Summer is coming and there is no better time to start doing some ocean crafts for kids! These are a great way to teach children about different ocean critters and vegetation!
I love encouraging my kids to explore the ocean and what it entails. We live quite close to the beach so we venture there often and love collecting stuff. Some of our best and longest days out are spent there. Do not forget your sunscreen and sunhats if you are planning a day at the beach.
These are some crafts you can do when you return with treasures. Remember to take buckets to store all your craft materials. The more you can gather the better.
Have the kids find and collect things like:
- Shells – great for making pictures or monsters!!
- Sand – why not add some food coloring and make colored sand. Also great for practising your writing.
- Starfish – why not try and draw your own or make one from paper. You can paint these too
- Rocks – great for rock painting
- Seaweed – great for sensory (touch and smell)
Some of these will need a wash in hot soapy water whenever you get home.
This will give some great memories of the fun days at the beach.
I always encourage them to watch the waves and think what might live there!
My ocean kids crafts are suitable from preschool right up to older kids! They get to make octopus, squid, dolphin, crab, mermaids and lots more!
We use a range of different materials and have step by step craft guides to help you create lots of cool things!
You can make anything you like using paper plates, toilet rolls, colored paper, egg cartons, markers, scissors and glue.
If you like these you will also enjoy my easy Starfish arts and crafts for kids
Find great ocean crafts for kids! These are perfect for the Summer months when children are off school. These are great learning crafts which will educate your kids about sea wildlife as well as improving their fine motor skills. This egg carton octopus mobile craft will send you memories of your time exploring the beach! There are so many egg carton ocean crafts you can make and this is my favorite one. Hang it at your front door or keep it for your kids bedroom! This easy crab craft helps preschool kids make a crab using a old toilet paper roll! The best thing is that they can play with this afterwards or admire it in their bedroom! How cool is this pirate paper craft?! It fits in well with the rest of my ocean crafts for sure! It has it's sail and mast up and it's anchor ready to dock when it arrives at the harbour! This sea paper plate craft features a snapshot of some of the critters you can find in the ocean! The best bit is the movable wave which lets you rock the sea creatures about. If you want a yarn ocean kids craft then you need to make this octopus! This is a good way to educate kids by asking them how many legs they think an octopus has?! This is a great craft for school age kids who want to learn about ocean critters and how we can make them with different materials. My adorable paper seahorses are the perfect beach craft for kids this Summer! You can make them in any color you wish! This pair of paper crabs are super easy to make using my craft template and step by step instructions I love this cool ocean craft as it teaches you to make a paper hat to wear, illustrating the life cycle of a dolphin. This rock painting fish ideas is brilliant for those who are looking for a painting craft of sea creatures! This step by step guide helps you create this adorable rock fish. How about making the beautiful mermaid Ariel?! She loves swimming in the ocean and she is an excellent craft for little girls who love Princesses! Kids love making pretty pictures and this Beach scene craft complete with crab, palm trees and shells is the perfect Summer craft for littles this year This is a brilliant ocean kids craft for children aged 6 and upwards! They get to make fish that move! Even better is the fact that you only need 3 materials to make these, plus you can make them in any color you wish! Like lots of my easy crafts for kids these are great for pretend play! Ask your kids to name something they might find swimming in the ocean! Chances are they will say fish or dolphin! Surprise them with this dolphin craft with paper! They get to make a pair of swimming dolphins. Now what could we call them! This is relatively simple paper craft for kids provided you follow the step by step craft and use the available printable templates. This popsicle craft for kids is awesome because it is so easy to make! In the end you get a rainbow colored boat which you can actually play with! Double fun whilst making the craft and then playing afterwards! Play with it at your water table or in the bathroom sink! Seashell crafts are perfect for those that love the ocean and everything associated with it! This cute couple are created from two seashells and some googly eyes. Kids will love this Mr and Mrs; they can call them Mum and Dad. I absolutely love this ocean craft for preschool because I have a 3 year old at home who loves Nemo, the clownfish! This activity is great for coordination and fine motor skills as we encourage tiny kids to stick the stripes onto the clownfish! If you are looking for some ocean crafts for kids at the end of August before they head back to school encourage them to make this Squid pencil holder! Pencil holder crafts are a great way to get kids excited about returning to school after their long Summer vacation. Easy toddler crafts for kids can be hard to find but this is one of them! It is a simple paper craft featuring ocean animals! Help them make fish and jellyfish. You only need a few different colors of craft paper, some googly eyes, scissors and glue and you are good to go. This is great for teaching colors and helping develop hand eye coordination as 2 and 3 year olds stick things down. Preschool kids will love this too. Get your kids to collect shells that have washed in from the seashore! You can thread these or paint them and then hang them on a Christmas tree! This simple craft idea is super fun for those who love ocean crafts and the animals you find in it! Basically it involves painting with lego blocks and then sticking ocean animals down! For this reason I make it suitable for ages 3 to 6! Paper plate animal crafts are huge here in my house; I have a 3 and 4 year old and they love to make their favorites! This rainbow fish features painting, cutting and adding glitter, my 4 year old will be in heaven making this. A simple craft that is more than a cut up plate, as you get to make sparkly fins, If you like painting rocks then you will love this shark tutorial. It helps you create the rocks shown in the picture. Obviously this is easier using bigger rocks as opposed to the tiny pebbles you find on the beach. Mum will have to do most of the work here but an artistic or 8 year old will be able to copy the step by step guide. Ocean bookmark crafts for kids are perfect for those that like to read beside the sea! This Mermaid one will be fabulous for 7 and 8 year old girls who love to cosy up to a novel while relaxing on the beach. Why not collect some rocks from the edge of the ocean, take them home and use your fingers to paint flowers! Wind chime crafts are super easy to make and this ocean themed one is brilliant! Use some of the leftover shells you have from making your seashell couple and make them into a hanging mobile. My kids and I adore hand puppet crafts so this jellyfish one is right up our street! It is very easy to make and requires cupcake liners, streamers and googly eyes! These are great for story telling and pretend play also. Ocean Crafts For Kids
Of course there is a good chance I have missed some of these so please feel free to tell me.
Why not make several of these and use them for pretend play. You could have your own ocean themed play!
If you like these ocean kids crafts I am sure you will also enjoy some other beach themed summer crafts for kids:-
How to make a paper windmill – take this to the beach on a windy day and watch how quickly it spins around!
Some other wind crafts that are great for the beach include homemade kites and windsocks! Why not try and make your own and let me know how you get on.
Do you like these Ocean Crafts for Kids?
Hi there, I’m Laura an avid kids crafter with two little ones of my own to keep entertained! I have been doing kids crafts since 2018! Here at Easy Crafts for Kids you can find seasonal crafts for all age groups, as well as drawing tutorials, coloring pages and some other fun printables!