Top of the mornin’ to ya!
This time of year, we’re seeing rainbows everywhere! Rainbows are part of many cultures’ myths and legends. According to Irish legend, a pot of gold can be found at the end of a rainbow… guarded by a leprechaun!
Rainbow-themed crafts are engaging and can be used to encourage:
- Speech Production Skills: Work on specific sounds with your child, like the “r” sound (“red”, “rainbow”).
- Sequencing: Discuss the steps to make the rainbow craft.
- Following Directions: Give your child a simple direction (“Get the blue pom pom”) or multi-step direction (“First get 4 dark blue pom poms, then glue them on the cardboard”).
- Sorting and Learning Colors: Encourage your child to sort the pom poms into color piles or discuss the names of the colors and find items around the room that are that same color.
- Social Skills: Engage in conversation with your little one. Ask them questions about rainbows, search for rainbow facts online to chat about, or create rainbow jokes together. The opportunities are endless!
Crafts can be used to encourage problem solving skills and creativity. Not to mention, crafts can also target hand-eye coordination, visual processing, and fine motor skills. Overall, arts and crafts have been proven to foster various early developmental skills. Plus, they’re fun!
We’re crafting pom pom rainbows this week in speech therapy. Now, while ours may not lead you to a pot of gold…there still may be a mischievous leprechaun to watch out for!
Pom Pom Rainbows
Supplies needed:
- Pom poms (yellow, dark blue, light blue, orange, red, purple)
- Cardboard sheet
- White glue
- Cotton balls
- Rainbow coloring page of your choice (Here’s a great freebie!)
Steps:
- Sort the pom pom colors into the correct color piles. This will make constructing the rainbow so much easier while working on sorting skills!
- Optional: Color the rainbow coloring page. Next, cut it out and glue it to the cardboard sheet. This can serve as a guide for the shape of the rainbow. If you would like to glue the pom poms directly to the cardboard sheet, you can skip this step. If you choose this option, we recommend drawing a rainbow on the cardboard sheet first to provide guidelines when gluing the pom poms.
- Glue the pom poms to the cardboard sheet.
- Pull apart the cotton balls to make them appear more cloud-like. Adhere them to either end of your rainbow.
Looking for some other rainbow activities?
Check out our Rainbow Chain Craftivity and Rainbow Snack Craft!
Happy Crafting!
The OWLS Therapy Team