If your kids love all things under the sea — from colorful fish to mysterious jellyfish — you’re in for a treat! This giant list of Ocean Activities and Crafts for Kids is packed with great ideas perfect for toddlers, preschoolers, and big kids too.
Whether you’re planning an ocean theme week, a summer playdate, or just need an easy afternoon project, there’s something here for everyone.
Today, I’m sharing ocean crafts, sensory bins, science experiments, movement games, and so much more. Trust me — by the end of this list, you’ll want to try them all!
Why You’ll Love These Ocean Activities and Crafts
- Creative and hands-on. Perfect for busy little hands and curious minds.
- Easily adaptable. Great for mixed ages — you can make them simpler or more detailed depending on your kids.
- Super low prep. Most activities use supplies you already have around the house.
- Fun + learning combined. Sneak in science, math, fine motor skills, and sensory exploration — all through playful ocean-themed fun!
Let’s get into all the amazing ideas!
Ocean Crafts, Activities, and Sensory Play Ideas
Under the Sea Bath
Turn bath time into ocean time with floating sea creatures and blue-tinted water!
Bubble Wrap Jellyfish Craft
Paint and print with bubble wrap to create bouncy, colorful jellyfish.
Painted Rock Fish Craft
Grab some rocks and turn them into bright, happy fish with just a little paint.
Under the Sea Lantern Craft
Make glowing paper lanterns decorated with ocean creatures for magical under-the-sea vibes.
Shaving Cream Sea Foam Sensory Bin
Fluffy, foamy sea sensory fun using shaving cream and ocean toys!
Bubble Wrap Sea Turtle Craft
Use bubble wrap stamping to create adorable, textured sea turtles.
Craft Stick Octopus Craft
Eight legs and tons of personality — an easy ocean craft using craft sticks.
Ocean Sensory Bin
A classic! Blue rice, chick peas, shells, and toy fish for endless sensory fun.
Mini Play Dough Aquariums
Shape your own tiny underwater worlds with colorful play dough and small ocean animals.
Rock Pool Sensory Activity
Turn your water table into a mini rock pool filled with shells and “seaweed.”
Ocean Sort & Clean Up Sensory Bin
Teach about protecting oceans by sorting “trash” and “treasure” in a sensory bin.
Jellyfish Counting
Use foam sheets and a spray bottle for a fun math and movement game!
Tissue Paper Crab Craft
Crinkle and glue tissue paper to make cute crabs.
Cupcake and Paper Plate Liner Fish Craft
Cupcake liners turn into colorful fish with just a little cutting and gluing.
Painted Eggshell Starfish Craft
Recycled eggshells create stunning, textured starfish art!
Sponge Painted Fish Craft
Dab, stamp, and paint colorful fish using sponges for a soft texture.
Fish Sticky Wall Craft
Create a sticky wall and invite kids to decorate it with tissue paper.
Sponge Painted Fish
Dab, stamp, and paint colorful fish using sponges for a soft texture.
Jellyfish Suncatcher Craft
Make bright, see-through jellyfish to hang in the windows.
Pool Noodle Fish Craft
Slice up pool noodles and create fish that actually float!
Dandelion Fish Craft
Use dandelions and paint to create fine motor, springtime fish art.
Ocean Water Slides
Turn your backyard water slide into an ocean-themed adventure.
Create an Aquarium
Craft a paper aquarium scene or even a real tiny tank!
Counting Fish Sticky Wall
Stick fish to a wall mural while practicing numbers!
Rescue the Sea Creatures
Wrap pipe cleaners around small ocean toys for a fun rescue mission.
Ocean Sight Word Game & Sensory Bin
Practice sight words hidden inside a bin full of ocean treasures.
Ocean Sensory Bottles
Create calming ocean waves in a bottle with water, oil, and glitter.
Cupcake Liner Fish Craft
Create adorable fish using cupcakes liners.
Sea Turtle Potato Masher Craft
Stamp out adorable turtles with a potato masher!
Under the Sea Sensory Bin
Seaweed, shells, and tiny creatures for a full sensory setup.
Ocean Sensory Bag and Play Bag
Create mess-free ocean scenes in a squishy sensory bag.
Invitation to Create: Under the Sea
Offer colorful paper in different shapes for an open-ended art project.
Ocean Themed Yoga
Move like a dolphin, jellyfish, and shark in a playful yoga flow.
Under the Sea Bingo
A simple printable game perfect for classrooms and rainy days.
Ocean I Spy Counting Printable
Practice numbers while spotting different ocean animals.
Egg Carton Ocean Craft
Use egg cartons to build underwater worlds — coral, fish, and more!
Ocean Themed Thumb Print Crafts
Paint with your fingers to create tiny ocean scenes.
Egg Carton Turtle Craft
Make adorable baby turtles from egg cartons and paint.
Floating Sea Turtle Craft
Create sea turtles that actually float in the water!
Cotton Ball Painted Sea Turtle
Soft, fluffy cotton balls make adorable textured turtle shells.
Foil Fish Craft
Shiny foil fish crafts that shimmer just like real fish scales.
Bubble Print Fish Mobile
Blow paint bubbles to create bubbly fish for a hanging mobile.
Rainbow Fish Foil Painting Activity
Layer foil, paint, and lots of colors for a gorgeous rainbow fish craft.
Crayon Resist Watercolor Fish
Use crayons to draw secret fish designs, then reveal them with watercolor.
Recycled Fish Craft
Turn trash into treasure with fun recycled ocean art.
Tissue Paper and Yarn Jelly Fish Craft
Glue together soft tissue and yarn to create flowing jellyfish tentacles.
Paper Bag Jelly Fish
Craft jellyfish puppets using paper bags and streamers.
Bubble Wrap Paper Plate Jelly Fish
Stamp bubble wrap and attach ribbon legs for a bubbly jellyfish craft.
Paper Plate Jelly Fish Craft
Simple and colorful, perfect for toddlers and preschoolers.
Seahorse Craft
Make fancy, curly-tailed seahorses using paper and glue.
Watercolour Seahorse Art
Watercolor blends create dreamy, vibrant seahorses.
Paper Roll Seahorse Puppets
Turn cardboard tubes into dancing, swimming sea creatures.
Foam Ball Octopus Craft
Foam balls and googly eyes create silly, squishy octopuses.
Cupcake Liner Octopus Ocean Craft
Use liners and paper strips to craft adorable octopuses.
Cardboard Bubble Wrap Octopus Craft
Texture, painting, and bubble wrap fun all in one octopus!
Paper Plate Octopus Craft
Cut, paint, and glue together a whole family of paper plate octopuses.
Bubble Wrap Starfish Craft
Paint and press bubble wrap for bumpy, beautiful starfish.
Starfish Button Craft
Glue colorful buttons onto paper to create unique starfish art.
Easy Starfish Craft
Paint and decorate simple starfish shapes — perfect for preschoolers.
Puffy Paint Starfish Craft
Use homemade puffy paint to create a 3D starfish masterpiece.
Seashell Fish Craft
Glue together seashells and paint to form cute underwater fish.
Shell Painting Create Beautiful Ocean Art
Paint and decorate real seashells — a simple but stunning project.
Marbles Seashell Art
Use shaving cream and paint to marble seashells in dreamy colors.
Under the Sea Water Bead Sensory Bin
Soak water beads for a cool, colorful ocean sensory bin.
Ocean Science and Sensory Play
Mix baking soda and vinegar for bubbly ocean volcanoes!
Tide Pool Science Experiment
Create mini tide pools in bowls — complete with moving “waves”!
Ocean Bin
A simple bin filled with blue rice, ocean toys, and scoops.
Fizzing Hidden Ocean World
Hide treasures under baking soda “sand” and make them fizz out!
Ocean Moon Dough Recipe with Sea Shells
Squishy, moldable dough perfect for sea shell prints and play.
Ocean Name Recognition Sensory Bag
Write letters in a sensory bag to practice spelling their names.
Seashell Alphabet Sensory Bin
Hide letter shells and practice early literacy through sensory play.
Feed the Shark Color Sorting Game
Feed the shark different colored fish in this simple color game.
Ocean Shape Sticky Wall Mural
Stick up ocean shapes for a creative wall mural full of sea creatures.
With so many amazing ocean activities and crafts for kids, you can easily fill a week — or a whole summer — with creative, playful, and meaningful memories.
From fine motor crafts to sensory bins to ocean-themed movement games, there’s something here for every kind of kid.
Get ready to make waves — and a whole lot of smiles!
Play2Learn Toddler & Preschool Programs for Curious Toddlers
There is no limit to your toddler’s energy and curiosity. That energy and curiosity although a joy can be challenging at times. Their interest in just about everything around them is what makes them great learners. One and two year olds can soak up so much just from their senses!
But as a teacher or parent that thirst for learning can be exhausting. That is why I created this toddler and preschooler program. To help you get the most out of this time with your curious toddler without having to come up with creative ways to play and interact with them.
Play2Learn for Toddlers includes 20 Units for toddlers. Each 2-week toddler unit has 20 super easy to set up and engaging activities for toddlers 18 months to 3 years.
Play2Learn Preschool which includes 20 Units for preschoolers. Each 2-week preschoolers unit has 20 unique and easy to set up and engaging activities for preschoolers 3 years to 5 years. That’s over 800 learning activities for your toddler and preschooler at your fingertips! So many ideas you and your child will never be bored again!
These toddler and preschool lesson plans and activities will definitely keep you and your toddler and preschooler busy playing and learning!
Click here for more information: Play2Learn
Book: Exciting Sensory Bins for Curious Kids
Did you know I wrote a book of sensory bins? Click here for more information Exciting Sensory Bin for Curious Kids. Or grab your copy at Amazon.
Boring afternoons are made exciting with awesome animal-based bins, like Salty Shark Bay or Yarn Farm. Pretend play bins like Birthday Cake Sensory Play or Bubble Tea Party encourage creativity and imagination. And your kids will have so much fun they won’t even know they’re getting smarter with STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) activities like Sink or Float Soup, Magnetic Letter Hunt or Ice Cream Scoop and Count.
Designed for toddlers 18 months and up.
Book: Super STEAM Activity Book for Kids
Learning all about science, technology, engineering, art, and math sets kids up for scholastic success―and it can be so much fun! Watch kids enjoy building STEAM skills as they color friendly fish, help water find its way to tree roots, solve math problems with mazes, and more.
Find out more and grab your copy here.
Designed for preschoolers 3 years old and up.
Book: Big Book of Riddles for Kids
Riddle me this: What’s an exciting way to practice critical thinking while having a blast? The Big Riddle Book for Kids, of course! From hilarious puns to tough brain teasers, kids can build problem-solving skills with hundreds of riddles tha. t show them how to think outside the box.
- 350 riddles for kids—Have hours of fun with riddles, puns and jokes, and math and logic puzzles that’ll get their wheels turning!
- Level up their skills—Riddles get trickier as kids progress through the book, challenging them as they get better at solving puzzles!
- Double-check their work—Kids can check their answers in the back of the book with a handy answer key.
Help children expand their minds while having fun with this puzzle book for kids!
Designed for kids ages 6 years old and up.
TV Show: Curious Crafting
I’m so excited to share my crafting TV show Curious Crafting which launched in July 2022 on TVOkids and TVOkids YouTube! Season 2 aired in August 2023! My show was also nominated in 2023 for Best Live Action Preschool Series by the Youth Media Alliance Awards of Excellence.
Curious Crafting Season 1 is also now airing in Australia on ABC! Watch it here!
Set in the ultimate crafting space, Curious Crafting is a short form pre-school age series about the joy of making crafts. I lead a rotating cast of adorable little preschoolers (including my own) making magic out of common household objects.
In each episode we transform recycled items into magical crafts like a milk carton school bus, paper bag puppet or cotton pad turtle. The crafters learn and laugh their way through each activity while demonstrating what their young imaginations can create.
Curious Crafting shares the adventure and joy of making art with takeaway lessons for creating crafts at home.
This show designed for toddlers and preschoolers 2.5 years old and up.
Thank you so much for including our life sized mermaid in your amazing collection! We are loving your lists!
Thank you so much Bonnie! I love your mermaid craft. I can’t wait to try it out with my daughter!!