Rainbow color scavenger hunt for preschoolers

Spring is the perfect time to learn about rainbows and colors with your child. Get out of the house for a little learning adventure with this free printable rainbow color scavenger hunt!

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I’m so excited for spring! With the increase in sunshine and temperature, it’s a perfect time to go on outdoor adventures…like this rainbow color scavenger hunt!

Why we love scavenger hunts

I have been going on scavenger hunts ever since my oldest son started to walk. It’s always been a great way to get out of the house and encourage my kids to get some exercise without them focusing on how far we are walking. For some reason, they can run around the house for an hour, but as soon as we get a block or two from home on a walk, I start hearing, “I’m tired!” or “I’m thirsty! When are we going to be done?”

Especially this time of year when we’ve spent a lot of time during the winter indoors, my boys need a little motivation to increase their endurance. So we started doing scavenger hunts, and they have been good for so many reasons:

• motivate kids to get outside and be active
• encourage problem-solving
• teach observation skills
• provide opportunities for learning basic academic skills (letters, numbers, colors, shapes, etc.)

I’ve shared several fun and free printable scavenger hunts in the past, and today’s rainbow color scavenger hunt is perfect for springtime!

FYI…I originally created this rainbow hunt way back in 2018, but I’ve learned a lot about graphic design since then, and I decided this printable needed a facelift. So, you might sneak a peek at the old printable in the cute pictures of my boys below, but I’ve updated the post with brand new beautiful printables that are still FREE!

How to go on a rainbow color scavenger hunt

We packed a picnic lunch on a nice day and did our hunt at a local community garden, but your could do this anywhere…even in your own house if you’re getting more rain than rainbows right now. Just try to pick a place that has LOTS of colors to point out and discuss.

Bonus points if you can find all the colors in nature. I think it’s great for kids to recognize that the natural world has a lot of variety and beauty to offer. (This might be tricky in early spring, depending on where you live.)

For my oldest, I encouraged him to draw a picture of the items he found for each color. He took the challenge very seriously, as you can tell…

My three-year-old just scribbled with the color of pencil that matched the box, but he loved running around and hunting for the colors. (P.S. – Don’t you just love how his shoes aren’t even on in this picture? I had to remind him several times to put his boots back on. Kids are funny sometimes.)

All in all, it was a great way to get outside and enjoy a sunny spring day together.

Wanna go hunting with us? Click the button below to download yours!

Rainbow Color Scavenger Hunt

What We’re Learning:

• color identification
• matching
• critical thinking skills (compare/contrast)
• gross motor skills (as we walk and explore the outdoors)

Materials Needed:

• Printable scavenger hunt page
• Crayons, colored pencils, or markers in assorted colors (these are FABULOUS)
• a colorful location

Directions:

1. First, talk about colors with your child. What colors do you see in the room around you? What is your favorite color? Try reading one of these 14 picture books about colors, too!
2. Show your child the color scavenger hunt, and identify all the colors on the page.
3. Explain to your child that you’re going to go hunting for colors. Challenge your child to make their page as colorful as possible.
4. Head outside, to a museum, or even just hunt around your home. Have your child look for something that matches each color on the page and draw it! Can you find all the colors?

When you’re done, you could talk about your favorite colors, as well as any other observations you’ve made during the activity.

Adapting for Different Ages:

If you’re doing this activity with kids of different ages, here are a few things to keep in mind…

• For younger kids: Let them draw the color as best they can without worrying about trying to draw the shape of the object–scribbles are totally acceptable.
• For older kids: If your child is confident in identifying the basic colors, encourage them to pay attention to which shade of a given color they see. Is it royal blue? Sky blue? Teal? This is a great opportunity to talk about how many different varieties of colors exist. Then, ecourage your child to pick a colored pencil/marker that best matches the color they see (or combine colors to get the right shade) and draw what they see!

Do you love scavenger hunts? So do we! Here are some of our favorites:

• “Trace the alphabet” scavenger hunt (upper and lowercase)
• Library scavenger hunt for kids…make library trips an adventure!
• Museum Alphabet Scavenger Hunt
• Preschool Scavenger Hunts: 5 Ways to Play