20+ Cute Crab Preschool Crafts
Now that summer’s here, we’re all about the sunshine, beach, and ocean animals. We’ve put together a super fun list of crab crafts that we think your kids are going to love. These crafts are made with various materials, so you’re sure to find something you can make with the kids without having to make a trip to the crafts store.
From cupcake liner crabs to paper plate crabs and even crabs made out of seashells and rocks found in nature, there’s something to do on both rainy days and sunny days. Get started on one of these fun crab crafts today! It’ll make a cute little display to give your home a bit of a beachy feel all summer long.
These crab crafts are great for summer camp, too. Let’s get started!
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Crab Arts and Crafts for Kids
Cupcake Liner Crabs by iheartcraftythings.com: You can turn simple cupcake liners into so many fun things! Here, they’re folded in half to make cute little crab crafts with googly eyes and little cupcake liner pincers, too. We love how the sequins add a little sparkle to the sand area. Because, after all, sand does glitter in the sun!
Handprint Crabs by simpleeverydaymom.com: Here’s a summer keepsake that’s sure to make you smile! Turn your kids’ handprints into a friendly crab with a great, big, silly grin. This is one to add to the scrapbooks for sure.
Paper Circle Crab by easypeasyandfun.com: This crab craft is perfect for little ones learning their shapes—it’s made entirely out of circles folded in half (semi-circles). This gives the kids great scissor practice, or you can use large circle hole punches to make quick work of it. Add some legs, arms, and eyes to the half-circle pieces, and you’re all done making your easy peasy crab.
Coffee Filter Crab by lookwerelearning.com: Coffee filter crafts don’t have to be difficult and involve bringing paints out or using watercolors. Just grab a box of crayons instead to color in a coffee filter to make the crab’s body. This is a terrific crab craft for toddlers.
Toilet Paper Roll Crab by hunnyimhomediy.com: Stash those empty toilet paper rolls away for a rainy day to make fun crafts like this one. Adding the pipe cleaner legs is a great idea. It helps the crab craft stand up and look more realistic. Doesn’t he look like he’s walking sideways, doing that classic crab walk?
Crab Crafts for Kids
Crab Puppets by kidscraftroom.com: Make these friendly little crab puppets to play with during storytime while reading your favorite crab-themed books like The Happy, Snappy Crab, or You’re a Crab! You could also make up a song about crabs to make use of these puppets.
Crab Egg Craft by craftplaylearn.com: Wooden eggs are so great for making all kinds of animals. Just look at this adorable little crab! If you can’t find any wooden eggs, plastic eggs will do just fine. Make a blue crab if you’d like.
Paper Weave Crab by theinspirationedit.com: Paper weaving is fantastic for kindergarteners and preschoolers working on their fine motor skills. This paper weave crab is super colorful and fun, but you can use any color paper you’d like. Little ones may need a bit of help cutting out the crab shape and cutting the slits into the crab to weave the paper through.
Paper Plate Crab by simpleeverydaymom.com: Turn paper plates into fun crabs with a bit of paint, paper, and a few other basic craft supplies. The template makes it easy to get the pieces just right, so there’s no guesswork. If you’d like to skip the painting phase, just start with red paper plates from the party store.
Paper Loop Crabs by ourkidthings.com: Have you seen all the cute things you can make with simple paper loops? These loop crabs are the perfect example! Once you’ve made your paper loop and glued it to the background, the rest is just drawing in legs and connecting eyes to the pincers and eyes. Adorable!
Crab Craft Ideas
Hermit Crab by mamalikesthis.com: Hermit crabs are a favorite for us, and we love books like A House for Hermit Crab to go along with learning about them. After you read the book, make this easy printable hermit crab craft with the kids. It’s a cute way to reinforce what they just learned in the books, and they’ll be happy as clams displaying their work on the fridge.
Printable Crab Craft by craftplaylearn.com: This printable crab craft is another super simple idea for preschoolers. It’s as simple as cut and paste if you’re putting it on a plain paper background. However, the real fun is making the watercolor background, complete with fun bubbles to make it look like a real ocean scene.
Styrofoam Cup Crabs by craftsbyamanda.com: How cute are these crabs made with styrofoam cups? You can use plastic cups or paper cups if you like, but styrofoam is easier to poke the pipe cleaners through to make the legs and eyes. Make sure you paint the cups with acrylic paint; tempera will not adhere to styrofoam very well.
Seashell Crab Magnets by redtedart.com: Turn the seashells you’ve collected into little red crabs (and turtles). With red paint, pipe cleaners, and googly eyes, you’ll have some adorable crabs in just minutes. Add magnets to them to decorate your fridge or filing cabinet.
Crab Crafts for Preschoolers
Rock Crabs by ourkidthings.com: Rock painting is lots of fun, but sometimes the designs can be a little too difficult for little ones. Not so for these rock crabs! Just paint them red, then add the legs and pincers cut from construction paper. Pop some googly eyes or eye stickers on top, and your rock crab is ready to, well, rock!
Crab Corner Bookmarks by easypeasyandfun.com: Save your place in your favorite summer reads with these crab corner bookmarks. These simple origami bookmarks are easy enough for even young kids to follow, especially using step-by-step photos. Once you have your corner piece, it’s as easy as adding legs, eyes, and pincers. You’ll find your place easily with this guy!
Paper Bowl Crab by ohmy-creative.com: This silly little crab is made from several different materials and is so fun! Grab a paper bowl, foam balls, construction paper, clothespins, and paint to get started on this crab project.
Blue Crab Craft With all the red crabs here, we can’t forget about the blue crabs you sometimes spot on the beach. They’re just as much fun to make. He fits right in with the blue watercolor background and bubbles.
Crab Hats by kidscraftroom.com: Make and wear these crab hats while pretending to be little crabs! This is such a fun crab paper craft that’s perfect for the classroom at the end of school right before summer or as part of a unit on ocean animals.
Rocking Paper Plate Crab by artycraftykids.com: This delightful crab rocks back and forth when you touch either of his pincers. This movement somewhat mimics their scuttling behavior, so it’s educational as well as fun.
We hope you enjoyed our list of kid-friendly crab crafts! These ideas are so fun and easy; you may want to make a few of them. Remember to pin the post to save this list for a rainy day!
Summer Preschool Crafts
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