DLTK's Bible Crafts for Kids
Handprint Rainbow Craft

This can easily be modified into a non St-Patrick's day Biblical craft project - it goes well with the Noah's ark story.  Or color the bird blue for a "Somewhere over the rainbow..." Wizard of Oz craft.

This is a nice easy craft that works well for all ages.
 

Educational ideas to go with the craft:

• For young children, practice naming their colours.  Say "can you glue the red handprint, can you glue the orange handprint, etc"
  
  
• For older children, practice the order of the rainbow colours.  Ask them to glue the handprints together in the same order as the rainbow (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet).
  
  
• For an alphabet/phonics challenge, write on a white sheet where you want them to glue the handprints... use the first letter of each colour on the sheet (R O Y G B I V) and see if they can match the colours with the letters.
  
  
• When you're done, ask the child what colours mix together to make orange (red and yellow).  Point out that orange is in between red and yellow on the rainbow.  Repeat with green (in between yellow and blue).
  
  
• I bet you didn't know rainbows could be so educational!
   
  

Materials:

• Rainbow colours of tempra paint, OR
• Rainbow colours of paper , OR
• Rainbow colours of craft foam.
   
  

Instructions:

• Either:
  • have child make tempra paint handprints in rainbow colours
  • trace child's hand on rainbow colours of paper or craft foam, or
  • mix it up a bit (a few paint hands, a few traced hands)
• See the "Glue to form rainbow" points for how many handprints you'll need.

• Let dry as necessary.
• Cut out the handprints, this step may require adult assistance.
• Glue to form a rainbow
  • if you have lots of patience or lots of kids, you can glue 5 prints in each colour to make a "real" looking rainbow, OR
  • Just make 5 to 7 prints in different colours and glue into a rainbow shape... it isn't quite as rainbow looking, but it's quite a bit faster and still gets the point across.
     
    

Optional:

• Print pot of gold template of choice, colour (B&W version) and cut out.  Use to decorate your rainbow OR
  
  

• For a Biblical craft, make a white handprint dove (or a blue handprint bluebird for the Wizard of Oz) with thumb extended as far as possible and fingers held together (see my rough drawing below).

Templates:

• Close the template window after printing to return to this screen.

• Set page margins to zero if you have trouble fitting the template on one page (FILE, PAGE SETUP or FILE, PRINTER SETUP in most browsers).

Template
(colour)   or   (B&W)

Printable version of these instructions