60+ Best Ocean Activities and Ocean Crafts for Preschool and Kindergarten
This page is packed with Ocean Theme Activities for science, art, sensory, fine motor activities, math, literacy, and more. You’ll find lots of hands-on learning and easy under the sea activities for preschool and kindergarten. Whether you are looking for a few ocean-theme printables to add to your unit study or need a whole week of ocean theme ideas, you’ll find it here.
Ocean Activities for Preschoolers
Ocean Theme Activities for Preschool and Kindergarten
Oceans are vital to all of us. Oceans cover about 70 percent of the Earth’s surface and contain 97 percent of the Earth’s water supply. Oceans are amazing and full of life. Oceans affect weather and temperature and provide food, and approximately 75 percent of our oxygen is produced by marine plants. Your children will enjoy learning about the ocean, ocean animals, and the beach with our ocean-themed printables, crafts, and activities.
Ocean Theme Activities
These ocean theme activities also make for a lot of summer fun. So, if you are not looking for the perfect unit study, pick one or two ocean activities to set up for fun. Your kids will love it!
Ocean Sensory Play
Ocean-Themed Sensory Experiences
Engage your child’s senses with sensory play. Use a sensory bin filled with items like sand, shells, and toy sea creatures to create an interactive experience. A popular activity is the ocean in a bottle, which visually represents ocean waves and can be a calming experience for children.
- Sensory Bin: Fill with materials for a hands-on exploration of texture and shape.
- Ocean in a Bottle: Craft a mini-ocean scene in a bottle for visual and kinetic discovery.
Best Ocean Slime with Video
Ocean Theme Slime Recipe
Ocean Sensory Bin
Frozen Ocean Theme Sensory Bin
Ocean Sensory Bottle for Kids with Video
Letter Matching Seashell Sensory Bin
Homemade Sand Slime
Ocean Life Sensory Bag for Toddlers and Preschoolers
Easy Ocean Sensory Activities
Ocean Pollution Activities and Ocean Pollution Sensory Bin
These engaging under-the-sea play ideas for kids. Includes ocean themed sensory play, learning activities, snacks, party ideas, and crafts perfect for an ocean theme, beach theme, or summer learning.
Science Experiments and Exploration
Encourage your little scientist’s curiosity with simple sea-related science experiments. Create an ocean in a bottle to teach about ocean currents or waves. Explore marine life through engaging activities that explain the diverse ecosystem found under the sea.
- Ocean Zones: Learn about the different layers of the ocean and the creatures that inhabit them.
- Science Activities: Conduct experiments like creating rain in a jar to illustrate aspects of the water cycle.
Ocean Science Experiments
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Fine Motor Skills and Coordination
Developing fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination is crucial for your preschoolers, and Under the Sea Printable Activities are a great way to engage them in this learning. Focused on sea life themes, they help children practice these skills while exploring ocean wonders.
Interactive Under the Sea Crafts
Crafts using construction paper: Create colorful sea creatures like fish, starfish, and crabs with your preschoolers to promote the use of scissors and glue. For example, cutting out pufferfish shapes helps refine their scissor skills, while sticking small pieces of paper onto a cereal box turtle shell aids in precision and control.
- Sealife and seashells puzzles: Assemble simple puzzles made from laminated pictures of sea animals. This activity enhances hand-eye coordination and problem-solving abilities.
- Shark Week themed activities: Use tweezers to place small items like sharks teeth onto shark outlines. This can be especially fun during Shark Week and encourages the precise movement of hand muscles.
Ocean Theme Lesson Plans – Printables and Activities
Ocean Preschool Activities and Printables
Ocean Animals Preschool Printables
Practical Hands-On Learning Tools
Writing centers: Equip your writing center with ocean-themed practice sheets. These pages can have dotted uppercase and lowercase letters to trace, helping preschoolers develop a steady hand. Incorporate images of turtles and other sea creatures beside each letter to keep the activity engaging.
- Ocean unit study: Bring an overall sea life theme to your classroom with Under the Sea Printable Activities that include placing plastic sea creatures into their correct habitats. This builds knowledge about sea animals and refines fine motor skills as kids place them with care.
- Pre-K printable fun: For the youngest learners, simple activities like threading yarn through holes in laminated sea animals can be satisfying and beneficial for motor development. After laminating the printables, they become durable enough for repeated use.
Incorporating these activities into your daily routine provides an enjoyable way for your children to develop critical fine motor skills tied to a theme they’re naturally curious about.
Shark Printables and Activities
Thumbprint Ocean Animals with Ocean Theme Printables
Ocean Art Preschool Activity – Easy Art Project for Kids
Beach Scavenger Hunt
Coral Reef Activities for Preschoolers and Kindergarten
Ocean Books for Kids
What do you think? Are you ready for an Ocean adventure?
Whether it’s an ocean theme sensory play, a fun ocean craft idea, or learning about ocean animals, I think you’ll find many great ocean activities for kids.
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For more resources, printables, and activities related to the ocean and its inhabitants, please visit the Under the Sea Activities page and this Under the Sea Pinterest board.