101 Ocean Crafts for Preschool Kids

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Last week I spent quite some time researching the best of the best ocean crafts for kids to make. Crafting is a great way to help children develop fine motor skills, improve hand eye coordination, hand strength, and grasping skills.

When I was a Kindergarten teacher I loved creating crafts with the kids, creating ocean themed displays and simply using the ocean theme to encourage fun, learning and development.

Here we have 101 fantastic ocean crafts for preschoolers, Kindergarten kids, and beyond and I’m really excited to share these wonderful ideas with you. I hope you love this list!

Enjoy! – Ocean Crafts For Kids

How Do Preschool Crafts Help Kids Develop Social Skills?

Not only do preschool crafts help little ones to develop fine motor skills and other physical developmental milestones, crafting is a great way to help little ones develop social skills.

Fun crafts for kids can provide opportunities to talk and engage with others whilst using the imagination and having fun. Arts and crafts provide ample opportunity to get social in the classroom, at the library, at church or home.

Kids might like to work on an art project together and this can help not only with social development, helping kids to learn about relationship, but can also help with problem solving skills and friendship building.

Crab Crafts for Kids

Hermit Crab Craft – The Kindergarten Connection

This is a super cute Hermit crab handprint craft with is easy to make with basic paper materials and paint.

Paper Cup Crab Craft – Easy Peasy And Fun

I love this paper cup craft with cute eyes. The claws are super cute and he has a great smile.

Crab Shell Fridge Magnets – Red Ted Art

Maggie at Red Ted Art has the cutest shell themed crabs. They are easy to make with pipe cleaners.

Crab On A Rock Painting – The Inspiration Edit

Why not try rock painting. You could try out this rock painting tutorial and learn to paint sea creatures on rocks.

Styrofoam Bowl Crab Craft – Crafty Morning

I do love a good paper plate craft. This is a fantastic idea and simple for preschool kids to make.

Crab Corner Bookmarks – Easy Peasy And Fun

If your interested in bookmarks crafts then try this fantastic and easy corner bookmark.

Rocking Paper Plate Crab – Kids Craft Room

Add a little STEM and engineering into your craft activity with this rocking paper plate craft idea

Cupcake Liner Crab – Love And Marriage Blog

Cupcake liners are a fantastic and easy way to create under the sea craft for preschoolers.

Crab Plate Craft – I Heart Crafty Things

I do love this fun paper plate ocean plate craft, it’s fun and very imaginative.

Cute Kids Crab Craft – Yesterday On Tuesday

The shell crabs with googly eyes look really cute and easy to make. I do love these ones.

Toilet Roll Crab – Easy Peasy And Fun

How about a toilet tube under the sea craft? This toilet tube crab is an easy and simple kids craft.

Paper Plate Ocean Crab – Simply Today Life

Here is another fantastic paper plate folded crab. You could try sponge painting to make this under the sea craft.

Styrofoam Crabs – Crafts By Amanda

I do like to recycle which is why I love these styrofoam crabs by Amanda.

Paper Plate Crab – Pink Stripy Socks

Here is another paper plate crab with really cool sticky out eyes.

Paper Plate Crab Craft Idea – Crafty Morning

Another opportunity to mix under the sea art with Stem with this rocking paper plate craft

Snappy Crab Hat – My Kid Craft

You may enjoy making ocean themed hats with the little ones.

Flower Pot Crab – Free Kids Crafts

A flower pot crab is such a fun and easy idea and great for recycling old pots.

Cupcake Liner Crab Craft – I Heart Crafty Things

These two cupcake liner ocean crafts are super cute with googly eyes and an easy toddler craft

You may love this cute Crab Egg Craft Idea

This crab is part of our Under the sea crafts for toddlers and preschoolers collection. It’s easy to paint and there is a free template so you can do the prep work and let the kids enjoy the painting and sticking.

Star Fish Crafts For Kids

Starfish Texture Art– Fireflies and Mudpies

I love texture art and this under the sea themed craft is a great idea, simple and effective

Starfish Footprint Art – Easy Peasy and Fun

Have you tried footprint art with toddlers. It’s a fun sensory activity and you could make lots of different sealife creatures with this technique.

Starfish Art Project – Buggy And Buddy

Bug and buddy have some brilliant starfish creations which are a great way to help with fine motor skills, scissor skills and gluing.

Whale Crafts for Kids

Origami Whale – Free Kids Crafts

I love origami and this under the sea themed origami whale is super fun to make.

Cupcake Liner Whale – I Heart Crafty Things

Here is another cupcake liner craft which is easy and quick to make in the preschool or kindergarten setting.

Heart Whale – Crafty Morning

What about trying this colourful whale craft the kids can practice cutting and sticking and it has a love heart theme.

DIY Milk Jug Whale – Crafty Morning

Have you thought of recycling jugs and milk bottles? I wonder what Sea Creatures you could make from milk jugs?

Orca Whale – Crafty Morning

This Orca whale is a cute valentines themed whale craft kids will love.

Whale Rock Stone – The Inspiration Edit

Try this Whale rock painting tutorial, it’s fun and all you need are some paint pens and a stone.

Egg Carton Whale Kids Craft – I Heart Crafty Things

Have you tried egg carton sea crafts? This is a fantastic whale craft and I just love the way the pipe cleaners used to create the water spouted from the whales head.

Easy Origami Whale – Red Ted Art

Here is fantastic origami craft for kids and it’s a cute family of whales. How adorable.

Sea Shell Whale – Crafts At Sea

Try a Sea shell whale. It’s an interesting and lovely idea created by Kate..I just love this.

Shark Crafts For Kids

Paper Plate Shark Puppet – Kids Craft Room

This is a fantastic shark puppet craft for kids and I love how simple and easy it is to make.

Rockin Paper Plate Shark – Artsy Momma

Have you seen a rockin paper plate shark? Here is a fantastic made with basic art supplies.

Shark Suncatcher – Buggy And Buddy

Shark Sensory Bottle – Stir The Wonder

You could try making a shark sensory bottle. Sensory play is a great way to stimulate kids and help them develop an interest in different themes such as under the sea themed activities

Shark Corner Bookmark – Easy Peasy And Fun

I love the teeth on this shark corner bookmark. Corner bookmarks are fun to make and often only require glue paper and scissors.

Shark Cupcake Liner – Kids Craft Room

Are you a fan of this cupcake liner shark? I think it’s super cute and love how the two colours used together give it personality.

Shark Rock Stone – The Inspiration Edit

Here is a Shark themed rock painting which is quite simple to make. Give the kids some Posca paint pens and let them use their imagination and get crafty with the under the sea theme.

Paper Bag Shark – Crafts At Sea

I love this paper bag shark made by Kate from Crafts At Sea. It’s so simple and easy to make and perfect for kindergarten kids or as a home project.

Pool Noodle Shark – JDaniel4’s Mom

Have you ever made under the sea crafts using a pool noodle? If not check out this fantastic idea. I just love it.

Octopus Crafts For Kids

Foam Octopus Craft – Free Kids Crafts

I don’t know why but I love Octopus craft ideas and this foam craft is a simple and great idea for promoting fine motor skills.

Cardboard Tube Octopus – Free Kids Crafts

The cardboard tube Octopus is so simple and cute and you could make a few of the ocean toilet tube ideas in different colours.

Simple Paper Octopus Craft – Easy Peasy And Fun

Simple is always good and I like this simple and colourful orange octopus.

Octopus Kids Craft – I heart Hearty Things

I love this Octopus and the crepe paper technique used to make tentacles.

Yarn Mama Octopus Crafts – Free Kids Crafts

Have you made ocean animals from yarn before? Maybe try this fun idea. You could make a whole family of them.

Handprint Octopus – Free Kids Crafts

Here is a fun under the sea handprint craft which is super cute and a quick ocean craft

Puffy Paint Kids Craft – I Heart Crafty Things

Puffy painting can be fun and this craft is sure to go down well as a fun ocean themed painting idea.

Gum Nut Octopus – Red Ted art

Make sea creatures using nuts. What a fun and imaginative ocean craft for kids.

Octopus Corner Bookmark – Easy Peasy And Fun

I think this bookmark Octopus is a fantastic idea and you could make this and us it to bookmark your ocean themed books.

Sea Turtle Crafts

Check out our super fun Paper Weave Turtle Craft with Free Template!

Paper Plate Turtle – Free Kids Crafts

Have you ever made a paper plate Sea Turtle? Why not try this idea over on Free Kids Crafts.

Egg Carton Turtles – Crafty Morning

I’d love to create this egg carton sea turtle. It is super cute and an easy craft idea for toddlers.

Easy Paper Strip Turtle – Free Kids Crafts

Sometimes simple is best and this paper strip turtle is a fun and simple ocean craft idea for kids.

Paper Bowl Collage Turtle – I Heart Crafty Things

Try making a paper plate collage Sea turtle. It is very effective and a great way to incorporate sticking into the day.

Styrofoam Bowl Turtles – Crafty Morning

Bowl turtles are fun and can be made with lots of different and interesting paint colours. Enjoy.

Turtle Black Glue Art – Easy Peasy And Fun

Have you tried Black Glue Art to create Ocean Crafts? If not this fantastic idea is sure to go down well.

Origami Turtle  – Free Kids Crafts

Origami Turtles are a fun and interesting take on ocean themed crafts and I love the googly eye addition.

Paper Bowl Turtle – Free Kids Crafts

You can make a paper bowl Sea Turtle using a few simple materials.

Heart Turtle –  Crafty Morning

Here is another love heart themed under the sea paper craft. Isn’t it adorable.

Cupcake Liner Turtles – Crafty Morning

Cupcake liner sea turtle crafts are fun and easy and would go great on an ocean themed display in the classroom.

Paper Plate Turtle Craft – Easy Peasy And Fun

I do like this simple Paper plate turtle Craft, it’s so easy to make and great for fine motor skill development.

Turtle Rocks – Crafty Morning

Egg Turtles – Emma Owl

Egg turtles are a great under the sea craft idea and would be fantastic to make as part of a teaching moment to teach how turtles travel and migrate.

T is For Turtle Craft  – Red Ted Art

This is a great handprint and alphabet craft which helps teach the letter T whilst getting creative and having fun.

Salt Dough Turtles – Red Ted Art

Have you tried making Salt Dough crafts. If not you might love these crabs and turtles.

Fish Crafts

Bubble Wrap Fish – Free Kids Crafts

This bubble wrap ocean themed idea is sure to go down well and a great way to introduce print to kids.

Rainbow Foil Painting – I Heart Arts And Crafts

Rainbow foil fish are super cute and a different craft idea I’ve not seen before. This could look amazing on a school display.

Embossed Foil Fish – Kids Craft Room

Have you tried embossed crafts? These simple fish craft ideas are really colourful and fun to make with kids.

Foam Fish – The Inspiration Edit

I loved sharing this foam fish on a stick idea. It is simple and effective and easy to create.

Paper Plate Cupcake Liner Fish – Easy Peasy And Fun

Why not try a paper plate fish with cupcake liner fins? This is so cute and you could try making it in different colours too.

Simple Button Fish Craft – I Heart Crafty Things

An ocean craft using buttons is a fabulous and fun way to create an under the sea themed collage.

Handprint Fish Puppets – Crafty Morning

Do you know how to make fish puppets? These under the sea puppets are easy to make and super cute.

Paper Fish Weaving Craft – Easy Peasy And Fun

Weaving is a fun craft and this paper weave fish is a fantastic idea from Easy Peasy and fun.

CD Rainbow Fish – Red Ted Art

Try making CD Sea Creatures using old CD’s. This is a fantastic recycle craft for kids.

Paper Plate Fish – Free Kids Crafts

Super Cute Paper Fish Craft – I Heart Crafty Things

Here is a fun paper plate fish idea. I Love the green and red colouring and it’s an easy ocean craft.

I love these super cute toilet tube fish. They are adorable.

Pom Pom Goldfish – Free Kids Crafts

The pom pom gold fish is fun and you could make a whole lot of these with your toddler.

Paper Plate Rainbow Paper Fish – Easy Peasy And Fun

The paper plate rainbow fish is sure to go down well and could be used alongside the children’s book rainbow fish.

Weaving Rainbow Fish – Crafty Morning

Another paper weave ocean craft which is colourful and cute and kids will love.

Paper Plate Tropical Fish – Crafts By Amanda

Try making paper plate tropical fish with the kids. This could be a very fun idea and you might want to try making dory or nemo.

Easy Fish Origami – Red Ted Art

I like this simple fish craft and origami idea over at red ted art. Also a great way to discuss shapes with preschoolers.

Popsicle Fish Stick Craft – Crafty Morning

This popsicle stick fish craft idea is super cute and allows the kids to have fun with glitter.

Fish Kids Craft Out of Cupcake Liners – I Heart Crafty Things

Cupcake liners are a big hit on this post and the different size liners create an effective under the sea collage.

Paper Plate Tissue Paper Fish – Crafty Morning

Do you love this paper tissue craft for kids as much as I do? You could make this and teach kids about colours as you go.

Coffee Filter Rainbow Fish – Crafty Morning

Coffee Filter crafts for kids are a big hit and can make some amazing colourful fish crafts with this technique.

Colorful Pasta Fish Craft – I Heart Crafty Things

Pasta fish! Have you heard of this before? I think this is a fun and easy fish themed craft for kids.

People who read this post also love this Paper Weave Fish Craft

 

Seahorse Crafts

Stunning Black Glue Seahorse – I Heart Crafty Things

Here is another black glue craft for kids which you could really enjoy making.

Cupcake Liner Seahorse – Glued To My Crafts

I have not seen cupcake liner Seahorse crafts before but love this simple and effective idea.

Seahorse Craft For Preschool – Crafts On Sea

Have you tried this scrunched tissue paper seahorse art idea? I think it’s very cute.

Check out this easy to make Paper Weave Seahorse

Jelly Fish Crafts

Heart Jelly Fish Craft – Crafty Morning

Jellyfish are super cute and so is this heart themed under the sea craft.

Paper Plate Jelly Fish – I Heart Crafty Things

The paper plate Jelly fish is cute and uses wool to add a colourful effect. Preschool kids will love this ocean craft.

Paper Plate Ribbon Jelly Fish – Arty Crafty Kids

Try making ribbon Jelly fish. The eyes are huge and the kids can choose the ribbon to use.

Fine Motor JellyFish – Buggy And Buddy

Ocean crafts that promote fine motor skill development are fantastic and I love this Jelly fish using paper clips.

Paper Bag Jelly Fish – Crafts On Sea

Paper bag ocean crafts can be very fun and simple to create and this one is super cute.

Upcycled CD Jellyfish – Mudpies And Fireflies

An upcycled CD is a great way to recycle with kids and make funky sea creatures.

Sun Catcher Jelly Fish – I Heart Arts And Crafts

Have you ever made a suncatcher? Try this Jelly fish one. It’s super cute and I really do love it.

Paper Plate Jelly Fish – My Kids Craft

I do like this paper plate craft and think the tentacles are really cute.

Coloful Jellyfish – I Heart Crafty Things

I think making silly string jellyfish is a fantastic idea and really do love it.

I know this is a huge post and there are lots of amazing ideas. I hope you love them as much as I do and it helps with ideas for crating in the home or preschool and kindergarten settings. I am excited about Ocean crafts and recommend you visit our Summer Crafts category for more amazing ideas and tutorials.

Angela x

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