Whether you are getting ready for spring or are all about St. Patricks Day, rainbow activities are the way to go. Besides all of the color sorting activities, huge easel painting rainbows, and color games, our printable rainbow counting beads busy bag activity is a huge hit with my preschoolers! Fine motor skills, number skills, and counting are all included in this math activity.

Rainbow Counting Beads Activity

This free printable rainbow counting beads activity includes 20 rainbow number cards.

Print the set from the pink download button below. Cut the rainbow number cards apart on the gray dotted lines. I like to laminate the printable activities I use in my preschool classroom. This saves me from needing to print and prep again the next year.

To assemble the rainbow counting bead cards I cut pipe cleaners in half. Then just attach the pipe cleaner to the back of the rainbow number card with tape. Tape does work. My preschoolers have played with this set for the past week, and none of the pipe cleaners have come loose!

Add some pony beads, and it’s time to play and learn!

The object of the learning activity is simple. Identify the number on the card and add that many beads to the pipe cleaner.

Using pony beads, counting one by one each time you add the beads to the pipe cleaner. Stop adding beads when you have added the correct amount of beads that match the number on the rainbow number card. I love learning activities that include fine motor work! Our Fine Motor Busy Bins are the hands-down favorite of preschool teachers!

All numbers 1-20 are included in this set. To make sure the math activity is not frustrating, only use the lower numbers at first. Add in more and more numbers as confidence builds. I found that with certain preschoolers in my classroom, I have to almost hide the lower numbers so that the focus will be on those tricky teens!

After the beads have been added to all of the pipe cleaners on the cards, clean up is easy! Simply slide the beads off of the pipe cleaners. Store all of the rainbow number cards, pipe cleaners, and beads in a ziploc or pencil pouch until it’s time to play another time.

The rainbow theme is one of my favorites in my preschool classroom. Bright, colorful rainbows sort of signal that spring has arrived, and winter is over! Easily integrate the rainbow theme with your little learners with the Rainbows Literacy & Math Centers.

Don’t stop here! You have to check out the other rainbow themed busy bags from some of my favorite preschool sites. Which one is your favorite?