If the purpose was to help the plants, I'm afraid they failed. If the plant's roots are not growing it cannot absorb much water, and when the ground is frozen or still very cold the water simply runs off and is wasted. When the leaves appear and the grass greens up, then the plant can use the water you apply and needs it in ever-increasing amounts as the temperatures warm and spring flows into summer. Most plants absorb most of their water through their roots. Very few can absorb appreciable amounts through their leaves.
Red raspberries are an exception.
So in most cases, much of the water applied by overhead sprinklers evaporates or is drifted away by wind before it can get into the soil to be absorbed. Better and more efficient to apply the water through drip irrigation. Of course you can't do this very well on your lawn. Mulching the soil helps reduce the amount of water you need to apply by reducing rapid evaporation of soil moisture. Both organic and plastic mulches are effective, though organic mulches add valuable organic matter to the soil as they decompose.