Rainbow Collage Craft

Rainbows hold a special place in our hearts, but why do we love them so much? I think it goes beyond their beauty; there's something magical about their fleeting nature - I still get as excited as my children if I see one!

I have to admit that we are unashamed rainbow addicts in our house! Not only do we love to spot them and to create them, we also have lots of rainbow coloured toys and I get (maybe too much) satisfaction in arranging things in rainbow order.

This craft is such a fun way to add to your rainbow collection by using anything that is colourful and can be glued to card.

It's also the perfect creative activity for bored little ones or rainy days as it's so quick and easy to prep.

What you will need:

• Plain card

• Glue stick

• Scissors

• Small plate

• Pencil

• Crafty bits - coloured paper, felt, ribbon etc

Making rainbows is a great way to introduce art to your little one - you can talk about colour mixing and favourite colours. And you can practice sorting and matching when you select your coloured pieces. What shape is it? What does it feel like? Is it a warm colour or a cool one? Shiny, patterned etc. Lots of wonderful arty vocab!

We've collected all sorts of bits to use over time - I just cut it into small pieces and keep

Part of the fun of this activity is the collecting of interesting bits and pieces to make up your rainbow.

We've collected all sorts of things to use over time - I just cut anything large into small pieces and keep in an old takeaway tub labled 'crafty bits'. This way it's easy to grab the supplies whenever we do a collage project.

Here are some ideas for your own crafty bits box:

• Leftover pieces of felt

• Ribbons from gifts

• Wallpaper samples

• Magazine pictures

• Greetings cards

• Wrapping paper

• Corrugated card

• Feathers

Glue

I would recommend pritt stick (or non branded alternative) for this project, as it's a less messy option and easier for little hads to grasp, but pva glue, or even good-old-fashioned flour glue (2 parts water to 1 part flour, mixed well) would work. It depends on what your little one is confident using and what you have in your craft supplies.

To begin making your rainbow collage, first take your plate, place over the card and draw a circle around it.

Cut the circle out and then cut it in half to make your rainbow shape (a semi-circle).

Next choose your crafty bits to add to your rainbow and glue each on, working around the shape of the rainbow.

Mixing different textures, colours and patterns will create a visually interesting collage and will give your little one the opportunity to explore material properties.

Don't forget the rainbow order: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple.

This is my 4 year old's creation - I love how a variety of materials gives the rainbow such playful textures and shapes.

He was very proud of his finished rainbow!

What else can you use your collection of crafty bits for? You don't even need a planned design or picture. Often, after school, I will setup a little invitation to create on our dining table which includes paper, glue and our tub of materials. I love seeing where their imagination takes them and what beautiful pictures they create.

Want more rainbow fun? Check out our rainbow i-spy in the How We Play & Learn store.

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