Bright Rainbow Salt Painting for Preschoolers

Learning Through Arts and Crafts in Preschool

SALT ART FOR KIDS

PROCESS ART REFERS TO FOCUSING MORE ON THE PROCESS OF CREATION RATHER THAN THE OUTCOME. SALT AND GLUE ART FITS THIS CATEGORY NICELY.

I like to think of process art as almost a scientific exploration. With salt and watercolor art exploration, kids are learning what happens when colored water and salt interact. They’re seeing the role the glue plays in this rainbow art for kids project.

Process art can be messy, but it sure is cool. And since we love rainbows, it made this project even more fun for us!

Process art is highly beneficial for preschoolers as it emphasizes the creative journey rather than focusing solely on the end result. By encouraging children to explore and experiment with different materials, colors, and textures, process art nurtures their imaginations and self-expression.

This open-ended approach fosters problem-solving skills, critical thinking, and decision-making abilities, all while boosting their confidence in making choices. Additionally, process art allows young learners to develop fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination as they manipulate various tools during the artistic process.

Couple the rainbow art idea with thought-provoking questions to make the most of the learning:

• Tell me about the colors you chose for your rainbow. Why did you decide to use those specific colors?
• How do you feel when you mix different colors together? What happens when you combine two colors?
• What do you think a rainbow represents? Is there a special meaning or story behind your rainbow artwork?

Learning through Rainbow Salt Painting

RAINBOW ART FOR TODDLERS AND PRESCHOOLERS

PROCESS ART TEACHES A WEALTH OF SOCIAL EMOTIONAL SKILLS AND CONCEPTS THAT CAN BE APPLIED TO OTHER LEARNING.

The painted rainbow project also promotes emotional development by providing a safe outlet for expressing feelings and emotions through art. Ultimately, process art empowers preschoolers to appreciate their individuality, fostering a love for learning and creativity that will benefit them throughout their lives.

• Creativity
• Fine Motor
• Problem-Solving
• Self-Expression

Why Is It Important For Kids To Create Process Art?

Exploring process art, like watercolor salt painting, raised salt painting, or cotton ball painting, offers a lot of benefits for kids, not to mention it’s fun!

Creativity: Process art encourages children to explore and experiment, fostering their imaginative thinking and creative expression.

Fine Motor: Engaging with various art materials and tools helps develop hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills in young learners.

Self-Confidence: The open-ended nature of process art empowers kids to make their own decisions, building their self-confidence and sense of accomplishment.

Social-Emotional: Process art provides a safe space for children to express their feelings and emotions, promoting emotional intelligence and well-being.

Materials for the Rainbow Salt Painting Art

• White Card Stock/Watercolor Paper
• White Glue
• Salt
• Food Coloring
• Water
• Dropper
• Small Cups/Containers

How to Make the Rainbow Salt Painting

To Prep the Activity:

First, prepare the colored water. I love that the 7-day pill containers already had most of the colors of the rainbow. It was just missing indigo, but it did have a clear container that we used instead.

For the tiny containers I used the following liquid food coloring amounts:

• Red: 10 drops red
• Orange: 6 drops red, 4 drops yellow
• Yellow: 10 drops yellow
• Green: 10 drops green
• Blue: 10 drops blue
• Indigo: 6 drops blue, 3 drops red
• Violet: 6 drops red, 5 drops blue

If you don’t have food coloring, liquid watercolors work as well. Your color might be a bit lighter.

This is a messy activity!

If you prefer less-mess, check out the watercolor salt painting version of this activity in our salt painting collection.

We were lucky enough to have a beautiful day, so we did our activity outside. If you do it inside, cover your space with a plastic table cloth and stay far away from your furniture.

Step by Step Instructions for Rainbow Salt Painting

Step 1: Draw a rainbow with the glue. You need 7 lines (one for each color). This is a great way to work on hand strength with the kids as these work hard to squeeze the glue bottle.

Step 2: After you are finished drawing with the glue, sprinkle salt liberally over all of the glue. When you are finished gently shake the paper back and forth to help the stray salt stick to the glue.

Then, let the glue dry.

Step 3: Using the droppers, squeeze the different colors of water onto the rainbow. I really loved the droppers that we got because they were long enough to reach over the paper without too much trouble and they were very easy to squeeze making them a perfect tool for preschoolers.

Step 4: Let the rainbow salt painting dry completely before sending it home or hanging it to display.

Extend the Rainbow Salt Painting Activity

Fun Rainbow Crafts: We continued with the theme of making a mess with another easy rainbow process art craft involving the same supplies on card stock with more of a free-form vibe.

Talk About It: This rainbow craft for kids is so engaging that it’s an obvious conversation starter. Talk with your child about the steps to make the rainbow, the colors, or just the rainbow fine motor experience in general.

Go Beyond Rainbows: Take this salt art idea a different direction by creating other shapes or objects with glue and repeating the rainbow activity to compare results. You can even practice numbers and letters with salt art! If you are doing this activity around St. Patrick’s Day, try making shamrock art salt painting as well!

More Rainbow Art and Science Activities You’ll Love:

• Rainbow Walking Water Science Experiment
• Rainbow Soda and Mentos Reaction Science
• Skittles Rainbow Science Experiment