30 Best Fish Crafts for Kids

This craft combines art and sensory play by using celery sticks as stamps to create colorful fish scales. Children dip cut celery pieces into various paint colors and stamp them onto a fish template, resulting in a vibrant, rainbow-scaled fish. This activity not only produces beautiful artwork but also introduces kids to the concept of repurposing and using everyday items as art tools.

Introduce kids to the art of paper folding and teach them how to fold a simple origami fish with this easy-to-follow tutorial. This project enhances their fine motor skills and spatial awareness. It's perfect for kids who like paper folding and want to create their own paper fish collection.

Transform a simple paper plate into a cute jellyfish. This craft encourages creativity and fine motor development. Children paint and decorate a halved paper plate, add glitter or sequins for sparkle, and attach ribbon or yarn tentacles. The result is a colorful jellyfish that can be hung up for display, making it a perfect addition to any under-the-sea themed activity.

Recycle a cereal box into an aquarium diorama. Kids paint the inside of the box to resemble water, add sand or pebbles for the ocean floor, and create fish and seaweed using colored paper and pipe cleaners. By suspending paper fish with string, they achieve a dynamic, 3D effect.

Create an underwater scene using soft pastels and silhouette templates. Children begin by printing free templates featuring ocean creatures like turtles, stingrays, sharks, and mermaids. After cutting out the templates, they secure them onto black paper and use pastels to draw around the edges. Smudging the colors outward with fingers creates a glowing effect, simulating sunlight filtering through water. Once the templates are removed, kids can add details like rocks, coral, and seaweed with black paint.

Make a beautiful miniature aquarium using a mason jar, colorful pebbles, plastic plants, and small embellishments. Children will love to design their own underwater scenes. These mini-aquariums make great bedroom decorations, and with the addition of submersible lights, they can serve as fun night lights, too.

Turn paper plates into cute pufferfish. Kids start by painting a paper plate in bright colors using a cut-up toilet paper roll. Adding fins, large, expressive eyes, and a circular mouth brings these adorable sea creatures to life.

Create a fun slime project that mimics a fish in a bag. Using liquid starch, Elmer's glue, and plastic fish, children can enjoy making and playing with this easy, squishy craft. Perfect for a summer afternoon or a beach vacation.

These adorable pom pom fish are a fun and tactile craft that kids will love creating. Using colorful yarn, children can make fluffy pom poms by wrapping yarn around their fingers—no special tools required. After trimming the pom poms into round shapes, kids can use the free printable template to cut out felt fins, tails, and mouths, attaching them with a glue gun. Adding large googly eyes brings these fluffy, colorful fish to life, making them perfect for imaginative play.

Bring the beloved story of "The Rainbow Fish" to life through this creative art project. Children start by painting a paper plate, then use a cut toilet paper roll as a stamp to create colorful scales. Adding shiny sequins mimics the Rainbow Fish's glittering scales, while cut-out fins and a googly eye complete the look. This activity reinforces lessons about sharing and individuality from the story.

Transform coffee filters into vibrant, tie-dye fish with this project! Children paint coffee filters with watercolors, then pinch and secure them in the middle with small elastic bands to create fish shapes. Adding googly eyes and drawing on details with a white pen or marker brings these cute fish to life.

Transforms simple materials into delightful fish windsocks that dance in the breeze. Kids cut and assemble fish shapes from colored paper. They then attach crepe paper streamers and glue the fish onto blue cardstock. Additional touches like green crepe paper seaweed and sticker bubbles enhance the underwater scene. Once rolled into a cylinder and stapled, these windsocks become cute summer decorations for porches or classrooms.

Introduce children to the fun of color blending using bleeding tissue paper with this art project. Kids begin by printing a seahorse template onto cardstock. They then apply small pieces of bleeding tissue paper onto the template, using water to help the colors bleed and blend, creating a tie-dye effect. After the paper dries, the tissue is removed, revealing a beautifully colored seahorse.

Turn handprints into colorful fish with this craft that makes for a great summer keepsake. Children paint their hands and press them onto paper to create the fish's body. Once the paint dries, they add details like eyes, fins, and scales using markers or additional paint.

Make an underwater scene with a paper plate. Children start by painting the plate blue to represent water. They then glue on colorful Goldfish crackers as fish and add strips of green felt or fabric to mimic seaweed. Optional additions like sand, seashells, or other ocean-themed decorations can enhance the scene. This project is perfect for preschoolers learning about marine life. ​

Using basic materials like colored cardstock, a toilet roll tube, sticker eyes, and glue, children can create a cute little stingray friend. The process involves cutting a circular shape for the body, attaching it to the toilet roll to form the body structure, adding a tail, and decorating with eyes and spots. Once dry, these stingrays are ready for imaginative play or display.

Brighten up any window with this colorful suncatcher craft. Create colorful jellyfish using contact paper, tissue paper, and ribbons. Once hung in a sunny spot, these suncatchers cast beautiful, colorful light patterns, bringing a touch of the ocean indoors.

Make an adorable pufferfish from a paper plate with this project. Paint a paper plate in bright colors, then add features like fins, eyes, and a smiling mouth. Cutting slits around the plate's edge gives the pufferfish its characteristic spiky appearance.

This activity combines art and science for a fun, hands-on experience. Children start by drawing a jellyfish outline with glue on cardstock, then sprinkle salt over the glue lines. Once dry, they use liquid watercolors to gently touch the salt, watching the colors spread and blend in mesmerizing patterns. This process not only creates a beautiful, textured jellyfish but also introduces kids to the concept of capillary action in a fun way. ​

This craft turns bubble wrap into a tool for creating textured starfish art. Children cut starfish shapes from construction paper and use bubble wrap dipped in bright acrylic paints to stamp patterns onto them. The result is a colorful, bumpy surface that mimics a real starfish's texture. This activity is great for sensory exploration.

Transform simple paper plates into vibrant tropical fish. Children paint two paper plates in bright colors, then cut and attach fins, tails, and lips to create their fish. Adding googly eyes and decorative patterns like stripes or polka dots brings each fish to life. For a 3D effect, the fish can be assembled to be viewed from both sides, making them perfect for hanging decorations for the classroom or home.

This project teaches kids about the magic of crayon resist. Children begin by drawing fish shapes on cardstock and adding designs with a white crayon—think scales, bubbles, and fins. When they paint over their drawings with watercolors, the crayon lines resist the paint, revealing their designs. This activity introduces kids to basic art techniques in a fun and engaging way. ​

Dive into some creative fun by decorating starfish cutouts. Using a free printable template, kids can cut out starfish shapes and embellish them with various art materials like paint, glitter, sequins, or even natural elements like sand. This activity can be adapted for different age groups, making it a customizable addition to any ocean-themed lesson.

This cut-and-paste activity allows children to assemble their own goldfish using a printable template. With just scissors, glue, and the provided template, kids can create a cute little goldfish. The craft also includes fun facts about goldfish, adding an educational twist to the project.