Free Printable Rainbow Stencils & Templates

There's always a rainbow after the rain — and these printable templates bring that bit of cheer to the craft table any day of the year. Colour them in rainbow order, cut them out for cards and decorations, or tape one down and paint through it for a bright, repeatable shape. With a few different sizes to choose from, there's a rainbow here for every project.

Bright rainbow craft ideas

• Suncatcher: cut out the rainbow frame, fill the arches with coloured tissue paper and tape it to a window to glow in the sun
• Torn-paper rainbow: tear up scrap paper and glue the pieces into each arch — a great way to use up offcuts
• Pair a rainbow with clouds at each end, or a sun peeking through for a sky scene
• Make greeting cards, bunting and bedroom or nursery wall decor
• Use the bold shapes for sponge-painting and stamping repeat patterns

Learn the colours of the rainbow

Colouring a rainbow is a fun way for little ones to learn their colours in order — red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. And here's something curious to share while you craft: a rainbow is actually an optical illusion, so the one you see depends on exactly where you're standing.