This coffee filter rainbow craft for kids is a creative and frugal way to enjoy an activity full of color.
This easy project requires just two supplies but results in a vibrant decoration that’s perfect for brightening up your space. It’s delightful for celebrating St. Patrick’s Day (just add a pot of gold at the end!) and the start of spring. Your kids will also love making this DIY rainbow as part of weather-themed lessons and for rainy day fun.
I’m sharing step-by-step instructions (with pictures) and tips for keeping this rainbow craft as mess-free and stress-free as possible.
Related: Make a coffee filter shamrock for more budget-friendly creative fun with kids!
Easy Rainbow Craft to Brighten Learning Fun
Are you looking for a super simple way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with your kids? Maybe you’d like a frugal activity for welcoming spring? Perhaps you could use some screen-free activities to add your collection of ways to keep children busy?
Well, this simple coffee filter rainbow craft is just the thing for all of those things and much more!
As a mom with five boys that are about 12 years apart, I often found myself searching for ways to have some homeschool fun activities that we could all do at the same time. To do so, I’d pick a theme and then brainstorm ideas. Our poetry teatime with rainbow themes was one of my favorites!
My boys and I made these rainbow coffee filter crafts for homemade decorations for this poetry teatime. I loved seeing how my youngest could work beside my oldest and they all had fun. Plus, the decorations added such lovely colors to our homeschool area!
Related: Have more creative fun by making this rainbow paper chain with pot of gold!
Recommended Materials for This Rainbow Craft
This rainbow craft is remarkable because you only need a few supplies. And you probably have these materials already in your home, classroom, or library! To do this craftivity with your students, you’ll need:
- Coffee Filters
- Washable Markers
- Scissors
- Spray Bottle
If you’d like traditional rainbows, stick with steps in the tutorial. Want to learn about color mixing? Make extra coffee filter crafts with all sorts of blends for your own unique “rainbows. Try a mix of markers in all sorts of colors. The colors will bleed so take that into consideration.
Related: Try this torn paper rainbow craft for more colorful fun!
How to Make This Coffee Filter Rainbow Craft
01
Start coloring
Starting from the outside of the coffee filter, color a red ring all the way around it.
02
Finish ending colors
Repeat coloring with orange, yellow, green, light blue, blue, and purple.
03
Spray with water
Lay the coffee filter on cardboard or paper to soak up any ink that bleeds through.
Spray the coffee filter with water, until the colors flow together. Allow time to dry completely. You can place on paper towels to speed up the process.
04
Cut the coffee filter
Once the coffee filter is fully dry, cut it in half to make two rainbows.
Frequently Asked Questions About This Coffee Filter Craft
This craft can be used with almost any age. It’s ideal for kids from preschool to elementary school. Younger children may need assistance with some of the steps while older kids can handle the project independently and add customizations.
Yes! You can use washable markers, fine-tip markers, or even liquid watercolor paints. The key is to use something that will color the coffee filter easily and allow the colors to bleed when wet.
Any standard round coffee filter will work! You can find them at most stores. If you don’t have coffee filters, you can also use a large circular piece of tissue paper or construction paper.
For older kids, you can have them experiment with blending different colors and creating gradient rainbows. You can also challenge them to cut out shapes from the coffee filter to create different types of designs like hearts, flowers, or even clouds.
Cool Ideas for Using Your DIY Rainbows
This coffee filter rainbow craft is cute project for your St. Patrick’s Day and spring celebrations. You can really use it any time of year that you want to boost your party, library event, and just because Not sure how to use your rainbows? A few ideas that popped up for me are:
- Window decorations: Put your rainbows on your windows for colorful suncatchers. You can laminate if you want them to last longer!
- Party decorations: Place your rainbows on walls, cabinets, bookcases, bulletin boards and hallways.
- DIY rainbow cards: Create smaller rainbows. Glue to front of homemade cards for friends or family. Or you can place your coffee filter rainbow inside the card for a fun surprise!
- DIY rainbow garlands: Make several rainbows. Attach to party streamers, yarn, string, or ribbon to add color to your celebration.
Keep your rainbow fun going! After making this craft, enjoy a rainbow-themed activity that combines observation skills with movement exercises with this free printable rainbow scavenger hunt. And use resources like books, videos, games, and small accessories (like stickers):
How the Crayons Saved the Rainbow (1)How To Catch A RainbowLight Makes a Rainbow (Science Readers: Content and Literacy)Rainbow of Emotions: Making Friends with Your Emotions (Clever Emotions)There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Rainbow!500 Pieces๏ผ8 Patterns๏ผRainbow Stickers Colorful Fashion Graffiti Rolls Self Adhesive Seals for Kids Girls Boys Teens Adults for Water Bottles Laptop Suitcase for Birthday Party Supplies Decor FavorsTeacher Created Resources Oh Happy Day Rainbows Mini Stickers, Pack of 378
โญ Hurray! Aren’t these coffee filter rainbow crafts look amazing! They’re so festive, fun, and frugal. I’d love to hear your ideas about making and using this craft for kids? If you have any questions, please share in the comments area at the bottom of this post!
