design you’d like.
Deconstructed Rainbow Art
Instead of making a rainbow, why don’t you take one apart instead? These Deconstructed Rainbow Collages from Barley and Birch are a fun take on rainbow art. Make circles, arches, and abstract designs using every coloured arc.
Rainbow Art Pointillism
Grab some Q-Tips (cotton buds) for a quick lesson in pointillism. This art technique involves creating pictures from tiny dots. Using cotton buds is a great starting point for preschoolers because they’re easy to grasp and use. Make a cheerful Pointillism Rainbow like this one from Coffee and Carpool for your next art project.
Rainbow Jar Art Project
Create a gorgeous Rainbow Jar for your child’s room by following this tutorial from A Little Pinch of Perfect. It’s pretty, glittery, and colourful, and is a terrific way to study absorption.
Rainbow Yarn Art
Gather your yarn scraps or a skein of rainbow-coloured yarn for this cute Rainbow Yarn Art idea from Rhythms of Play. Draw your own rainbow arch for your child to fill in with the yarn or find a printable rainbow template online (like ours above with the corks).
Handprint Rainbow
Remember your child’s precious handprints with a Handprint Rainbow keepsake like this one from Kids’ Craft Room. It’s so lovely to see those colourful hands and fingers spread across the page. To make rainbow handprints you can display for a long time, consider making this craft on canvas! It would look cute with footprints, too.
