Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister is a book adored by many. The story tells of a beautiful fish whose scales are uniquely colorful and shimmery, like a rainbow. However, the elegant fish learned that beauty is not enough to make life meaningful.
Explore this decades-old classic story with these ten crafts inspired by the book.
The Rainbow Fish collage is a fantastic craft to make and use in retelling the story. It will help enhance children’s fine motor skills. It is also an excellent introduction to the collage art technique and will help children improve their focus and patience.
The free fish template can be downloaded from the site. Print this on cardstock. Have the children cut out the different colors of tissue paper into small squares. Let them tear the aluminum foil in the same size. Assist the children in this step.
Have them stick these squares one at a time on the fish template. Once dry, they can cut out the fish. Next, mix the watercolor paints in water. The site suggests turquoise and blue to create swirls resembling the sea.
Once the paint dries, let the children attach the fish collage. Download and print the poem from the site and stick it on the fish craft to complete.
For this activity, you will need:
- Printed fish template and poem
- Tissue paper
- Aluminum foil
- Glue
- Scissors
- Cardstock
- Watercolor paints
- Small containers
- Paintbrush
For more information on this activity, go to PlayToLearnPreschool.us.
This paper plate Rainbow Fish craft can be used as a puppet when retelling the story to help improve children’s comprehension and oral language skills. Children will strengthen their fine motor and color recognition skills as they work on this craft.
Start this activity by letting the children flip the paper plate and paint it blue. Once the paint dries, let them cut out a triangle on the plate for the fish’s mouth. For younger children, draw a line as a guide for cutting.
Have them stick the triangle for the fish’s tail. Next, have them cut out inch-wide circles from colored paper. Let them trace a small round object on the paper or use a circle puncher.
Let the children fold these in half, swipe the glue stick on one side and sprinkle glitter on the glue. Once dry, they can stick those on the fish and add the googly eye.
For this activity, you will need:
- Paper plate
- Paint
- Paint sponge
- Glue stick
- Scissors
- Googly eyes
- Glitter
For more information on this activity, go to NaturalBeachLiving.com.
The finger-painted fish will provide a sensory experience to children while helping enhance their fine motor skills. Use this craft to retell the story of Rainbow Fish. Doing this will help improve their comprehension and oral language skills.
With a science lesson, discuss the fish’s various body parts and other attributes unique to their species.
To make this fish, have the children cut out a triangle on the paper plate. For younger children, draw the triangle as a guide for cutting. Next, let them flip the plate and glue the triangle for the fish’s tail.
Add some paint to the palette, let the children dip their fingers in it, and press on the paper plate. Let them do this in different colors repeatedly until the paper plate is fully covered.
Next, have them cut out two triangles from colored paper and attach them to the fins. Finally, glue some sequins and the googly eye.
For this activity, you will need:
- Paper plate
- Paint
- Palette
- Colored paper
- Googly eye
- Sequins
- Glitter
- Glue
For more information on this activity, go to SimplyKinder.com.
Children can learn different shapes with this craft. Show children pictures of fish with rounded bodies. This simple and easy craft can teach children to compare the differences in size, shape, and other features of various types of fish.
Help children improve their counting skills by counting the rhinestones or identical shapes glued on the fish. Let them describe the varying numbers of rhinestones by using the words more or less.
Start making this craft by letting children flatten out the blue cupcake liners. Let them glue these on a blue cardstock. Have them use a cardstock the same color as the liner to cut out fins and tail.
Use a different color for the eye or mouth. Cut a circle for the eye and a heart shape for the mouth.
Glue the rhinestones on the cupcake liner to resemble Rainbow Fish’s shiny scales. Let this dry completely before using.
For this activity, you will need:
- Cupcake liners
- Cardstock
- Glue
- Scissors
- Rhinestones
For more information on this activity, go to GluedToMyCraftsBlog.com.
This Rainbow Fish-inspired craft can teach different preschool concepts. Make several of these in three or more sizes for children to compare and arrange in order. Make a pair with identical designs on them for children to match.
Make the colorful scales in different numbers for children to practice their counting skills, match similar numbers, and compare using the words more, less, or equal.
Download and print the free fish template from the site. Let the children cut this out. Next, have them clip the pompoms using the clothespins. These will serve as an alternative paintbrush. Remind them to use one pompom for each color.
Squeeze some paint in the palette or old cardboard. Let the children dip the pompom in the paint and press it on the fish to create a colored dot resembling the scales. Repeat this step until the fish is fully covered with dots.
Lastly, glue the googly eyes to complete this craft.
For this activity, you will need:
- Printed fish template
- Pompoms
- Palette
- Clothespins
- Paint
- Googly eye
For more information on this activity, go to PlanningPlaytime.com.
This Rainbow Fish salt dough ornament is the perfect craft for gluten-sensitive children or those who might react adversely when exposed to gluten-containing products.
This beautiful craft will provide a great sensory experience for children and can teach colors and shapes using the embellishments on the fish.
Mix the flour, salt, and water in a bowl until combined to make the dough. Add a few drops of food color. Next, knead until the desired texture and color are achieved. The site recommends at least five minutes of kneading.
Place a small lump of dough on wax paper and cover it with another sheet. Let the children use the rolling pin to thin this out. Once ready, have them use the fish-shaped cookie cutters to make the ornaments.
Let them decorate their fish by pressing down the googly eyes and embellishments, such as sequins and jewels. Let the fish air dry until firm.
For this activity, you will need:
- Two cups of brown rice flour
- One cup of salt
- One cup of lukewarm water
- Bowl
- Spoon
- Food coloring
- Embellishment
- Wax paper
- Rolling pin
- Cookie cutters
For more information on this activity, go to ArtsyMomma.com.
The Rainbow Fish suncatcher is a perfect addition to the sea animal decorations for the ocean unit study. Children will improve their fine motor and coordination as they make this craft.
Make several of these in different colors to help with color recognition. Change the shape of the tissue paper cutouts to help with children’s shape recognition skills.
The site provides a link to the free fish template for this activity. Download, print, and cut this out. Trace this on a piece of contact paper and set it aside.
Have the children cut the blue tissue paper into small squares. Next, let them peel off the backing of the contact paper. Have them stick the blue squares on the sticky part until the fish is fully covered with blue. Add the sequins.
Place another sheet of contact paper on the fish to laminate. Trim off the excess and place this in a well-lit window to fully appreciate.
For this activity, you will need:
- Printed fish template
- Contact paper
- Blue tissue paper
- Sequins
- Scissors
- Markers
For more information on this activity, go to FunLearningForKids.com.
This unique Rainbow Fish craft provides a wonderful sensory experience for children. Using black glue to create a bumpy texture of the fish’s outline offers great tactile stimulation for children.
This craft looks almost identical to the picturebook illustration and can be converted into a stick puppet for retelling the story or as a prop for mini-stage plays. This will help improve children’s comprehension and oral language skills.
Prepare the glue in advance by squeezing some black paint on the glue. Shake the bottle well or use a stick to mix thoroughly. Next, download and print the free fish template from the site.
Have the children squeeze the glue over the fish’s outline, including its fins and scales. This step requires control and precision, and children may need assistance. Let the glue dry and harden, then paint with watercolors.
Add some glue to the scales and sprinkle the glitter. Cut out the fish once dry.
For this activity, you will need:
- White glue
- Liquid watercolors
- Paintbrush
- Cardstock
- Glitter
- Acrylic paint
For more information on this activity, go to TheBestIdeasForKids.com.
This weaving activity is inspired by the story of Rainbow Fish. This is an intricate design process, but it benefits children’s hand-eye coordination skills. This craft will also help improve children’s focus and attention to detail.
With a lesson on history, discuss using videos or pictures how weaving is traditionally practiced in many cultures around the world.
Cut out the fish shape from the white cardstock to make this fish. Fold this in half and cut slits. Ensure that the slits do not reach too close to the mouth area.
Next, have the children cut rainbow-colored strips of paper. Use lines as a cutting guide for younger children. Next, demonstrate the weaving process by showing how to insert the paper strip through the slits alternately.
If possible, mark part of the slits for children to know whether the strip of paper goes over or under. Once finished, add googly eyes and scraps of colored paper for decoration.
For this activity, you will need:
- Rainbow colored paper
- Googly eye
- Cardstock
- Scissors
- Glue
For more information on this activity, go to CraftyMorning.com.
This handprint craft inspired by the Rainbow Fish is simple and easy to make. It provides a great sensory experience for children and teaches them rainbow colors and color recognition skills.
Make several of these and discuss the group names of sea animals, such as a school for fish, a shiver for sharks, and a squad for squid. Doing this will help increase children’s vocabulary.
Start with squeezing paint on the palette. Let the children paint their palms violet. Their thumb should be red, the index finger orange, the middle finger yellow, the ring finger green, and the pinky blue. Assist the children with this step if necessary.
Once their hands are filled with colors, have them press their hands on a light-colored cardstock to create a colorful handprint. Let them wash their hands clean. Have them glue the googly eye and add many bubbles with the white paint marker.
For this activity, you will need:
- Finger paints
- Paintbrushes
- Palette
- Cardstock
- Googly eyes
For more information on this activity, go to MidwestModernMomma.com.
Conclusion
The Rainbow Fish-inspired crafts in this list are a great way to extend learning after reading the book. The iconic character is presented in these lovely and colorful crafts that are fun and easy to make, even for young children.
Thank you for reading. Come back and check out our other craft articles soon.
People Also Ask
Rainbow Fish is a popular story among children adapted into a television series. The unique character and its journey into discovering one of the essential life lessons make this book a favorite among parents and educators.
The colorful scales represent the extraordinary appearance of the main character but also show the challenges of being lonely.
One of the lessons that preschoolers can glean from Rainbow Fish is sharing. The story encourages children to practice the concept of sharing to reap the rewards, such as gaining the trust and friendship of others.
This is a fantastic social-emotional skill that children should understand and be comfortable doing, especially at school and at home.
