Looking for handprint ocean animals to make with your little ones? You’re in the right place! This list of preschool crafts is packed with simple, fun ideas that turn tiny hands into colorful sea creatures—think fish, jellyfish, crabs, and more.
These activities are great for an ocean theme, summertime fun, or just a creative afternoon. Handprint crafts are always a favorite because they make such sweet keepsakes. It’s such a fun way to capture those little hands and turn them into art.
Each craft idea links to a second blog with easy step-by-step directions, so it’s super simple to follow along. Grab the paint, paper, and some googly eyes—it’s time to get creative with your kiddos!
This is a fun way to bring the ocean to life and enjoy some hands-on learning with your preschooler.
Handprint Ocean Animals
If you’re looking for fun ways to mix art and learning, these handprint ocean animal crafts are just the thing. They’re simple enough for preschoolers to enjoy and make a big splash when it comes to creativity. Each craft turns a little hand into a sea creature with just a few supplies.
Take a peek below and choose your favorites to try!
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Thumbprint Ocean Animals
This cute craft lets kids make tiny ocean animals using their fingerprints and thumbs! They’ll have fun turning little prints into fish, crabs, turtles, and more. It’s a fun way to mix art with a bit of fine motor practice.
This sweet craft turns a handprint into a shiny Rainbow Fish, just like in the beloved book! Kids can decorate their fish with colorful scales and even add a little sparkle. It’s a fun mix of art and storytelling.
This craft turns a handprint into a silly jellyfish with long, curly tentacles. Kids can also practice color matching by sorting the jellyfish tentacles by color. It’s a playful mix of art and learning!
This colorful craft uses your child’s handprint to make a beautiful mermaid’s tail. With just a few supplies, kids can create their own magical mermaid and even decorate it with sparkles or stickers. It’s a fun ocean-themed activity full of imagination!
Kids will love turning their handprint into a cute little turtle with a bright green shell. This easy craft is great for practicing scissor skills and using glue. It’s a simple and fun way to learn about sea animals!
This cheerful crab craft uses both handprints to make big red claws! It also includes a fun little song to sing while creating, making it extra engaging for preschoolers. It’s a great mix of music, movement, and art.
Inspired by the Rainbow Fish book, this craft uses a handprint to create a colorful fish with shiny scales. Kids can paint, glue, and add sparkles to make their fish unique. It’s a fun way to bring the story to life through art!
This jellyfish craft combines a handprint with a colorful cupcake liner to make a fun, wiggly sea creature. Kids will enjoy adding streamers for tentacles and personalizing their jellyfish with googly eyes. It’s a bright and easy craft perfect for little hands!
This cute lobster craft uses both handprints and a footprint to create a fun ocean animal with big claws and a long body. Kids will love how their hands and feet become part of the artwork! It’s a silly, hands-on project that’s sure to bring smiles.
This playful craft uses a paper bag and your child’s handprint to make a colorful fish puppet. Kids can decorate their fish with bright colors, add eyes, and even use it for pretend play. It’s a fun mix of crafting and imagination!
This sweet and simple craft turns a handprint into a cheerful fish on a folded card. It’s perfect for birthdays, thank-yous, or just a fun ocean-themed art project. Kids will love making and giving these handmade cards!
This fun craft uses a handprint to create a friendly octopus with wiggly arms. Kids can add eyes, a smile, and decorate their octopus with stickers or dots. It’s an easy and cheerful project for any ocean theme!
This bright and easy craft turns a handprint into a happy little hermit crab with big claws and googly eyes. Kids can have fun painting, cutting, and gluing as they bring their sea creature to life. It’s a great choice for ocean unit fun!
This simple craft turns a handprint into a cool, gray shark swimming through the ocean. Kids will enjoy adding fins, teeth, and maybe even a splash of water! It’s a fun and easy way to explore ocean animals through art.
This craft includes a whole set of ocean animals made with handprints—like jellyfish, fish, and seahorses! Each one is bright, simple to make, and perfect for little hands. It’s a great way to create a whole ocean scene with just paint and paper.
This cheerful craft uses both handprints to make a bright red crab with big claws and googly eyes. It’s easy to make and perfect for a beach or ocean theme. Kids will love seeing their hands turned into a silly sea creature!
This adorable craft combines letter learning with art by turning a handprint into a turtle for the letter T. It’s a fun way to practice the alphabet while making a cute ocean animal. Perfect for preschool letter-of-the-week activities!
This colorful craft turns a handprint into a bright, happy fish that’s fun to decorate. Kids can paint their fish in any colors they like and add details like eyes and fins. It’s a simple and cheerful project for any ocean theme!
This creative craft turns a handprint into a narwhal, the unicorn of the sea, while also focusing on the letter N. Kids will enjoy adding the long tusk and decorating their narwhal however they like. It’s a fun mix of ocean animals and alphabet learning!
Frequently Asked Questions About Handprint Ocean Animal Crafts
What if my child doesn’t want to get their hands messy?
That’s totally okay! Some kids are sensitive to texture or just don’t like the feeling of paint. You can let them trace their hand with a pencil and color it in with crayons or markers instead. It’s still a fun craft, just a little cleaner!
How can I turn these into a learning activity?
There are lots of easy ways! You can talk about the ocean animals as you craft, count the fingers or “legs” on an octopus, or match the crafts to a letter of the alphabet—like F for Fish or J for Jellyfish. It’s a fun way to sneak in a little learning.
What should I do with the finished crafts?
You can hang them up for display, glue them into a memory book, or turn them into cards or gifts. Handprint crafts also make adorable keepsakes to look back on as your child grows.
These handprint ocean animal crafts are such a fun way to get creative with your preschooler while making sweet memories (and a little mess!). With just paint, paper, and a few giggles, you can bring the ocean right to your table.
Did you know an octopus has three hearts? Which ocean animal will you and your little one create first?
Tara is the brains behind Homeschool Preschool, where her journey from preschool and public school teacher to homeschooling mom of three fuels her passion for early childhood education. With a blend of expertise and firsthand experience, Tara’s writings offer practical tips and engaging resources to support families in creating meaningful learning adventures at home.
