These hands-on activities are sure to have your students begging for a trip to the beach! From sensory crafts to painting and matching activities, we've got it all! The crafts and activities are of course fun but are certainly aimed at fulfilling a bigger purpose of educating learners about various fish and oceanic life. Don't delay- dive into our selection of 45 of the best beach-theme preschool activities today!
1. Ocean Sensory Bin
If you live inland or are just looking for an opportunity to expose your young ones to a fun learning opportunity, then this is the perfect activity for them! Kids will enjoy playing with the sand, water, shells, and toy aquatic animals.
Learn More: Fun Learning For Kids
2. Ice Cream Stand Shop Keeper
This is a great role-playing opportunity! Students can pretend that they're at the beach buying an ice cold treat- one learner acting as the customer whilst the other reenacts the server. Role play activities help to develop good communication skills, better understand real-life scenarios and explore the world around them through imaginative play.
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3. Hanging Jellyfish
This sweet craft is super easy to make and makes for great classroom decorations! All you'll need are small paper bowls, a glue gun, acrylic paint, a ribbon, a marker, and googly eyes.
Learn More: Gluesticks Gumdrops
4. Oceanic Sensory Bottle
Sensory bottles are an easy activity that will, once complete, keep your kids occupied for hours. To make an oceanic sensory bottle you'll need a plastic bottle, water, blue food coloring, and small plastic or rubber ocean creatures. For an element of fun, sprinkle in some silver glitter.
Learn More: The Best Ideas For Kids
5. Color In
Ocean art is as easy to make as coloring in a picture! Coloring provides students with a quiet opportunity to focus and develop their motor skills. It has also been proven to develop their patience and concentration skills.
Learn More: Kid Sparkz
6. Buttoned Up
This sweet craft depicts fish in their natural ocean habitat- surrounded by other fishy friends, seaweed, and sand. You'll need colorful buttons, markers, and googly eyes for the fish, blue and brown cardstock for the background and sand, green tissue paper for the seaweed, and white hole reinforcements for the bubbles.
Learn More: I Heart Crafty Things
7. Ocean Letter Finder
This activity requires students to locate a letter on the mat that matches their fish cards and place a fish token on top of it. This can be played in a competitive manner whereby the first student to locate all of their letters, would win!
Learn More: ABCs Of Literacy
8. Letter Match Up
Letter match-up can be played individually or as an entire class. Independently, students can work to correctly match one side of a card with its other half. As a class, students should each be given half of a set and walk around, communicating with classmates, to find a partner whose card matches theirs.
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9. Bubble Wrap Starfish
Orange star-shaped cutouts can be decorated to resemble a real starfish by painting bubble wrap and pressing it onto the cutout. This technique would also work well in decorating other creatures. Early finishers for example could spend time making a bubble wrap jellyfish craft.
Learn More: Crafty Toddler Projects
10. Celery Painted Fish
Make this adorable rainbow fish by having your students press paint-dipped celery onto a fish template to make a bright fish scale pattern. This can get messy so we'd advise using washable paint and laying down a protective plastic sheet.
Learn More: Crafty Morning
11. Tissue Paper Seahorse
Decoupage to your heart's content! By using watered-down glue, a foam brush, and cut-up pieces of tissue paper, students can decoupage a paper seashore. This fun ocean-themed activity will certainly delight any preschooler whilst keeping them fully occupied for up to an hour.
Learn More: Mrs. Plemons Kindergarten
12. Paper Plate Rainbow Fish
This craft is based on the beloved Rainbow Fish book so we'd recommend reading it to your learners before they get stuck into this craft. Simply have your students paint a paper plate, paint on scales, an eye, and a mouth and then finish it off by gluing on assorted shimmering circles and cardstock fins.
Learn More: A Little Pinch Of Perfect
13. Octopus Counting
This adorable paper plate octopus makes a great craft and gives your students an opportunity to practice their math skills in a fun way. Cut a paper plate in half, punch in 8 holes and arm your students with yarn to thread through each of them. They can then glue on two eyes and write a number above each hole.
Learn More: Mrs. Plemons Kindergarten
14. Letter Writing Tray
Your students will adore practicing their writing in a fun way. They'll need to copy the clam letter cutouts by using their finger to recreate the letter in the sand.
Learn More: Mrs. Plemons Kindergarten
15. Shell Sorting
This shadow match activity encourages students to study the outline of shells instead of looking at the details. Students are required to draw a line from the shell on the left to its matching shadow on the right.
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16. Ocean Snacks
Encourage healthy eating by involving your young one in snack prep! They can make a kiwi and grape turtle, a puffed rice starfish, an apple crab, or even a tortilla jellyfish.
Learn More: Mrs. Plemons Kindergarten
17. Counting Cards
Make your math center an inspiring corner of the classroom by bringing in some fun learning opportunities such as the one depicted below. This activity requires learners to count the sea animals and place a clothes peg over the correct number.
Learn More: The Kindergarten Connection
18. Big Mouth Surprise
Your little ones marvel at the cool surprise that comes with this craft. The fish template makes this an easy activity- leaving only the coloring and folding up to your preschooler!
Learn More: Easy Peasy and Fun
19. Foil Fish Puppet
This foil craft is simple to make and leaves your learners with personalized puppets with which to play. Glue string onto both sides of your fish template before covering in foil, ensuring that the shiny side faces outward. Insert a popsicle stick between the two halves and glue them together before painting as you please.
Learn More: Kids Craft Room
20. Woven Delight
All you'll need for this activity is cardstock, glue, scissors, and blue paint. This angel fish craft helps learners develop their fine motor skills as they weave strips of paper through their fish. Glue onto a decorative background and your learners have beautiful aquatic artwork.
Learn More: The Inspiration Edit
21. Rock Fish
These stone fish make adorable pets and with each learner making one, you'll soon have an entire school of them! Have your learners paint a stone any way they please before gluing on felt fins and a tail.
Learn More: Messy Little Monster
22. Cupcake Liner Fish
This cupcake liner makes a great birthday card You'll need colorful buttons, markers, and googly eyes for the fish, blue and brown cardstock for the background and sand, green tissue paper for the seaweed, and white hole reinforcements for the bubbles.
Learn More: I Heart Crafty Things
23. Festive Ornament
This fuzzy rainbow fish can be used as an exquisite Christmas tree decoration. Your learners will need to cut out their fish template before gluing on an eye, lips, and assorted sparkly pom poms.
Learn More: That Kids Craft Site
24. Paper Plate Crab Craft
Our paper plate crabs are a great addition to any oceanic lesson plan. Have your students paint a paper plate orange before helping them cut it up and assemble their crab by gluing on the eyes and using slit pins to secure the pincers and legs.
Learn More: Kids Craft Room
25. 3D Shadow Box
This shadow box is great for exposing your learners to various ocean currents and the depths that come with them. We'd recommend pre-preparing the layers of water by cutting them out with an X-Acto knife. Then your learners can glue the layers together and add cardstock shells, seaweed, starfish, and fish.
Learn More: Artsy Craftsy Mom
26. Collage Craft
Using multi-colored pieces of torn-up tissue paper, your learners can craft a rainbow fish. Simply print out a few fish coloring pages and gather together tissue paper and glue sticks.
Learn More: Artsy Craftsy Mom
27. Popsicle Stick Felt Fish
This is an awesome activity for exposing learners to different shapes. All you'll need to assemble these fish is felt, popsicle sticks, pom poms, googly eyes, and glue.
Learn More: Glued To My Crafts Blog
28. Paper Plate Pufferfish
Begin by having your learners paint a paper plate using two different colors. Once try, add white spots using a cotton swab. Cut squares out from the edge before gluing on two fins and eyes and drawing on a mouth.
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29. Origami Whale
Have a whale of a time with this charming origami craft! Fold a blue piece of cardstock into the shape of a whale and finish it off by drawing on eyes and a mouth and gluing on some tissue paper from the blowhole.
Learn More: Artsy Craftsy Mom
30. Light Up Reef
Our glow-in-the-dark reef will light up your learner's life! By using tissue paper, an egg carton, fish pictures, pipe cleaners, loom bands, and glue, you can make an awesome ocean-inspired nightlight.
Learn More: The Craft Train
31. Yarn Turtle
These fun turtles make for great classroom pets! Simply decorate a turtle template and add some personality by drawing on a face. Then using shades of green yarn, craft a pom pom to glue on as its shell.
Learn More: The Craft Train
32. Egg Carton Goldfish
Give new life to an old egg carton by turning it into these precious goldfish. Have your learners paint individual egg carton portions and then add details using pipe cleaners as add facial features and tissue paper as fins and a tail.
Learn More: The Craft Train
33. Bubble Wrap Octopus
Paint stripes onto a piece of bubble wrap and press onto two pieces of A4 white paper. Once dry assemble your octopus by cutting up the paper so that it'll form a body. Before gluing the two sides together, cut the stripes up and insert them between the two. Lastly, glue on two eyes.
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34. Sparkly Seahorse
Inspired by this endearing seahorse book are these pretty paper plate seahorses. Simply have your students paint a paper plate before helping them cut out their sea horses and glue on an eye and some glitter.
Learn More: Simple Everyday Mom
35. Paper Bag Whale
By painting a paper bag and adding a few decorative elements, your students will have their very own humpback whale! All you'll need for assembly are paper bags, googly eyes, blue cardstock, scissors, a black marker, blue and white paint as well as a paintbrush and string.
Learn More: A Little Pinch Of Perfect
36. Shark Binoculars
Craft with items you have lying around the house. For instance, your students can be asked to bring toilet rolls to class in order to craft these cool shark binoculars. They'll also require thin cardboard and tape, paint and a paintbrush, a hole punch and black marker as well as string and assorted beads.
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37. Peg Doll Mermaid
Ariel fans will most definitely treasure this peg doll mermaid. in order to make one simply assemble a wooden peg, colored balloon, rainbow thread, and glitter paper and add facial features using markers.
Learn More: Artsy Craftsy Mom
38. Toilet Roll Octopus
Another way to repurpose a toilet roll is by using it to make an octopus. If you don't have one available you could always tape colored paper together in a tube-like formation and cut the bottom half to form tentacles. Finish it off by gluing on your eyes and drawing on a smile!
Learn More: Taming Little Monsters
39. Hermit Crab
Use a white paper plate to make the hermit crab body and decorate it with shimmering confetti. Help learners paint one of their hands red and press it onto a piece of paper. Once dry, cut out and glue onto the back of the body. Lastly, glue two googly eyes onto red pipe cleaners and join them to the thumb.
Learn More: Craftulate
40. Puffer Fish Painting
This puffer fish painting is the perfect at-home activity after a takeout night. Dip a plastic fork into paint and press it onto a blue piece of paper in a circular formation. Paint on two triangles for ears then glue on a paper nose and eyes.
Learn More: Crafty Morning
41. Seashell Starfish
Often we find ourselves bringing home shells from the beach only to have them lie in a corner unused. This activity is the perfect opportunity to give those shells a purpose! Paint a shell and leave it to dry before gluing on googly eyes. Attach to a felt star and you'll have an endearing starfish craft.
Learn More: Craft Play Learn
42. Sea Animal Coffee Filter
By dying coffee filters using food coloring and then gluing on black ocean animal cutouts, your learners will be left with the most beautiful sun catchers to adorn their windows!
Learn More: A Little Pinch Of Perfect
43. Kirigami Ocean Animals
Kirigami is a fun activity for young students to practice using scissors. These fish are super simple to make and all that you need to organize is colorful cardstock, safety scissors, and glue.
Learn More: Pink Stripey Socks
44. Seashell Purse
Calling all mermaids! Make this gorgeous seashell purse by cutting out the shell template, painting using watercolors, and then decorating with glitter. Tape a piece of string onto either side of the bag so that your little one can sling it over their shoulder.
Learn More: Artsy Momma
45. Lobster Footprint
Challenge your child to trace around one of your feet before tracing around both of theirs. They can then use safety scissors to cut the feet out and glue them together to form a lobster. To complete their creature, help them glue on two googly eyes and glittery pipe cleaners.
Learn More: Crafty Mama In Me
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