Rainbows are not just beautiful, they are also the perfect way to reinforce color recognition with preschoolers! Our printable rainbow color play dough mats help strengthen fine motor skills while practicing color skills. Older preschoolers can build the color words with play dough. Younger preschoolers, and even toddlers, can build colored rainbows with the matching color. Play dough is a motivating learning material in my classroom, so we get it out for many different kinds of activities. The rainbow color play dough mats are perfect to use as we kick of warmer weather and spring heading our way!
Rainbow Color Play Dough Mats
The free printable set of rainbow color play dough mats includes 8 different colors. Each play dough mat has a different colored rainbow on it with the color word and the word rainbow.
Simply print the file from the pink button below. Even though I laminate our play dough mats, I always print on white cardstock. This makes the set more durable. I find that the little hands in my classroom are more likely to bend my printable pieces when they are created with laminated printer paper.
Cut the rainbow play dough mats apart on the gray dotted lines. Run them through the laminator. Add different colored play dough and you are ready to play!
At the beginning of the school year, we work hard to practice rolling out play dough in “snakes” and “balls.” These play dough rolling skills are usually needed when working with play dough and any kind of play dough mat. By this time in the school year, most of my preschoolers can do these with very little help. So creating the rainbow arches will be a great way to reinforce this skill.
The rainbow color play dough mats can be used a few different ways.
The classic way to play with these play dough mats is to roll out matching colored play dough and create the arches of the rainbow. The colored rainbows are perfect to do this with preschoolers. Roll out three arches and place them on the bold arches on each rainbow picture. This leaves the perfect amount of room to place the play dough on the rainbow without frustration!
For the littler guys, it may be fun to add the matching colored play dough to the clouds only. This will work best for those little hands that cannot quite roll out play dough into “snakes” quite yet.
For my big bad pre-k kiddos who are easily reading color words, we will practice making the letters in the word out of play dough on the mat. I have a handful of kiddos who will rock this. Most of my preschoolers will focus on making rainbow arches. But when I pull them into small groups at my table, we will all work on rolling out the letters in the words.
I like that the play dough mats also offer writing practice! Now rolling out skinny play dough to make the letters in the color words written on the play dough mats is an option. It may be hard for those kids whose fine motor skills are as strong. I suggest using dry erase markers to trace the letters in the words after the rainbow is built.
I prefer to offer learning activities that have a variety of ways to play with them. This allows all different levels of learning to happen without prepping so many activities. I also love to use reusable activities that can prepped once and easily be stored in a reusable freezer bag.
Our rainbow color play dough mats go along perfectly with our Rainbow Fine Motor Busy Bins. The reusable busy bins in this set work on simple academic skills and fine motor skills at the same time. They can be used as independent welcome work, fun activities for early finishers, or even small group activities for the 3’s classes.
If you love rainbows as much as my preschoolers do, you will want to check out the other preschool rainbow busy bag ideas below! I love activities that you can use over and over again!
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