Easy Paper Plate Rainbow Craft For Toddlers

Whether it’s a rainy spring day or you are sitting in the middle of a roaring blizzard, one thing that never goes out of style is a good rainbow craft. Kids love rainbows and I love simple paper plate projects. That makes this paper plate rainbow a winner around here!

This is a great project for toddlers as there are no rules for where the colors should go.

Does messy art with toddlers stress you out a bit? Be sure to grab my Guide To Messy Art With Toddlers at the end of this post then Check out this article on getting started with messy art!!

Prepping Your Space

This was such a sweet and fun project for my toddler group. It does, however, require a lot of color choices if you are going for the whole rainbow.

First, you are going to need to decide how much control over supplies you will give the littles you are crafting with.

If you plan on rotating colors there may be slightly less mess.

If you plan to give the kiddos all the colors at one time…then there will be a little more prep.

Let’s go for it! All in!

• Cover your space. I recommend large pieces of flattened cardboard or kraft paper.
  • You could also use a large sheet of paper that the kids can decorate when they stray (because they usually always do) and start painting the table cover.
• Cover your child. I love using an old t shirt cut up the sides for easy on and off over their heads, but whatever you have, smocks, bibs, aprons. Use it!!
  • I had a child a couple years back that no matter how many wipes or napkins were around him, he would always wipe his hands on his shirt.
• Get your clean up kit ready. This could turn into a high mess situation. I would have a washcloth ready for each child as well as some wet wipes for little spills and clean up during the project.

• Completely set up the project. One area I have found to have success with messy art and groups of toddlers is to have everything set up before I call them to the table.
  • Put a small amount of each paint color on their plate, you can always add more
  • Make sure to cut the paper plates in half!

What You Need

Materials:

• Paper Plate cut in half (we used 9inch plates)
• Paint
  • Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple
• Cotton swabs, 1 for each color (todays paint bush)
• Plate, palette for paint
  • I got small plastic dessert plates from the dollar store so we could wash and reuse them
• Cotton balls
• Glue
• Picture of a rainbow (optional)

What We Did

Often when we craft, I just let my littles go for it with little to no direction. While we used a similar approach for this project, I did show my toddler group a photo of a rainbow.

Was I expecting them to create rainbow arches in the color pattern I showed them?

Absolutely not.

I just love to add learning opportunities as well as potential prompts for older toddlers.

I also sat with them this time around and made one too which was so incredibly fun as we crafted together and discussed all the color options in front of them.

Show them today’s paint utensil, the cotton swab. I would recommend not mentioning the other use for these unless you want a little to stick a paint covered swab in their ear.

Once their projects were dry, I added a row of glue to the bottom and the littles added their cotton ball clouds.

Related Article: Try out a this fun do a dot rainbow craft!

Bonus Project

We love a chance to get extra messy around here. As The children were beginning to wrap up their paper plate rainbow project, I swapped out their table cover for a large sheet of white paper for some finger painting.

This is usually a highlight for this group.

If you want to allow this sort of messy exploration after your projects remember it may take a few times before you are comfortable with it.

Set clear rules about where they can paint and when they can begin this free art.

Kids are so smart, they listen (even if they don’t show it). They will pick up all the rules as you practice more and more.

My youngest in this group was about 16 months old at the time of making this project, don’t forget about the littlest of learners!!

Ways To Learn

Don’t forget to talk to your littles while they create!! They are listening, and if they can talk hopefully they are engaging in this conversation with you. Ask questions!!

• Talk about the colors they are using
• Watch their painting process, are they making any patterns?
• Talk about dot dot dot with the cotton swab
• Show your group a picture of a rainbow
• Talk about when we see rainbows outside
• Try pointing to the colors on the picture and asking what color it is
• Let your littles help pull apart the cotton balls for clouds, this is not only fun but great for their hand development!
• Discuss your painting rules

Fine-Motor Skill Development

***Remember you are not just letting your littles create pretty pictures, you are helping them develop. The act of picking up and holding a cotton swab, dipping in the paint and transferring that to their paper plate rainbow is helping strengthen their hands for things like writing and tying their shoes.

The End Results

I love toddler art.

They do such a fun and wonderful job.

Related Article: Try out a paper plate umbrella to go with your rainbow!

Takeaway Tips

• Add small amounts of each paint color to their paint palette, you can always add more
• Set clear rules and repeat them. The more you say things the more they’ll remember
• When crafting with groups, remember to stay calm, even if things don’t go quite as planned
• Observe the little minds at work
• Have fun, messy art does not have to be stressful if you prepare
• Embrace the mess!

I hope you decide to give this fun project a try and throw in that bonus project.