preschool ocean science experiments

Ocean Science Experiments

Exploring and learning about the ocean is a great way to get kids interested in science.

Engaging and hands-on ocean science experiments can be an effective way to introduce preschoolers to the world of ocean science.

With the right supplies, guidance, and some creativity, these little ones can have fun while learning more about this amazing environment.

Here are some enjoyable ocean science experiments perfect for preschoolers that will help them explore and discover more about our oceans!

How do I know if an experiment is age appropriate for preschoolers?

When selecting an ocean science experiment for preschoolers, it’s important to choose one that is age appropriate and closely supervised.

Make sure the experiment includes minimal steps and does not involve any dangerous materials or chemicals.

Additionally, make sure you provide enough guidance so your little ones can understand the concept behind the experiment and be able to thoroughly enjoy and learn from it.

Doing simple science experiments with preschoolers can be a great way to introduce them to the fascinating world of ocean science.

With some guidance and the right supplies, these little ones can explore the wonders of our oceans in an enjoyable and educational manner.

From observing sea creatures up close to exploring how waves work, there are plenty of fun activities that will help young minds better understand this amazing environment.

Ocean in a Bottle

Let your kids explore the layers of the ocean in this fun ocean-in-a-bottle experiment.

Ocean Currents Science Experiment

Explore ocean currents and how they work in this fun, hands-on science activity.

Amazing Ocean Science Experiments

Learn about the water pressure on the ocean depths in this unique experiment idea.

Tide Pool Science Experiment for Kids

Let your kids explore and experiment while learning all about tidal pools.

Beach Erosion Project

This interactive science experiment teaches how water erosion works on the beach.

Try a Sink or Float Water Sensory Bin This Summer

Find out what sinks and what floats in this interactive water science experiment.

Ocean Science for Kids – Easy Ocean Life Experiment Kids Love

Teach kids about ocean life and ocean density in this fun science experiment.

Oil Spill Cleanup Experiment

Learn about how difficult it is to clean up an oil spill in this fun cleanup experiment for kids.

How Do Fish Breathe Underwater?

Learn all about how fish breathe and explore how they do it in this fun science experiment.

Water Pollution Experiment

Learn all about how the impact of pH can change in water on plants.

Ocean-Themed Skittles Candy Science Experiment for Summer

Your kids will love this ocean-themed science experiment using Skittles as fish!

Ocean science for kids: Salt water and waves

Learn about salt water and waves in this fun ocean science activity for kids.

Salt Water Experiment

This easy salt water experiment will teach kids about the density of salt versus fresh water.

Make Your Own Ocean Zones in a Jar

Can you name all the ocean zones? This jar activity with your kids will help them learn and understand the different levels of the ocean.

Frozen Ocean Activities for Preschoolers – Ocean Science Experiments

This ocean sensory activity will have your kids working on fine motor skills too, as they learn about frozen water.

Seashell Acid Base Experiment

Watch your kids dissolve a seashell in this fun and awesome acid-base experiment.

Diving Fish Cartesian Diver Experiment

Teach your kids about how fish rise and sink in the water with this classic science experiment.

Ocean Pollution Clean Up Science Activity

Help children learn the importance of ocean pollution in this fun clean-up sensory activity.

Why Doesn’t An Octopus Have Bones? Octopus Science Experiment

Learn about why octopus doesn’t have bones and more in this science experiment!

< Underwater Volcano Science Experiment for Kids

Let your kids learn about underwater volcanos in this fun and interactive science experiment.

Overall, ocean science experiments are a great way to introduce preschoolers to the fascinating world of ocean science.

With some guidance and minimal supplies, little ones can explore our oceans in an enjoyable and educational manner.

From learning about sea creatures up close to exploring how waves work, there are plenty of fun activities that will help young minds better understand this amazing environment while having loads of fun!

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.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Sharing is Caring

Help spread the word. You're awesome for doing it!

Get Your ALL ACCESS Shop Pass here →

25 Best Ocean Activities, Experiments and Crafts

Whether planning a visit to the beach or setting up an under-the-sea theme in the classroom, these ocean activities are the perfect opportunity to teach kids about the ocean, including sea animals, with hands-on play! Fun ocean science experiments and ocean crafts to learn, discover, and explore one of the best places on Earth: the beach!

Explore Ocean Theme For Summer Science

Every summer we have the chance to visit the ocean for a couple of weeks. What a wonderful time it is exploring the beaches and the tidal pools. Each year we explore a bit more and learn a bit more.

NOTE: You can do all of the activities below even if you DO NOT live by the ocean or even plan to visit one. These ocean activities are a MUST TRY for anyone who loves the ocean and ocean animals.

Our ocean activities, including ocean science topics, are inspired by our time in the ocean. These ocean activities and ocean crafts for elementary are an opportunity to build simple skills, make observations, and discover changes happening in the ocean. I can’t wait to see what this summer will bring! Explore more summer science here!

There are so many ocean activities to explore!  Check out all our fun ideas below for easy ocean play and learning!

Ocean theme activities also pair well with our Earth Day activities ! Teach kids how to care for our Earth, which includes the oceans and amazing sea animals!

We have many free printable ocean worksheets and activities . Check out the various science and art projects you can download for free today. You’ll also find color-by-number, pattern blocks, and more fun mini-packs!

Watch the Ocean Activities Video!

Quick ocean activities for toddlers to preschoolers.

Make an icy ocean sensory bin that will keep the kiddos engaged as they free sea creatures from the icy, frozen ocean!

Create this sand and aquarium grave ocean sensory bin and grab the free sea creatures coloring book.

Here is an ocean sensory bottle that is fun for young kids to make and explore.

Whip up the best fluffy slime ever for a hands-on ocean slime activity for kids! Decorate with shells and gems or small plastic sea creatures!

Swirling ocean waves of color! Here is another way to make ocean slime .

Explore 3 ways to create your own gorgeous and playful ocean in a bottle .

FREE Printable Ocean Activities Guide!

You’ll also be sent weekly projects to your inbox! We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe at any time.

Ocean Science Activities

We have divided these fun and easy ocean activities into 3 groups for you; ocean science topics, ocean building activities (learn about sea animals), and ocean crafts. Click on the titles below for the full supply list and step by step instructions for each ocean activity.

Enjoy ocean experiments that will introduce kids to the concepts of coastal erosion, ocean acidification, buoyancy and more!

B each Erosion Lab

Explore what happens to the coast line when a big storm rolls through. Set up a coastal erosion activity to demonstrate the effects of coastal erosion.

How Do Fish Breathe Underwater?

Fish are fun to look at in an aquarium or to try to catch in a lake, but did you know that fish breathe too? Learn more about how fish breathe with this simple model to teach kids how fish gills work.

How Does a Shark Float?

Or why is it that sharks don’t sink in the ocean? Learn about how these great fish coast around through the ocean with this simple ocean science activity.

Check out more awesome shark week activities here .

How Do Squid Swim?

Explore how squid swim or move through the ocean with this fun squid locomotion activity. Learn more about these fascinating sea creatures!

H ow Do Whales Stay Warm?

The ocean can be a chilly place, but there are many mammals who call it home! How do some of our favorite mammals live in such cold conditions? It is to do with something called blubber. Test out how blubber works as an insulator with this blubber experiment.

What are the Layers Of The Ocean ?

Just like the layers of the earth , the ocean is also made up of layers or ocean zones. Explore the layers of the ocean with this cool liquid density experiment.

What are Ocean Currents ?

Learn about ocean currents with a few simple ingredients you can grab from the kitchen. Make this simple ocean currents model and discover what things cause the movement of water in the ocean.

Can You Map the Ocean Floor ?

What does the ocean floor look like? Be inspired by scientist and map builder, Marie Tharp and make your own relief map of the world. Represent the topography or physical features on land and on the ocean floor with easy DIY shaving cream paint.

Ocean Waves In A Bottle

Create an ocean wave bottle as a fun way to demonstrate a little bit about how waves work. Combine learning about the ocean with a visually appealing sensory bottle for fun and playful learning for kids.

Oil Spill Experiment

Explore what things clean up oil and what doesn’t with this easy ocean science experiment. Get kids thinking about why it’s important to keep our oceans clean!

Seashells In Vinegar Experiment

Find out what happens to shells when you add them to vinegar. Learn what seashells are made of and why we need to protect our oceans from ocean acidification!

Ocean Building Activities

Build a lego shark.

Even if you are not interested in the official Shark Week, these cool ocean fish have always amazed adults and kids! Check out how to build your own LEGO sharks and grab a free activity pack.

Build Sea Animals and Make a Minifig Habitat

Check out our ocean animal and sea creature ideas, and then make a whale, octopus, and crab. Don’t worry if you don’t have exactly the right colors, have fun! It also includes free printable ocean LEGO challenges !

Build A Narwhal

Learn about the amazing unicorns of the sea, Narwhals with these fun and easy STEM activities. Plus, we share with you fun facts we’ve discovered about Narwhals.

Ocean Crafts and Art Projects

Printable ocean animals craft.

Make these cute, printable ocean animal crafts using split pins or brads! They move!

Shark Newspaper Craft

Create this easy shark paper craft to celebrate Shark Week or add to your ocean theme! Learn about these fascinating ocean creatures with a fun ocean theme art project!

Narwhal Collage Craft

Learn fun facts about Narwhals and create a fantastic Narwhal collage craft with more background ideas to choose from.

3D Ocean Paper Craft

This 3D ocean craft is a terrific way to explore how dimensional images can be created. Take your two dimensional ocean activities up a notch with our free printable 3D under the sea template. 

Coral Reef Art

Create a textured painting inspired by coral reefs using simple materials like sponges, bubble wrap, and watercolors. Printable coral reef template included!

Fish Painting

This fun and easy ocean craft will sure to be a hit with your kids. Paint fish inspired by famous artist Jackson Pollock and his style of ‘action painting’ and abstract art! Free printable included!

Glowing Jellyfish Craft

Make a fun DIY jellyfish that will glow in the dark, similar to jellyfish in the ocean. Learn fun facts about jellyfish and how they aren’t fish.

Black Glue Jellyfish Art

Black glue art with a watercolor background for an awesome ocean craft and STEAM project!

Ocean Salt Painting

The perfect ocean background for art projects! Combine a popular kitchen ingredient, salt and a bit of physics for cool art and science that everyone will love!

Salt Dough Starfish

Make your own starfish or sea stars with our simple salt dough recipe. Learn about these amazing sea creatures while modeling out your own to keep.

Turtle Dot Painting

Get our free printable turtle template and create your own fun dot painting design. Turn this turtle into a Green Sea Turtle!

You can find more ocean craft ideas here!

Printable Ocean Activities Pack

If you want to have all of your printable ocean activities in one convenient place, plus exclusive worksheets with an ocean theme, our 100+ page Ocean STEM Project Pack is what you need!

Check out The Complete Ocean Science and STEM Pack in our SHOP!

• Pingback: Earth Day Activities For Preschool & Beyond | Little Bins for Little Hands
• Pingback: 25+ Preschool Activities For Playful Learning | Little Bins for Little Hands

Comments are closed.

Subscribe to receive a free 5-Day STEM Challenge Guide

~ projects to try now ~.

What Should You Teach Preschoolers About the Ocean?

While you’re creating beautiful ocean masterpieces and crafting your child’s favorite sea animals, it’s a great time to give them a little lesson about the ocean. There’s so much to learn and explore that your preschooler or toddler will love hearing all the new concepts about the ocean.

When teaching about a new topic I like to focus on simple questions: Who? What? When? Where? Why? And How? This allows your preschoolers to speculate and engage in the discussion.

You can ask the following questions to see if they know or simply just teach the concepts and ask them if they remember later on:

• Who are the animals that live there?
• Why is the water salty?
• What do they eat?
• How do they breathe?
• How do the animals move?

These are all really great questions to ask and discuss while engaging in activities with your preschoolers. I love to listen to their answers and see what they already know about the ocean.

• Where do they sleep?
• How much of the ocean takes up the earth?
• What are high and low tides?
• How can you be safe in the ocean?
• Where do shells come from?

1. Ocean Themed Sensory Bin

In this fun activity preschoolers get to be hands on and you have the simplicity of using items your preschooler probably already has! All you need are ocean animals and water beads.

You can have your preschooler sort the sharks from the fish, discuss how sharks can breathe underwater, but whales cannot. The conversations are endless!

2. Sea Creature Rescue

This activity would be so much fun to do on a hot summer day. All you have to do is freeze plastic sea creatures in a muffin tin and then let your preschooler dissolve the ice with salt and a little bit of water.

There are sure to be lots of giggles! You can even have a friendly competition to see who can rescue the most animals.

3. Jellyfish in a bottle

How cool is this jellyfish in a bottle? Your preschooler will have such a fun time making this jellyfish.

This activity would be a great way to show how a jellyfish moves, discuss the different parts of the jellyfish and if your kids are anything like mine they will be blown away that jellyfish don’t have eyes!

4. Ocean Themed Sensory Bath

A noodle bath is what preschooler dreams are made of! In this activity you use noodles that are dyed different shades of blue and green to make ‘seaweed’.

You can toss in a few plastic sea creatures and talk about what kinds of plants there are living in the ocean and what kinds of sea animals use them for homes and hiding places. This ocean themed activity will be a huge hit with your kiddos.

5. Ocean Playdough Surprise

Who doesn’t love playdough? Playdough is a great way to help develop and strengthen the muscles in children’s hands, all while creating and learning.

Simply take some plastic sea creatures and roll them into the playdough. Ask your preschooler to identify what animal they found!

6. Squishy Fishy Bags

Your preschooler is sure to love this fun ocean themed activity. Making these squishy bags is very simple and will provide tons of fun.

Tape the sensory bags to the window for added light.

7. Under the Sea Slime

My preschooler absolutely loves slime and this fun activity is fun for little hands! Make ocean slime for under the sea fun!

8. Ocean Scene Jello Dig

Little ones love to get messy! Add some ocean themed toys to blue jello and wallah, you have a fun sensory activity that provides lots of giggles and fun.

9. Soap Foam Sensory Bin

Let your preschooler go crazy with this fun ocean soap foam sensory bin. This activity is best to do outside and perfect for summer!

10. Alphabet Shells

Help your preschooler learn the letters of the alphabet and dig for shells. Your preschooler will love digging for shells in this ocean themed activity!

11. Ocean in a Bottle

How fun is this mini aquarium in a bottle?! Help your preschooler engage in sensory play and identify different ocean animals.

12. Underwater Animal Coloring Games

Explore the ocean’s depths with online underwater animal coloring games, where imagination meets education.

SplashLearn stands out as the go-to platform, offering a vibrant selection of  preschool activities  that introduce kids to the wonders of marine life, from clownfish to sharks, in an engaging and interactive way. Kids learn about fascinating sea creatures and their habitats while having fun.

13. Ocean Process Art

I absolutely love this ocean process art project. Painting with q-tips is great to help further a preschooler’s grip on smaller objects!

14. Ocean Themed Coloring Pages

My kiddos love these ocean themed coloring pages. After you are done cut the images out and string them up in their rooms for an under the sea display of their art!

15. Paper Plate Tropical Fish

Make some fun and vibrant tropical fish with paper plates. The best part is that your kiddos can be creative and decorate their fish however they want!

16. Octopus Handprint Craft

I love handprint crafts. They are a fun keepsake for you as a parent and my kiddos love seeing their hands as part of their artwork.

17. Jellyfish Craft

Let your kiddo enjoy some fun self expression with this jellyfish craft. I always enjoy seeing what colors kids like to choose when they are in control!

18. Shark Fin Hat

Baby shark do do do do! This shark fin hat is so simple to make! Turn on the baby shark song and let your little ones dance!

19. Paper Plate Seahorse

Seahorses are one of the most fascinating sea creatures. This paper plate seahorse is so cute and your kids will love learning about these amazing creatures.

20. Handprint Crab

This handprint crab is so cute and easy to do for kids. You can mix it up with some different colors of paper, stamps, etc for more fun!

21. Suncatcher Jellyfish

Your preschooler will love being able to see their craft hung up in the window for all to see if you do this suncatcher jellyfish craft.

22. Handprint Fish

If your kids like the movie Finding Nemo, they will love this clownfish craft. Let them color in the background for added fun!

23. Cardboard Fishy

If you have some extra paint and toilet paper rolls laying around this craft is for you! Ask your preschooler to come up with their own color scheme and fish scale pattern!

24. Whale Craft

Whales are such cool animals and I think teaching about them is just as cool. Your preschooler will be amazed to know that some whales can stay underwater for as long as 90 minutes!

25. Clothespin Shark

Your preschooler will love this fun clothespin shark craft. You can even use different size clothespins for smaller and larger sharks!

26. Glow in the Dark Jellyfish

This jellyfish craft is a cool way to help preschoolers learn about bioluminescent animals like jellyfish.

27. Paper Plate Pufferfish

Kids love puffer fish, and let’s face it.. They are really fascinating. This paper plate puffer fish craft will be a great conversation starter about puffer fish.

28. Beach Themed Pudding Cups

These beach themed pudding cups are so much fun anytime, but especially perfect for summertime ocean learning!

28. Gluten Free and Vegan Goldfish

Your kiddos will love this vegan, allergy free, and grain free goldfish recipe and you will love how healthy they are!

29. Cucumber Boat

Sometimes it can be hard to get your kiddo to eat their veggies, but who would be able to resist this cucumber boat?

30. Shark Chocolate Bark

If your kiddos are shark obsessed this treat is definitely for you! This shark bark is easy to make and your preschooler will love getting to help!

31. Ocean Themed Turtle Snack

Enjoy this ocean themed turtle snack with your preschooler while discussing fun turtle facts like the bottom of the turtle’s shell is called the plastron.

32. Shark Bait

This shark bait snack would be perfect for watching a sea themed movie. Your kids will love the salty and sweet combo!

33. Ocean Hide and Seek

Hide and seek is one of my preschoolers favorite games. I love this hide and seek worksheet that will help your preschooler develop their investigative skills.

34. Cutting Practice

Cutting is an important skill for preschoolers to develop. Your little one will love this fish themed cutting practice worksheet!

35. Paper Plate Scallop Shells

Did you know that scallops can have up to 100 eyes?! This paper plate scallop craft is perfect if you have some extra paper plates lying around!

36. Fine Motor Fish Collage

Help your preschooler perfect their pincer grasp with this fun fine motor fish collage!

37. Ocean Themed Sorting and Threading

I love this activity for fine motor skills. Have your preschooler add different animals to the pipe cleaner. For an added challenge have them add the animals in a pattern!

38. Rescue the Sea Creatures!

Let your little one be a hero and rescue the sea creatures! Simply wrap up sea animals with pipe cleaners and rubber bands and let the fun begin.

39. Fine Motor Jellyfish Craft

Make this simple jellyfish craft with items you have around the house! You can use those leftover jingle bells from Christmas time to add some pizzazz!

40. The Rainbow Fish

The rainbow fish is one of my favorite books. Even if you don’t have the book, this activity will be so fun for preschoolers to make their own rainbow fish!

41. Beach Themed Printables

42. Ocean Themed Yoga

Yoga is always a hit in our house. This activity is perfect to engage your kids into stretching their little bodies and having fun while learning about different animals that live in the ocean.

43. Ocean Animal Movement

Get your little ones moving and grooving with this ocean animal movement activity. Show your little ones how to walk like a crab, jump like a dolphin and sing like a humpback whale!

44. Ice and Salt Experiment

This activity combines science and art, which is always so fun! This experiment will help kids learn how salt helps to melt ice!

45. Tide Pool Experiment

Help your preschooler learn all about tide pools with this fun ocean themed activity!

46. Sounds Underwater

Are sounds louder underwater? This activity is great for teaching preschoolers about sound underwater and how animals communicate using high pitched sounds.

47. How do Arctic Animals Stay Warm in Cold Water?

When I think of the ocean, I always think of warm sunny weather. This activity will help to teach preschoolers about the cool part of the ocean and how the animals that live there survive and keep warm!

48. Ocean Zones

Let’s learn the names of the zones in the sea! This activity will help kids to learn about where certain species of animals spend most of their lives and how they live and eat.

49. Float and Sink

My kiddos are always asking about whether different items are able to float or sink while playing in the bath. This activity would be so fun to help preschoolers learn about density and an object’s ability to sink or float!

50. Ocean Song

Teach your preschooler this ocean themed song to the tune of ‘Take me out to the ball game’. If your kiddos are anything like mine, they love learning new songs and rhymes.

51. Ocean Dot Activities

This set of ocean dot activities includes ten pages of FREE printables for dotting. You can use dot markers, stickers, stampers, or whatever else you want to complete these fun dot activities. 

52. Ocean Themed Printable Bundle

Everything you need for your preschooler or pre-k child to learn while having fun! These low-prep activities are perfect for centers and beyond.

Teaching dozens of math and literacy concepts, they will never get bored!

It doesn’t matter which activities you choose to do with your preschooler, he or she is bound to have a blast and learn so much! If you try any of these 50 ocean themed activities let me know in the comments which is your favorite! Happy learning!

Related posts:

• Grades 6-12
• School Leaders

Give Students a Voice in This Digital Storytelling Competition!

33 Ocean Activities, Experiments, and Crafts for Kids To Dive Into

Everything’s better under the sea!

Have you ever watched as a child stares into an aquarium with awe? Whether it is the song “Baby Beluga” or the movie Finding Nemo , kids love all things ocean! So you know they’ll be eager to dive into this collection of ocean activities. Whether it is a science experiment to see how fish breathe underwater, an art lesson where students create their own underwater scene, or a writing prompt about the ocean, students will learn all about our watery planet. Come on in … the water’s fine!

1. Read an ocean book

Whether you’re looking for picture books or chapter books, fiction or nonfiction, our list of terrific ocean books has got you covered .

2. Make an ocean in a bottle

Turn an old water bottle into a mini-aquarium. Sand, shells, and plastic sea creatures bring the ocean to you anytime.

Learn more: A Little Pinch of Perfect/Ocean in a Bottle

[contextly_auto_sidebar]

3. Dive into an ocean-themed sensory bin

Round up shells, toy sea animals, and maybe even a boat or two, then drop them into a bin of water. Every kid will enjoy splashing around while they learn!

Learn more: Fun Learning for Kids

4. Take a virtual aquarium field trip

Can’t get to the aquarium? No problem! Take a virtual field trip instead with live webcams and video tours. See our list of virtual aquarium trips here.

5. Create an ocean in an egg carton

Ask your friends and family to save their egg cartons in the weeks before you plan on doing this project. Once ready, have your students paint their cartons. Finally, have them decorate their scenes using a variety of underwater objects and stickers.

Learn more: The Imagination Tree

6. Check out the Smithsonian’s Ocean site

Just as you’d expect from the Smithsonian, this website is full of information, photos, and more ocean activities. You’ll even find free lesson plans for teachers—score!

Learn more: Smithsonian Ocean

7. Assemble ocean zone bottles

Learn the zones of the ocean with these clever bottles. Simply use food coloring to dye the water deeper shades of blue to represent the amount of sunlight that reaches each zone, then add a representative sea animal toy.

Learn more: Edventures With Kids

8. Turn paint strips into ocean layers

Grab some blue paint sample strips and label them to represent the ocean layers. Then add stickers or drawings of corresponding animals to each layer.

Learn more: A Little Pinch of Perfect/Ocean Zones Crafts

9. Study how fish breathe underwater

This simple science experiment will help kids better understand how fish breathe underwater. Before beginning, pick your students’ brains to see what they already know or suspect about how fish breathe.

Learn more: Little Bins for Little Hands

10. Upcycle an ocean zones craft

Here’s one more way to learn about the layers of the ocean. Use crepe paper to upcycle a plastic container, then get free printables at the link to add to your creation.

Learn more: Living Porpoisefully

11. Watch an ocean documentary

Every streaming service is loaded with nature documentaries. Disney+ has an especially robust collection that’s perfect for kids. On Amazon, try Wildest Places or Ocean Mysteries . Netflix’s new Our Planet series has episodes on coastal seas and high seas.

12. Peruse the Marine Life Encyclopedia

Looking for online ocean activities? Try the Marine Life Encyclopedia. Kids will get in-depth information about all their favorite sea creatures, from sharks to otters.

Learn more: Marine Life Encyclopedia

13. Assign an ocean-themed writing prompt

Pair this ELA lesson with a science lesson on ocean life.

Learn more: 3 Dinosaurs

14. Learn how ocean currents work

This cool demo uses hot and cold water mixed with a little food coloring to demonstrate how ocean currents form. (The plastic sea animals are just for fun!)

Learn more: Life Over Cs

15. See ocean waves in action

A layer of oil floating on the water helps make wave action more obvious. You can do ocean activities like this one in person or as an online demo.

Learn more: Little Bins for Little Hands/Ocean Waves

16. Explore saltwater density

Kids may be surprised to learn that it’s actually easier to float in salt water than fresh water. This experiment proves it!

Learn more: Science Kiddo

17. Fish for numbers

This fun activity works equally well for little ones who are working on number recognition and slightly older students who are already working on addition. It will require a little bit of preparation on your end, but the end result is so fun!

Learn more: Buggy and Buddy

18. Dive and Discover

Here’s another website full of online ocean activities. It simulates the thrill of joining actual underwater explorations, from coral reefs to deep-sea trenches.

Learn more: Dive and Discover

19. Put together an ocean animal notebook

Want to explore a wide variety of sea animals? Then grab this free printable 60-page notebook. Each page includes space for kids to fill in the information and add their own illustrations.

Learn more: Homeschool Giveaways

20. Do an ocean animal research project

Here’s another way to explore sea creatures. Each student chooses their own favorite, then dives deep to learn all about it. Have kids give a presentation, design a slideshow, or even make their own documentary!

Learn more: 2 Literacy Teachers

21. Create an underwater scene using chalk and tempera paint

We love that this art project shows students a different way of using both paint and chalk or pastels. Begin by creating the sunset or ocean water with chalk or pastels, then dip your finger in white tempera paint and watch as the color spreads. Finally, cut out ocean animals, coral reefs, or boats to add to your scene.

22. Transform eggs into sea creatures

How adorable are these? They were made using wooden eggs, but plastic ones would work well too.

Learn more: Craft Play Learn

23. Build LEGO sea creatures

Pull out the tub of LEGO bricks and set kids free to create! Show them these pics for inspiration, then see what they can come up with on their own.

Learn more: Little Bins for Little Hands/LEGO Sea Creatures

24. Use a fork to paint a puffer fish

You’ll be surprised at how easy this impressive painting is to create. Pick up a bag of disposable forks and get ready for undersea fun!

Learn more: Crafty Morning

25. Paint a coral reef with sponges

Here’s another surprisingly easy ocean craft for kids. Cut disposable sponges into coral shapes, then stamp an underwater scene.

Learn more: Primary Theme Park

26. Make a tasty ocean-themed snack

If allergies aren’t a concern, you can whip up these adorable snacks for your students. If allergies are a concern, you can always send the recipe home. Vanilla pudding dyed blue makes for perfect water, and graham cracker crumbs are the perfect stand-in for sand. Add some Swedish Fish and a little umbrella for good measure!

Learn more: Hunny I’m Home

27. Sculpt sea stars from salt dough

Starfish, more properly known as “sea stars,” come in a wide variety of sizes and designs. Have kids sculpt their own from salt dough or Play-Doh.

Learn more: Crafting Chicks

28. Craft a whale from a paper plate

No whale craft is complete without a spout of water from the blowhole! All you need is a pack of paper plates to get started.

Learn more: Krokotak

29. Draw a life-size whale

Did you know that blue whales are the largest creature ever to have lived on Earth? They’re even bigger than dinosaurs! Head to the playground with some sidewalk chalk and a tape measure to see if you can draw a life-size blue whale model.

30. Create a colorful seahorse

The secret to this cool marbleized pattern? Shaving cream! This is one technique that never fails to impress.

Learn more: I Heart Crafty Things

31. Create a beach scene

Kids will definitely love personalizing their beach scenes. You can use air-dry clay or salt dough to create the sand side of your ocean scene.

Learn more: First Palette

32. Hang suncatcher jellyfish

Re-create the translucent bell of a jellyfish with tissue paper, then hang ribbon tentacles for a pretty ocean craft you’ll love to display.

Learn more: I Heart Arts ’n Crafts

33. Make a cereal box aquarium

We love that this craft encourages reusing rather than throwing away since kids will be upcycling their favorite cereal’s box. Be sure to provide kids with plenty of variety in stones, colored card stock, etc., so they can really personalize their aquariums.

Learn more: The Best Ideas for Kids

If you enjoy these ocean activities, check out 20 Wild Ways To Explore Animal Habitats With Kids.

Plus, 16 of our favorite national geographic activities kids can do at home ..

You Might Also Like

15 Fascinating Aquarium Virtual Field Trips

Jellies, otters, and more! Continue Reading

Copyright © 2024. All rights reserved. 5335 Gate Parkway, Jacksonville, FL 32256

Ready to Make Circle Time Amazing?

Sign up for our FREE newsletter and receive my ebook 7 Circle Time Mistakes

Thanks for subscribing! Please check your email for further instructions.

40+ Ocean Theme Activities for Preschool

Exploring the natural world underwater and on the beach can be fun and exciting. This list of over 40 ocean themed activities will engage your preschoolers in lots of learning and discovery.

Ocean Theme Activities

1. Ocean Play Dough Surprise Game (Pre-K Pages) –  Combine play dough with  ocean creatures to give your little ones a fun surprise! You can even add an alphabet twist for children who are ready.  This hands-on activity is an awesome way to get children excited to learn about the ocean, and I found that my own children wanted to do it over and over again.

2. Ocean Sensory Bin (Pre-K Pages) – Learning and sensory play is a wonderful combination. After many days of rain in our part of the world we took advantage of a lovely sunny day and did an  ocean  sensory bin.

3. Ocean Picture Books for Preschoolers (Pre-K Pages) – These books will not only help develop critical vocabulary about the ocean and ocean life, but also include many opportunities for literacy, math, and science.

4. Ocean Theme Fine Motor Play (Pre-K Pages) –  Our  ocean theme  sensory and fine motor invitation to play is the perfect way to motivate children to work their hand muscles as they explore!

5. Ocean Theme Snack: Sea Turtles (Pre-K Pages) – Sea turtles are amazing creatures to learn about during an  ocean theme . Here is a simple (and healthy) recipe for a bread and fruit sea turtle snack that you can assemble with your kids at home or in the classroom.

6. Ocean Theme Counting Activity (Pre-K Pages) – The best preschool activities allow children to be interactive and hands on while they explore new concepts. We’ve developed a fun, easy to prepare  ocean theme  counting activity to do just that.

7. Alphabet Shells Sensory Bin (Pre-K Pages) – Digging for alphabet shells is an engaging sensory experience that will give children a chance to learn and play with the alphabet. Preschoolers will enjoy digging in and discovering shells in this  ocean theme  activity.

8. Squishy Fishy Aquariums (Teach Preschool) – Learn how easy it to make these squishy gel bags in this fun sensory experience.

9. Wave Storytelling on the Easel (Teach Preschool) – Explore waves in the ocean through literature, art, water play, and other experiences with this storytelling easel activity.

10. Sponge Painted Fish (Teach Preschool) – After reading the book, Mister Seahorse by Eric Carle, your little ones will love using sponges to paint their own fish in this activity.

11. Ocean Websites for Kids (Prekinders) -Ocean theme activities, lessons, and printables for Pre-K, Preschool, and Kindergarten.

12. Ocean Word Cards (Prekinders) – Here’s a set of Ocean/Beach picture word cards that can go with an  Ocean Theme Unit .

13. Fish Play Dough Counting Mats (Prekinders) – These play dough mats are perfect for an ocean theme in your classroom.

14. Small World Ocean Play…Without Water (Powerful Mothering) – These activities are fun to explore the ocean (without any water involved!)

15. Ocean Science Activities (Little Bins for Little Hands) – The fun ocean science activities are perfect for your preschool classroom.

16. Shell Painting (Fun-A-Day) – Painting sea shells is simple, but fun, ocean art for kids!

17. Ocean Play Dough Invitation (Mom Inspired Life) – This ocean play dough invitation is a hands-on way for preschoolers to explore and learn about the ocean habitat.

18. Paper Plate Jelly Fish Craft (Simply Today Life) – With paper plates and streamers, your toddlers will love making these jelly fishes.

19. Ocean Sensory Table (Stir the Wonder) –  No water needed for this fun ocean themed sensor table.

20. Glow in the Dark Ocean Bottle (Sunny Day Family) – Take your sensory bottle to the next level by making it glow in the dark!

21. Beach Cloud Dough (Craftulate) – Make this simple cloud dough from just oil and flour and make it beach themed for your classroom.

22. Five Little Starfish (JDaniel4’s Mom) – A fun kids song or chant becomes even more fun when kids can make a craft to go with it.

23. Suspended Ocean Creature Discovery Bottle (Preschool Inspirations) – Make this easy ocean creature discovery bottle! And the ocean creatures actually stay suspended!

24. Jello Ocean Exploration on the Light Table (Still Playing School) – Use animal figures, light, and gelatin to explore this science concept in a hands on sensory activity for kids.

25. Bubble Wrap Jellyfish (Crafty Kids at Home) –  Gather some bubble wrap and googly eyes and give your little ones the task of creating their own Bubble Wrap Jellyfish craft.

26. Ocean Themed Sensory Play (Playground Parkbench) – A fun silicone mold, and some Jello is all you need for this ocean themed sensory play activity.

27. Ocean Play Dough (My Mundane and Marvelous Life) – Make your own ocean blue play dough, then use shells to make imprints into the dough.

28. Storytelling Sea Shells (Educators’ Spin on It) – Spin a tale with these cute kid-made storytelling sea shells.  They are a great literacy activity extension to fairy tale chapter books.

29. Ocean Inspired Monoprints (Munchkins and Moms) – A little bit of paint goes a long way to create these ocean inspired art prints.

30. Underwater Small World Under the Table (Little Worlds) – Create a whole world under the sea…under the table in this fun activity your toddlers will fall in love with.

31. Shark Attack Punch (Parenting Chaos) – Your little ones will love this punch made with different juices and gummy sharks!

32. Ice Painting with Sea Creatures (Parenting Chaos) – This Ice Painting with Sea Creatures activity could not be easier or more FUN! It only uses two ingredients & the kids have an absolute ball creating with a new medium!

33. Stapling Fish (Brick by Brick) – Your preschoolers will work on their fine motor skills as they staple these fish together in this fun ocean themed activity.

34. Ocean in a Bottle (Happy Hooligans) – Make an ocean in a bottle with 3 easy ingredients.  One of the fastest and easiest-ever science activities for preschoolers.

35. Paper Roll Fish Craft (No Time for Flash Cards) – Save those toilet paper tubes and use them for this easy fish craft.

ADDITIONAL IDEAS– 36. Ocean Animal Printable Clip Cards (A LIttle Pinch of Perfect) – Use these fun printables along with some of our favorite Ocean Themed Activities for a fun day of learning under the sea.

37. Make Ocean Slime (Little Bins for Little Hands) –  Here are 5 basic homemade slime recipes which are quite simple to make for wonderful science and sensory play.

38. Paper Plate Starfish (JDaniel4’s Mom) – Use a paper plate to create this super cute starfish!

39. Free Shark Facts Printable (Natural Beach Living) – Learn all about sharks with these fun shark printables!

40. Lego Brick Ocean Animals (Little Bins for Little Hands) – Come under the sea with LEGO ocean animals for a fun summer LEGO building project the whole family can get into!

41. Ocean Counting Mats (Mom Inspired Life) – These ocean counting mats are such an inviting way to practice counting and number recognition this summer! It’s the perfect addition to an ocean theme.

More Ocean Ideas

1 thought on “40+ Ocean Theme Activities for Preschool”

I love this list, just coming home from the beach a couple weeks ago my toddler would love this!

Comments are closed.

• Skip to primary navigation
• Skip to main content
• Skip to primary sidebar

Teaching Expertise

• Classroom Ideas
• Teacher’s Life
• Deals & Shopping
• Privacy Policy

47 Sea Life Activity For Preschoolers: Sensory Plays, Experiments, Crafts, And More

December 25, 2023 //  by  Rachel Cruz

The Earth’s surface is made up of 71% water! Even if your students don’t live near an ocean, they must learn about the lively underwater world. How can you teach your preschoolers about marine life so that they can gauge what life under the sea is like? 

To help them learn about the ocean, we’ve provided you with 47 hands-on sea life activities;  from sensory tables to math and science experiments, there’s certainly an idea for everyone. So,  educators- dive right into these marine-inspired activities and take your students on an underwater adventure!

1. Sensory Bins

Mix baking soda and vinegar to create fizzy “ocean water” and invite your kids to explore marine life at their water table! Add seashells and sea creature toys for sensory play and to enhance their knowledge of ocean animals and scientific reactions.

Learn More: Parenting Chaos

2. Ocean Sensory Bottle

Create mesmerizing ocean scenes in bottles with your kids using just a few simple materials. Once they’ve added everything to the bottle, they’ll shake to mix, and then watch the colorful ‘waves’ crash and lap at the sides of the bottle. This is a great calming activity with an engaging, take-anywhere result.

Learn More: And Next Comes L

3. Sea Animal Yoga

Discover how yoga can help your children swim through life with smiles by immersing them in an engaging underwater yoga adventure. Here, they’ll join aquatic animals to strengthen, stretch, and relax.

Learn More: YouTube

4. Underwater Sounds

In this activity, your kids can explore how sound travels through the water with a simple experiment. They’ll submerge objects in a bucket of water and listen through a makeshift, underwater hydrophone. As a result, they’ll discover that sound is louder and clearer underwater- while also learning how whales and fish hear in their aquatic world.

Learn More: Still Playing School

5. Oil Spills

We love this engaging, hands-on learning experience that has real-world implications. Engage your kids in an exciting science investigation of oil spills and their disastrous effects before then inviting them to experiment with ways to contain and clean up the spill using common materials.

Learn More: Science Sparks

6. Process Art 

Grab blue paint, tissue paper, glue, and sand, and let your students imagine they’re at the beach with this process art piece. They’ll love crumpling tissue paper to create waves and adding sand and starfish to round off their artwork.

Learn More: Stay-At-Home Educator

7. Foil Fish

Here’s a fun way to spend the afternoon- invite your kiddos to craft sparkling, tropical fish! Task your students with cutting and shaping foil in the shape of sea creatures. Then, they’ll add color and texture before gluing everything onto blue construction paper. This engaging craft is easy, recyclable, and perfect for little hands.

Learn More: Confessions of a Homeschooler

8. Rescuing Frozen Sea Animals

This easy ocean-themed activity takes 30 seconds to set up and leads to 30 minutes of sensory and scientific fun for your little ones. Freeze a few plastic sea creatures in a bin and have your kids rescue them from the frozen blocks by chipping and melting the ice away with different tools. 

Learn More: Mas and Pas

9. Animal Nomenclature Cards

Using animal nomenclature cards is one of the best tools for teaching your students about sea life. This hands-on, Montessori approach will allow them to see pictures and names and match the cards accordingly; learning word recognition and boosting their knowledge of marine life!

Learn More: Twinkl

10. Sticky Fish

A fun, open-ended craft to explore textures and colors; this activity invites your children to create colorful, sticky fish! You’ll start by cutting cardstock fish and mounting them on contact paper. Your kids will then add tissue paper, foil, and gems. Once complete, you can display their artwork in a window or leave them up for another sticky wall activity.

Learn More: Toddler Approved

11. Layers of the Ocean

Create an engaging ocean zone jar to teach your kids about ocean layers and density. To do so, they’ll create colorful layers that represent the ocean’s zones and explore the fantastic creatures that inhabit each one.

Learn More: PBS

12. Ocean Animal Matching

Here’s a fun activity that pairs with the picture book, “I’m the Biggest Thing in the Ocean.” After reading, your little ones can compare the sizes of sea creatures and order the picture cards from smallest to biggest. They can also use the ocean matching cards to play a memory game!

Learn More: Rainy Day, Mum

13. Sea Shell Prints

In this fossil activity, your preschoolers can create lasting keepsakes with seashells that they’ve found on the beach. Start by making salt dough with your students. Then, have them choose seashells or plastic sea animals to lightly press into the dough; making unique fossil imprints by doing so. Finally, bake the dough to harden it and capture the memory of collecting by the seashore.

Learn More: The Imagination Tree

14. Coffee Filter Suncatchers

Turn coffee filters into sea animals with this colorful craft! Your preschoolers will choose the outline of sea turtles, starfish, or shells that you would’ve pre-cut from construction paper. Then, they’ll color them in with markers and attach them to the back of the outline. Once assembled, they can be displayed in the sunny windows of your classroom.

Learn More: Hawaii Travel With Kids

15. Coral Reef Sponge Painting

Here’s an exciting project that brings to life the vibrant colors of coral reefs. This easy art project allows your students to make colorful underwater scenes with just sponges, cardstock, and paint!

Learn More: Primary Theme Park

16. Dolphin Ocean Slime

Create magical ocean slime with your kids! Mix clear and blue glues, water, liquid starch, and food coloring for a sparkly sensory adventure. Then, have them add ocean animal figurines for an immersive ocean experience that won’t be soon forgotten.

Learn More: The Frugal Navy Wife

17. Seashell Washing

Engage your children in discovery as you clean beautiful seashells together; observing shapes and colors. Keep them engaged by researching the mysterious creatures that once inhabited the various shells.

Learn More: Bright Horizons

18. Sea Foam Sensory Play

Those empty bins come in handy when it’s time for your preschoolers to have some sensory play time! Whipped sea foam can be made by mixing soap and water until peaks form! Your kids will love experiencing the bubbly texture and watching as the magical foam melts away as they play.

Learn More: FunShine Blog

19. Seashell Sort

This hands-on activity will teach your learners to classify different seashells by way of size, shape, and color. You can even complete this activity by using a few plastic sea creatures!

Learn More: Sempre Clarisse

20. Tide Pool Art

Your kiddos will love making simple tide pool art and adding natural sand will provide some sensory fun! Perfect for ocean units; this craft invites your little ones to observe sea life by drawing and painting it and then gluing sand around the border to complete their coastal-themed art.

Learn More: Buggy and Buddy

21. Octopus Counting

This numbered sea creature will help your students develop their number sense abilities! They’ll simply assemble an octopus by cutting and gluing tentacles onto a piece of paper displaying a pre-drawn octopus head. Then, they’ll practice counting by labeling and numbering the tentacles and adding the corresponding number of stickers to each.

Learn More: All Kids Network

22. Fish Breathing Simulator

Here’s a science lesson that will excite your students by bringing an underwater concept out of the blue and making it easy to understand! Let them discover how fish breathe by pouring “oxygen”-filled water through a filter; simulating how actual fish gills extract oxygen from water.

Learn More: Como Zoo Conservatory

23. Dissolve A Shell

This engaging summer activity invites your kids to dissolve seashells in vinegar; visually demonstrating how acid affects calcium carbonate. They’ll love watching the shells dissolve, and bubbles form in this hands-on chemistry lesson that sneakily educates them on ocean conservation.

Learn More: Tinas Dynamic Homeschool Plus

24. Coral Blow Painting

Introduce your preschoolers to an exciting new art technique—blow painting! They can create colorful coral reefs and seal animal habitats with straws, paint, and paper. This fun sensory activity invites them to explore their creative limits by experimenting with angles, colors, and different blowing techniques.

Learn More: Trusted Tech Experts

25. Dive into Ocean Playdough Adventures

Stir up your students’ imaginations with vibrant, ocean-hued playdough! They can even sprinkle in a dash of magic with glitter to capture the ocean’s shimmer and toss in some mini sea critters to sculpt their own underwater realm.

Learn More: Buggy And Buddy

26. The Wonders of Marine Life Collage

Guide your little ones in piecing together an ocean-like collage! Using magazines, newspapers, stickers, and other bits and bobs- they can build an underwater masterpiece. In the end, have them share fascinating facts about each creature that they’ve chosen to include. 

Learn More: Kimberly Farmer Mommyhood

27. Lighthouse Wonders

Here’s a fun tutorial on how to draw a lighthouse! See how closely your little ones can follow the instructions as they fashion their beacons of safety. Afterward, you can illuminate the importance of lighthouses by explaining the pivotal role they play for seafarers.  

28. Sail the Story Seas

Immerse your little listeners in tales of underwater wonders. Choose from captivating tales like “The Rainbow Fish” or “Commotion in the Ocean”, and set sail on a literary adventure. After your reading session, you can have your kiddos replicate the rainbow fish with paper plates and tissue paper. 

Learn More: Fun With Mama

29. Seashell Symphony

Let the gentle sounds of the ocean echo in your classroom by turning seashells into delightful musical instruments. Filled with dried beans or rice and sealed securely, these shakers will have your little learners’ hands making waves of rhythm.

Learn More: Seashell Music

30. Jellyfish Jubilee

With a few simple materials like paper bowls and colorful tissue paper, you can turn your classroom into an underwater world! Once your students assemble these jellyfish, they can hang and twirl freely from any spot in your room. 

Learn More: First Palette

31. Turtle Paper Plate

With this project, your kids will transform paper plates into charming sea turtles! After a splash of green paint, and with heads, tails, and flippers added, they’ll have an array of oceanic friends who are ready for any adventure.

32. Treats from the Deep Blue

Your preschoolers will be even more excited for snack time when it’s a voyage into the deep blue sea!! Serve up enticing blue jelly, reminiscent of ocean waves, that’s been peppered with gummy fish, or perhaps sandwiches that have taken the playful form of our finned friends.

Learn More: Food Network

33. Starfish Impressions with Bubble Wrap

Here’s an art project that is the epitome of tactile fun! Your students will use bubble wrap as their painting tool to impart textured prints onto starfish cutouts. 

34. Tracing Tales in Sand

Etch out a sensory-rich learning experience with a sand writing tray. Let your kiddos’ tiny fingers trace letters and numbers into the sand- a tactile practice that’s sure to make writing more enjoyable.  

Learn More: Learn With Play At Home

35. Counting Treasures from the Deep

In this hands-on activity, number mats are used to count objects like seashells and marine toys. Included are printouts of numbers represented numerically, in words, and arrays that your littles can also sort onto the correct mat. These counting exercises will certainly ignite their number sense with every sea creature they tally.

Learn More: Fantastic Fun and Learning

36. Melodies from the Ocean’s Depths

Entertain your little ones with the rhythm of the sea! Introduce them to enchanting songs and rhymes like “A Sailor Went to Sea” and “Down by the Bay”.

37. Puzzle Pieces of the Ocean

Puzzles can be a great team-building activity, and these ocean-themed puzzles are no exception! Be it ones you’ve created or bought, watch as your little explorers enhance their problem-solving and motor skills by piecing together the marine world with their classmates.

Learn More: Amazon

38. Feed The Shark

Liven up your learners’ day by having them feed this hungry shark! To set up play, you’ll need to craft a cardboard shark that has a wide open mouth, and then grab some plastic balls. Challenge them to feed the shark and practice their listening skills as you call out a color and let them feed that color of ball to the shark.

Learn More: Teachers Mag

39. Seashell Canvas

Let your young artists express themselves on an array of seashell treasures. With watercolors or tempera paint, watch as they turn each shell into a unique masterpiece.

40. Ocean Magic in a Bag

Create a portable slice of the sea! Fill a ziplock with blue gel, add mini marine creatures, and let your little ones be absorbed in this tactile ocean toy; exploring without getting wet.

Learn More: Natural Beach Living

41. Crafting a Coral Kingdom

Here’s a great art project with little to no mess!  Using vibrant clay, pipe cleaners, and various craft supplies, guide your kiddos in sculpting their very own intricate coral reef; celebrating the beauty of marine biodiversity as they work.

42. Marine Puppetry by Moonlight

These marine puppet printouts are the perfect addition to your classroom playbox!  Task your kids with pasting these shadow puppets to some craft sticks. Then, with the lights off, they’ll shine a flashlight spotlight onto the puppet and project it onto a blank wall. We bet that they’ll be enchanted by the imagery and quickly weave undersea tales with their theatrical play tools!  

Learn More: Adventure In A Box

43. Layered Ocean Vistas

Color, texture, and a pinch of creativity! Supply your kids with colored sand and transparent containers- letting their artistic inclinations shine as they lay oceanic landscapes!

44. Sequin-studded Seahorses

Time for some shimmering marine craft! Hand out seahorse shapes cut from cardstock and task your little artists with outlining the body with glue. Then, they’ll need to remove the cutout and add yarn on top of the glue. Finally, they’ll embellish the center of the seahorse with sequins, sparkles, or sand and add a vibrant marine background to make their images come to life! 

Learn More: Craft Project Ideas

45. Marine Mimicry with Charades

Your playful little ones will certainly get a kick out of playing ocean charades!  Simply have them pick cards and emulate the graceful dance of a jellyfish or the spirited antics of a dolphin.

Learn More: Darcy and Brian

46. Lush Seaweed Canvases

Here, your little ones will produce a seabed in this larger-than-life art project! With green paint and strands of string or yarn attached to a stick, they’ll replicate graceful seaweed by standing on large butcher paper and gracefully applying paint to their canvas seabed.

Learn More: Learn Play Imagine

47. Stamping the Ocean’s Wonders

Your early learners will adore using these sea life stamps for their next art project.  They’ll certainly have fun picking their favorite marine creatures and then using a palette of colorful paints to produce vibrant underwater scenes that are teeming with life.

50+ Ocean Preschool Activities (that they’ll actually love)

Are you ready to set off on an adventure of learning with your little ones? These ocean preschool activities are packed with hands-on learning and fun ideas for the kids. Is your preschool crew ready for an exciting adventure? An ocean theme is a fantastic way to engage young learners and spark their curiosity about the underwater world. From playful ocean animals to the mysteries of the deep, this theme offers endless possibilities for fun and educational activities.

Whether you call it an ocean theme preschool , under the sea preschool activities , or something else entirely, this approach allows you to create a captivating learning environment. It’s perfect for incorporating a variety of preschool ocean activities , ocean theme preschool activities, or even broader under the sea preschool activities !

Let’s dive into some creative ideas to make your ocean theme a splash with your preschoolers. You’ll find everything from captivating ocean animal activities to imaginative under the sea activities, all designed to turn your classroom into an engaging learning environment.

An ocean theme is a perfect way to spark curiosity and engage preschoolers in a world of discovery. And the best part? I’ve listed all my favorites right here in this post!

This post contains affiliate links*

Ocean Preschool and Kindergarten Activities

It’s no wonder this theme is a popular one with kids, teachers and parents alike! From exploring seahells, water and sand, it’s just tons of fun!

I always like to combine themes with learning and I find a theme for each season really enticing for preschoolers.

These printables below are perfect for you if you’re planning an ocean theme in your classroom!

Is Your Preschooler Drowning in Boredom? 🆘

50+ pages of ocean fun for preschoolers.

Struggling to keep your little one engaged and learning? Feeling lost at sea when it comes to finding creative activities? This exclusive 50-page Ocean Preschool & Kindergarten Workbook is your life raft!

I have not had more success in engaging them all summer long – but by using these activities, I also incorporated a lot of sensory activities. These were perfect for on the go long drives and home ‘work’.

Packed with vibrant illustrations, fun-filled exercises, and captivating ocean themes, this workbook will transform playtime into an educational adventure.

Don’t let your child get shipwrecked by boredom – click here to grab your copy today and unlock a world of ocean learning! Limited time offer only through this post.

Under the Sea Theme Preschool

There are tons of skills covered in this post, and I like to include a bit of everything in each theme. Here are some of the skills covered and some of them are quite new to the scene, like SEL and fine motor.

• Alphabet recognition
• Letter sounds
• Counting practice
• Number sense activities
• Fine motor skills and more!

You can teach important skills while also using a theme kids absolutely adore!

5 Ocean Homeschool Activities at Home

Sometimes, all you’re looking for are easy at home activities with materials you’ve got, and here are my favorites. These would go so well with the following materials:

• Package Includes: you will get 120 acrylic multicolored fake crushed gems (red, green, purple,…
• Reliable Material and Proper Size: these multicolored fake crushed gems are acrylic material, the…
• Improves Fine Motor Skills: this sorting material set can improve your cutie’s sorting and counting…

• 【Counting and Color Sorting】Our irresistible Montessori toys make counting and color sorting…
• 【Foster Fine Motor Skills】By using tweezers to grasp beads, this toy can help standardize…
• 【Kindergarten Learning Activities】 Toddlers learn numbers and early color matching every time…

• 🌳🐻【Wooden Lacing Cards for Kids】Our forest animal wooden lacing card is the PERFECT CHOICE…
• 🌳🦌【Forest Animal Sewing Toys】Our cute wooden toy set includes 6 forest animal panels…
• 🌳🦊【Arts and Crafts Kits for Toddlers 】 Our toddler activities learning toy is designed to…
• Underwater Sensory Bin: Fill a bin with blue beans, sand, or water beads. Add plastic sea creatures, shells, and scoops for hours of imaginative play!
• Ocean Creature Puppets: Cut out and decorate paper bags or cardboard rolls to resemble fish, turtles, or octopuses. Let your child narrate their own underwater puppet show!
• Build a Coral Reef: Use cardboard boxes, egg cartons, and paint to create a vibrant coral reef. Decorate with construction paper fish and other ocean creatures.
• Ocean Yoga: Find some ocean-themed yoga poses online or create your own! Encourage your child to imitate a starfish, downward-facing dolphin, or a majestic seahorse.
• Ocean Soundscape: Gather household items to make ocean sounds. Use a whisk for waves, a crinkled plastic bag for wind, and marbles in a jar for bubbles. Let your child create their own ocean symphony!

Amazon Ocean Theme Classroom

I’m obsessed with creating a captivating ocean theme in my classroom, and guess what? Amazon has become my go to! It can become like a rabbit hole though, which means it can be hard to find specific and the best type of materials.

That’s why I’ve curated them for myslef (if I want to come back to them in future) and for you! Here are some of my top picks that will help you create an unforgettable learning environment for your students.

• Super Value Classroom Supplies: You will receive…
• Durable Bulletin Board Paper: printed on thick but…
• Classroom Decorations: use this fun and colorful…
• Unique Design: a variety of designs to meet…

• You will receive：A ‘Happy Birthday’ banner, 12…
• Mterial quality: Our ocean themed Happy Birthday…
• Size：The size of the fish tank is 8.66X7.4…
• Widely used: Ocean themed classroom decor can be…

• Nice to sea you: this bulletin board decor set is…
• With glue points: one piece for each letter of…
• Under the sea decor: a variety of ocean themed…
• Gorgeous printing: bulletin board cutouts are…

• AFFORDABLE and EASY – Create classroom decor for…
• DURABLE CONSTRUCTION – Made of high-quality…
• FADE-RESISTANT – Available in vibrant colors and…
• MADE in the USA – Fadeless bulletin board paper…

• Package includes: our ocean bulletin board is 150…
• Giant octopus design: our cutout set includes an…
• Easy to use: these decorative ocean animal cutouts…
• Sturdy material: our ocean animals bulletin board…

Materials to use with ocean theme:

• ALL-IN-ONE SENSORY FUN: Open up the bin to find 24…
• EXPLORE DIFFERENT TEXTURES: Get hands-on with play…
• DISCOVER THE BENEFITS OF SMALL WORLD PLAY: Bring…
• LEARN THROUGH PLAY: Use this sensory bin as an…

• BRING HOME THE BEACH: If you don’t live near the…
• EASY CLEAN UP: When playtime is over just pack…
• GET CREATIVE: One of the beautiful things about…
• WHERE FUN BEGINS: Kidoozie toys are engaging,…

• CONSTRUCTION TOYS FOR 3+: Dig, build, and learn…
• SENSORY BIN: Sensory bins are great toddler…
• TODDLER GIFTS: Give the gift of creative play to…
• SENSORY BIN FILLER: All sensory bins fillers are…

• Valuable Playset: The box includes 2 lbs of…
• Sensory Experience: Magnetic sand is easy to shape…
• Toddler Gift: Best present for kiddos who love sea…
• Easy Clean and Storage: Comes with a beautiful…

• Farm Sensory Bin：This 40pcs sand toys set…
• 2.2lb Play Sand & Storage Box：This play sand is…
• Designed for Small Hands：This farm sensory kit…
• Safe Farm Toy Playset：Our farm toy playsets…

• Messy and Sensory Play – The Inspire My Play…
• Designed for Play – Unlike most products on the…
• Features – The shallow bin doubles up as a lid for…
• Size – With a 15.4″ diameter play area, the large…

Phonics Ocean Activities

These phonics ocean activities are the best way to engage kids when you’re looking to help them learn letter sounds, letter recongition and more.

I Spy Letters Under the Sea

This I spy letters ocean activity kit is one of our favorites! We always grab this when we need some quick and fun activities to work on letter recognition .

/G/ Words Octopus Craft

This super cute activity is one of our favorites, we work on /g/ sounds in all positions as an initial letter sound activity PLUS and speech articulation activity. I’m always combining these two now.

You can get this activity as part of the Ocean Speech Activity bundle here.

/L/ Sound Words Dot Printable

Ever need just some more work on /l/ sounds? This printable comes with images that target the sound in all positions. I love having the kids say each sound 5 times before we ‘smash’ it with a dot marker.

You can also get this as part of the speech & phonics theme bundle here for free.

/P/ Sound Words Dot Printable

Ever need just some more work on /p/ sounds? This printable comes with images that target the sound in all positions. I love having the kids say each sound 5 times before we ‘smash’ it with a dot marker.

Ocean Animals Words Preschool

This ocean animals ‘smash mat’, includes the most popular ocean animals that kids are likely to learn about.

You will guide the child in identifying the names of the ocean animals and then have them smash each word on the mat.

20 More Free Ocean Activities for Preschoolers

Looking for even more ocean fun? Here are 20 additional ideas to keep your little ones engaged:

/G/ Words Feed the Shark

This  G Words Speech Therapy  for initial sounds printable game with dot markers is perfect!

/K/ Initial Words Feed the Shark

This  FREE K Words Speech Therapy  for initial sounds printable game with dot markers is perfect! 

Shark Counting with Pegs

These cards are perfect for both teachers and parents to use as an educational tool for children of all ages.

Ocean Theme Feed the Shark

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Karen (@abcsofliteracy)

Fishing Theme Letter Find

Ocean theme sensory.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Motherhood • Creations • Play (@woodentinywonders)

Open Mouth Shark Craft Kids

Shark painted rocks.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Creativity For Days (@creativity_for_days)

Easy Shark Craft

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Arts & Crafts | Unboxing Surprises (@creative.kids.channel)

Fishing for Letters Shark Craft

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Agnes Hsu (@hellowonderful_co)

Shark Number Craft

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kendra Arthur (@the__parenting_game)

Bubble Wrap Octopus

View this post on Instagram A post shared by paper crafts creator (@paper.crafts.in)

Giant Octopus Craft

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kids craft ideas (@luckymarysunshine)

So set sail on an adventure of learning with your little ones! With these free ocean preschool activities, you’re sure to create a wave of excitement and discovery.

For more ocean-themed printables and ideas, be sure to explore my blog! Happy learning!

Similar Posts

3 Best Printable Math Dice Games Feed the Bear

Free Playdough Number Mats Fall Tree Theme

10+ Fun Disguise a Turkey Crafts and Games

Spectacular Easter Sight Word Worksheets Free – Get Your Kids Reading their Sight Words!

Mother’s Day Classroom Activities Mother’s Day Handprint Craft

Penguins Beginning Sounds Activities – Super Cute Matching Cards!

Leave a reply cancel reply.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

12+ Easy and Fun Ocean Science Experiments for Curious Kids

When it comes to summer learning, there is just something about the beach and ocean that seems to call to us all! Whether you are traveling to a beach this year or staying home, you can bring the beach to life with these ocean science experiments!

The experiments on this list are a lot of fun for kids from preschool through middle school and will provide tons of science learning whether your kids have previously been into science or not.

These hands-on ocean experiments will make a science lover out of any kid and are the perfect science fair project ideas for kids who may not love science yet.

Fun Ocean Science Experiment Ideas

If you love the ocean, and you love science, these ocean science experiments are for you! Before you check out the complete list of ocean activities for kids, make sure you have these science supplies on hand.

Ocean Science Supplies

Shop these Amazon Affiliate links to make sure nothing is missing for your ocean science activities.

Ocean Science Books

Here are some fun books about ocean science!

Free Science Lesson Plans

Click the picture below to get 2 complete science lesson plans sent to your inbox!

The Best Ocean Science Experiments for Kids

Hands-down, these ocean science projects are tons of fun for kids! These ocean experiments are perfect for doing at home, in an after-school program, at daycare, or just for fun!

Click each ocean science activity to get to the directions for that project.

This Easy Ocean Slime Recipe is a super fun way to bring the ocean to you, even if you can’t get to one this year!

Learn all about the unicorns of the sea when you make this Narwhal Craft !

This Ocean Slime Recipe uses glitter glue and is fun for kids of all ages.

Learn fun oyster facts for kids when you make this Oyster Craft .

The Jellyfish in a Bottle Science Experiment shows kids how jellyfish can move in the water. And it’s pretty to look at!

When you try the Desalination Science Project , kids will learn how to remove salt from water.

This adorable Paper Plate Seahorse Craft can teach kids all about seahorses and their lives in the ocean.

Make your own Cartesian Diver Experiment and explore how fish, sharks, and even scuba divers move in the ocean!

This Water Density Experiment shows how cold water is denser than hot, and why the ocean has different densities depending on how deep you are.

Learn How to Make Sand Slime using real beach sand!

This Beach Slime Recipe mixes ocean slime with sand slime for a total beach experience.

Kids will love learning how to make these Sand Painting for Kids .

This Ocean Layer Liquid Density Experiment teaches kids about the layers of the ocean.

When you’re ready to do some coloring, these Aquarium Printables are perfect to do while learning about ocean animals.

Octopus Science Experiments

We love octopuses so much, we put together an entire idea list on octopus STEM activities! So many fun ways to learn octopus science!

More Summer Science Experiments

Summer STEM Calendar

Mindblowing Summer Science Experiments You Must Try This Summer

Crazy-Fun Mermaid Science Experiments Perfect for Summer!

Ocean candy experiment

Share this project with a friend!

Ocean Science Activities for Preschoolers

Do you have a fan of the ocean? Try these ocean science activities for preschoolers! These activities offer engaging and educational experiences for your curious science lovers.

See more of my fun ocean activities for kids and add them to your ocean lesson plans this summer!

Learning about the ocean is incredibly beneficial for preschoolers in numerous ways. It helps develop critical thinking skills, encourages an early interest in nature, and promotes a sense of environmental awareness at an early age.

Preschoolers who engage in ocean-themed science activities become more aware of the importance of caring for our planet while developing other fundamental skills.

This post may contain affiliate links meaning I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post. Read my disclosure policy here.

See a list of my favorite Amazon Deals for your home and homeschool.

Fun Facts about the Ocean and Ocean Animals

Before we move on to my list of ocean science activities, here are some fun facts that you can share with your child!

Did you know that the ocean covers more than 70% of our planet? That’s a lot of water! Oceans are home to some of the most amazing creatures, like playful dolphins, colorful fish, and huge whales. Some fish can even glow in the dark!

The blue whale is the largest animal on Earth, even bigger than any dinosaur. These gentle giants can grow up to 100 feet long and weigh as much as 200 tons!

Another curious animal is the octopus, which has three hearts and blue blood. Octopuses are also masters of disguise, capable of changing their color and texture to blend in with their surroundings.

Isn’t the ocean full of amazing surprises?

Recommended Ocean Books

Discover a world of wonder with my top ocean books for preschoolers, perfect for developing a love for our blue oceans!

Benefits of Ocean Science Activities for Preschoolers

Teaching preschoolers about the ocean can be both fun and challenging. But I’m here to help and prepare you on what are the things you can teach your little ones about their favorite body of water!

You can start with basic concepts like water and sand. Explain how ocean creatures live in the water. You can show them pictures of fish, turtles, and sharks. Simple activities like ocean crafts can also make learning even more engaging.

Teaching kids about the ocean has many benefits. They can learn about different habitats and animal life, and their curiosity about the ocean encourages them to ask questions and seek answers. This early exposure builds a foundation for future science learning.

Interactive activities keep preschoolers interested and involved. Ocean sensory bins with sand and ocean animals are a hit.

Even storytime with ocean-themed books is another great idea for introducing the ocean to your preschoolers.

Have fun with these ideas and make sure to include the ocean science activities recommended on the list below!

Recommended Ocean Printables

Little Learners Print & Go Math Kit: Ocean

Learn about the ocean while practicing your preschooler’s math skills with these fun ocean math printables.

Ocean Color by Number Printables

Let your kids explore their artistic side through coloring while recognizing more colors with this ocean-themed color-by-number printable.

Recommended Ocean Activity Kits

Enjoy ocean exploration with my recommended ocean activity kit for kids, packed with fun and educational activities to pique their curiosity and foster a love for marine life!

More Ocean Activities

Trying to find more ocean-themed activities for your homeschoolers? Check out my list below!

• Ocean Activities for Preschoolers
• Ocean Books for Preschoolers
• Preschool Oceans Unit Study
• Paper Plate Ocean Crafts
• Octopus Activities for Toddlers
• Ocean Colors Playdough Mats by Homeschool Preschool
• Printable Ocean Charades Game by Darcy and Brian

Exploring ocean science activities for preschoolers is a fantastic way to spark curiosity, nurture a love for marine life, and introduce little ones to the wonders of our oceans!

Jello Play Dough Recipe: Seashell Theme

Creating Jello Play Dough with a Seashell Theme is a fantastic activity for kids, offering a fun, hands-on way to explore their creativity while developing their fine motor skills and sensory experiences.

Ocean Sensory Bin Activity for Kids

Dive into the exciting world of an ocean sensory bin activity for kids, where they'll enjoy hands-on fun while developing fine motor skills, sensory exploration, and imaginative play!

Make your own jellyfish in a bottle

Create your own shimmering jellyfish in a bottle—a delightful hands-on activity that sparks creativity and teaches kids about marine life while honing their creativity and sensory skills!

How To Make Ocean Slime

Creating ocean slime is a fun, hands-on activity for preschoolers that enhances their creativity and sensory skills while they explore the fascinating textures of the ocean and ocean animals right at home!

Make a Fish Swim with Soap

Get ready for some bubbly fun with this swimming fish activity, where your little ones can learn about ocean science and boost their fine motor skills while giggling at their soapy fish magic!

Ocean Pollution Clean Up Science Activity

Allow your kids to become eco-heroes by helping to save marine life while learning important lessons about environmental stewardship and teamwork!

Frozen Ocean Animal Rescue

Kids will have a blast rescuing frozen ocean animals while learning about marine life and developing their problem-solving skills!

Soapy Sea Foam Sensory Bin for Kids

Let your preschoolers explore textures and creativity while enhancing their tactile senses, fine motor skills, and science learning!

Exploring Shells Hands On Ocean Science Activity

Your curious kids can marvel at nature's designs through this fun exploring seashell activity!

Ocean Waves In A Bottle

Creating ocean waves in a bottle is a fun and easy activity that not only entertains kids but also teaches them about the science of waves and the properties of water, all while sparking their creativity and imagination!

Ocean Currents Science Experiment

Teach ocean currents in a simpler and more fun way suitable for your preschoolers through this enjoyable playtime learning!

Salt Water Experiment

Your little scientist will surely be amazed at how this fun ocean experiment will make them learn why it is easier to float in the ocean's salt water!

I hope you and your kids had fun exploring the wonders of the deep blue sea through these fun and educational preschool ocean science activities!

I share educational printables and activities to help homeschoolers make learning science fun and engaging!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Preschool Inspirations

Preschool Activities and Learning

Preschool Ocean Theme Activities that Kids Love

June 15, 2019 by Editor Leave a Comment

Use these preschool ocean theme activities for an engaging and exciting hands-on ocean unit or ocean lesson plan.

The ocean is one of my absolute favorite preschool themes that I repeat year after year. The ocean is such a magical oasis and full of life. Kids absolutely love exploring ocean animals, learning what lurks in the deep waters, and of course beach sand! You can easily make this theme last as long as you like with all these engaging and hands-on activities.

Preschool Ocean Theme Activities

What is the first song that you think of when you hear the word OCEAN? If you said Baby Shark, you would be on the same track as me. Kids are fascinated with this song! I have seen a handful of fun song videos that have intrigued my kids. Check them out at our Ultimate List Of The Best Baby Shark Song Videos!

Get the best learning activities for 3-5 year olds at your fingertips

See inside the book!

Ocean Theme Math Ideas

Jellyfish Counting  1-11 from In My World Adding tentacles to these jellyfish is a super simple way to practice counting and number sense for numbers 1-11. This also will help strengthen fine motor skills!

Fish Bubble Counting Mats from The Measured Mom Counting mats are a fantastic tool for math. These can be used individually as a math center or in a small group. It is such an inviting way for children to work on math skills and when they’re adding each “bubble,” they’re also using those great fine motor skills too!

Pearl Color Matching from Kindergarten Worksheets and Games I love how unique this matching game is. The pom-poms represent the pearls in this color matching activity. This helps the children recognize different colors and match them/count them.

Ocean Shells Graphing from One Time Through Graphing is an important math skill that can be introduced to preschoolers. Kids will enjoy this math graphing idea because it is actually graphing with the shells. This is the epitome of hands-on math!

Ocean Alphabet and Literacy Ideas

The Best Ocean Books For Kids from Preschool Inspirations Books are my favorite way to explore, teach, inspire, and dream. These are our favorite books that correlate with an ocean theme and are enjoyable for little minds!

Alphabet Fish Magnetic Memory Game from Stir The Wonder Kids love magnets, right? This is a great way to encourage children to practice alphabet matching. It is an engaging game that they will love playing so much, they won’t even know how much they are actually learning!

Ocean Letter Find Activity from ABC’s of Literacy This hands-on uppercase and lowercase activity is a fantastic way to introduce and practice letters. Children are to identify letters by covering each letter with a mini eraser or manipulative.

Ocean Beginning Sounds from Planning Playtime These adorable ocean animal letter cards are the perfect way to help children with letter identification and recognition as well as beginning sounds!

Don’t Soak The Shark from Toddler Approved This fabulous letter recognition game is perfect if it is warm outside! Kids can get some sun, play with water, and still be learning!

Ocean STEM Activities

Ocean Theme Sensory Bottle from Preschool Inspirations The animals in this discovery bottle, are staying suspended – just like in the ocean. How? Explore the deep blue sea with this exciting discovery bottle!

Easy Ocean Life Experiment For Kids from Natural Beach Living This jar is fantastic fun… not only is it fun to put together and look at but it can teach so many different elements of ocean life!

Ocean Zones and Animals from The Kindergarten Connection Learn about which ocean zones animals live in, then make the zones including the animals! Such a fun hands-on activity!

Frozen Ocean Animal Rescue from Mama Pappa Bubba A fun activity that will rescues the animals while exploring the science behind melting ice. Kids will love this sensory + STEM activity!

Feels Like Beach Sand Ocean Theme Sensory Bin from Preschool Inspirations One of my favorite ways to help children explore a new topic is with sensory bins. They are exploring with all of their senses, which makes learning even more fun! This beach sand feels like real sand so much that it makes me want a vacation!

Ocean Science: Saltwater & Sand from Gift Of Curiosity Saltwater and sand are key components of the sea. These simple activities are an engaging way for children to explore these parts of the water!

O is for Octopus from Learn Play Imagine The octopus is a fascinating animal, partly because of its ability to ink. This exploration of octopus ink will give kids the knowledge of how, why, and WOW!

Rocky Shore Small World Playdough Activity from Buggy and Buddy Playdough is one of our favorite activities. This small world playdough activity will help children see a depiction of the ocean right in front of them. They can explore and pretend, which are important elements of being a preschooler!

Ocean Art & Crafts

DIY Sea Stars from Preschool Inspiration These sea stars are the perfect DIY for your preschool classroom. They hold up against preschool hands and they are so much fun to play with! 

Shell Painting from Fun A Day Bring art and the ocean together. Painting takes all forms, including paper, clay, and shells too!

Seashell Collage from Art Bar These seashell collages are the perfect art idea! It has process art and the beauty of the water all in one. It’s a great keepsake that kids and parents will adore and want to hang on their walls!

Paper Bag Jelly Fish from No Time For Flash Cards This animal craft is the perfect activity to help kids with color mixing and scissor skills! Plus it is easy and adorable!

Starfish Craft from My Mommy Style This craft is not only beautiful but a great way to practice and strengthen fine motor skills as well as introduce symmetry.

If you want even more preschool activities with an ocean theme, there are 24 engaging activity ideas in this bundle ! It’s a whole ready-made lesson plan!

• Recent Posts

• November Preschool Themes You’re Going to Love! - October 12, 2024
• Valentine’s Day Letter Formation Mats - February 4, 2024
• January Preschool Themes You’re Going to Love! - January 1, 2024

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Notify me of follow-up comments by email.

Notify me of new posts by email.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

fun & meaningful learning every day

30+ Fantastic Activities for a Preschool Ocean Theme

Shared by Mary Catherine 13 Comments

Oh, how I love a good preschool ocean theme !  Of course, the following ideas would be wonderful for a kindergarten ocean theme, too!  Or adapt them for older children, as well!  This collection is broken down into categories so you can find exactly what you want- arts and crafts, sensory bins, science, play doughs, math, literacy, and snacks.

Table of Contents

Amazing Ideas for a Preschool Ocean Theme!

Art & crafts.

Let the kiddos get creative as they learn about the ocean:

• Shell Painting with Watercolors – Fun-A-Day
• Cardboard Aquarium Craft – MollyMoo
• Toy Surfboard Craft for Kids – Play Trains
• Create and Ocean Play Scene – Paint on the Ceiling
• Coffee Filter Seahorse Art – Planet Smarty Pants

SENSORY PLAY

Hands-on sensory play ideas for an ocean theme:

• Super Simple Ocean Sensory Bin – Fun-A-Day
• Ocean Slime Recipe for Kids.  – Fun-A-Day
• Taste-Safe Play Sand & Beach Small World – Fun-A-Day
• Ocean Floor Discovery Bin – My Nearest and Dearest
• Giant Sensory Lagoon – Twodaloo
• Ocean Sensory Tray with Frozen Rice – The Imagination Tree

Activities for your little oceanographers:

• Frozen Ocean Animal Rescue – Mama.Papa.Bubba
• Explore Ocean Zones with Under the Sea Bottle – KCEdventures
• Invitation to Explore Ocean Water – Little Bins for Little Hands
• Ocean Science for Kids – Salt Water and Waves – Gift of Curiosity
• Octopus Black Ink Experiment – Learn.Play.Imagine

PLAY DOUGHS

Sensory meets arts/crafts for more ocean fun:

• Taste-Safe Coconut Cloud Doug h – Fun-A-Day!
• Sea Life Play Dough Imprints – Plain Vanilla Mom
• Beach Sand Cloud Dough Recipe (with Real Sand) – Fun at Home with Kids
• Rocky Shore Small World with Play Dough – Buggy and Buddy
• Natural Sand Play Dough – Creative Playhouse

Ocean math ideas to get the kiddos counting and sorting:

• Shell Sorting – No Time for Flashcards
• Counting Pearls for Shells – Rockabye Butterfly
• Sorting and Graphing Shells – One Time Through
• Fishbowl Counting Mats – The Preschool Toolbox
• Fish Math – Mom to 2 Posh L’il Divas

Ways to encourage literacy learning during a preschool ocean theme:

• Sea Shell Letter Match – And Next Comes L
• Ocean and Beach Books for Preschoolers – Mamas Like Me
• Sight Word Seashells – NurtureStore
• Don’t Soak the Shark Letter Matching Gam e – Toddler Approved
• Montessori-Inspired Beach Language Activities – Living Montessori Now at PreK and K Sharing

Make those snacks even better with these ocean twists:

• Jellyfish for Lunch – JDaniel4’s Mom
• Sand Dollar Cookies – Diamonds for Dessert
• Seashell Snack and Play – Fantastic Fun and Learning
• Fine Motor Fishing Snack – Twodaloo
• Under the Sea Snack – Creative Kid Snacks

Would you add any other ideas to this preschool ocean theme? Let me know your favorites in the comments below!

Materials for a Preschool Ocean Theme

The possibilities are endless when it comes to an ocean theme in preschool. And I always found that it was one of my students’ favorite things to explore and learn about. So, maybe you’re looking for some inspiration to create your own ocean activities. Check out the items in the list below for a little bit of ocean inspiration!

I may get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

• Kinetic sand
• Ocean animals toys
• Goldfish crackers
• Blue food coloring
• Water table

 Check out Fun-A-Day’s early childhood themes page for more themed fun and learning!

Preschool Ocean Theme Lesson Plans

Save time and get right to the playful learning with our printable lesson plan sets. Each set includes over 30 playful learning activities related to the theme, and we’ve provided different versions for home preschool families and classroom teachers so all activities are geared directly toward your needs.

Grab the plans here >>> Preschool Classroom | Home Preschool

Originally published on June 20, 2014

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

June 20, 2014 at 6:38 am

Thank you so much for including my jelly fish lunch in this amazing round up!

June 20, 2014 at 11:09 pm

So many cute ocean-themed ideas! I can’t decide where to begin!

June 21, 2014 at 1:03 am

Those ocean themed snacks are adorable.

June 21, 2014 at 2:27 pm

Bringing the ocean indoors — and to the mountains — what a great idea!

June 22, 2014 at 12:03 am

I love sensory bins! These are great. I’ll need to try to make one for my class next year. ~Heather The Meek Moose

June 24, 2014 at 3:26 am

So many ideas! What an index of activities.

June 24, 2014 at 11:35 am

love all ideas that can incorporate learning with the oceans

June 24, 2014 at 1:00 pm

Love the coffee filter sea horses, so pretty!

June 30, 2014 at 2:26 pm

Clearly you have put a great deal of time and effort into this project, thank you so very much. Love your thoughts and ideas on kids playing with ocean themes and sea shells. I did some of these projects with my daughter. Thanks for the awesome resource links.

July 7, 2014 at 2:47 pm

Love these ideas. Thanks for sharing!

July 8, 2014 at 6:44 am

great ideas, it all looks so fabulous, will be trying these our for sure xx

July 9, 2014 at 5:29 am

Thank you very much…i shall adapt some of your ideas when my young nieces come to the cabin this summer

July 9, 2014 at 3:19 pm

Love these ideas! Thanks for sharing!

Search the Fun!

Fun by categories.

See our latest activities and ideas first!

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 

affiliate links can be found on this blog at no cost to you.

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 Unit Study 

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 

DIY Magnetic Fish Game 

Ocean Science Table

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.

Click Here for More Under the Sea Activities 

Ocean Theme Preschool and Kindergarten Activities

Ocean Crafts for Kids

Jellyfish Craft

25+ Under the Sea Crafts for Kids – Awesome Ocean Themed Crafts

20+ Cute Crab Preschool Crafts

Jiggly Slime and Jellyfish Activities

Paper Plate Fish Craft

Under the Sea Preschool 

Preschool Ocean Activities

Handprint Fish Craft

Pirate Activities for Kids

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 .

Preschool Ocean Theme Activities

Here are some hands-on Pre-K & Preschool Ocean theme activities for learning about ocean animals. This page includes Ocean Activities for Math, Literacy, Science, and more.

Find more Ocean Activities for Pre-K

Your little learners will enjoy these preschool ocean theme activities! You will find ideas for teaching math, literacy, fine motor, science, and more. Read more to find activities for art, letters, counting, songs, and how to make wave bottles.

Ocean Books

Click here for a complete list of books about Ocean Animals

Preschool Ocean Large Motor Games

Children crawl like a crab from one point to another. After children have had some practice, have them figure out a way to carry a bean bag while crawling like a crab.

Preschool Ocean Fine Motor Activities

Sea shell play dough prints.

Children use seashells in the play dough area to press into the play dough to make prints. You can do the same activity using self hardening clay and the children can keep them.

Preschool Ocean Art Activities

Ocean art: colored tape fish.

Children draw their own fish on a piece of paper. They tear off pieces of colored masking tape and stick them on for the fish’s gills.

Wax Resist Ocean Art

Children draw an ocean scene or one ocean animal with oil pastels. They paint over the whole paper with blue watercolor paint to create the water. The wax in the oil pastels resists the water, so the picture shows through the paint.

Ocean Art: Sea Salt Paint

The children mix their own salt paint, and then paint a picture of an ocean animal.

Salt paint recipe: 2 tsp. Salt 1 tsp. Liquid starch Few drops of food coloring

Mix ingredients together. The salt gives a frosted or sandy appearance to the paint.

Preschool Ocean Literacy Activities

Ocean bingo.

Use this for Literacy or Math. Use plastic fish counters to cover the letter/number/shape on the bingo cards. We use these to play alphabet bingo, number bingo, shape bingo, or rhyming bingo.

Ocean Roll & Write Game

Children love this game to practice writing skills! Print and find directions here:  Roll & Write Games

Ocean Bingo Stamping Game

Use this for Literacy or Math. Read about and print the Ocean Bingo Game here .

Ocean Story Retelling

This is an activity that goes with any theme. Choose a book that goes with the theme, and have the children retell the story. Read the blog post here for details: story retelling

Ocean Alphabet Activity

Children can match letters or match letters to beginning sounds with this ocean alphabet activity: Purchase the Ocean Math and Literacy pack here .

Ocean Rhyming

Children can match rhyming pictures on the starfish to the rhyming word pictures in the tide pool with this ocean rhyming activity: Purchase the Ocean Math and Literacy pack here .

Preschool Ocean Math Activities

Ocean math game: fishing game.

Our “ocean” is a blue shower liner on the floor. Paper fish have 0-10 dots on them, with a paperclip attached, and are tossed onto the “ocean”. Children catch a fish with magnetic fishing pole, count the dots on the fish, and write or stamp the numeral on a fish cutout. The magnetic fishing poles were made with a magnet wand tied to a rhythm stick with string.

Ocean Math Game: Fish Flop

Children use spray-painted beans (one side yellow, one side blue) as pretend fish. Ten fish are placed in each child’s cup. The children dump the cup onto the table and count to see how many fish flopped on the blue side and how many flopped on the yellow side.

Ocean Pattern Block Mats

Read about and print here:  Pattern Block Mat Printables . (Go to this page and look for the fish mats.)

Ocean Grid Game

Read about about print here: Grid Games

Ocean Roll & Cover Math Game

This roll and cover game can be used to practice counting and numeral recognition. Read about and print it here:  Roll and Cover Games

Ocean Geoboards

Children will practice shapes and fine motor skills by creating the ocean designs on the geoboards.  Purchase these Ocean geoboard cards here .

Ocean Shapes Play Dough Mats

Children can build the fish shapes with these ocean shapes mats: Purchase the Ocean Math and Literacy pack here .

Ocean Patterns

Use colored manipulatives to practice ocean patterns! Includes AB, AABB, ABC, ABB, AAB patterns. Purchase the Ocean Math and Literacy pack here .

Preschool Ocean Science Activities

Ocean wave bottles.

Children use a funnel to pour a cup full of baby oil (or cooking oil) into a clear plastic bottle. They fill the bottle the rest of the way with water. We give the liquid a chance to settle, then add a few drops of blue food coloring. It’s fun to watch the blue as it drops through the oil and “explodes” into the water. Last, we add plastic “fish” (sequins), and make waves by turning the bottle sideways and rocking it gently.

Sea Turtle Life Cycle

This Sea Turtle Life Cycle set includes life cycle posters, sequencing cards, mini book for students in black and white, and a full size book in color for a read aloud. Teach your preschoolers about sea turtles and how they grow! Purchase the Sea Turtle Life Cycle here .

Ocean Cooking Activities

Ocean snack: tuna fish sandwich.

With this snack, we get to taste something that comes from the sea. We use a fish cookie cutter to cut two pieces of bread. We make tuna salad by adding mayonnaise and sweet pickles to a drained can of tuna. Then, spread the tuna on the sandwich.

Ocean in a Cup

We place three vanilla wafers in a ziplock bag and crush them to make sand. We pour the sand in the bottom of a clear cup, and scoop blue Jello on top. Last, we add gummy fish.

More Ocean Activities

Ocean / beach prop box.

Suntan lotion bottles, Sunglasses, Flip flops, Radio, Swim fins, Face mask, Beach hats, Beach ball, Towels, Ice chest, Juice cans, Cassette tapes of beach songs, Buckets, Pails, Sand molds, Beach chairs, Mini umbrella

Ocean Related Nursery Rhymes

Nursery rhymes that go well with an Ocean Theme:

• Rub a Dub Dub
• Catch a Floater

Catch a floater, catch an eel, Catch a lazy whale, Catch an oyster by the heel And put him in a pail.

Look for a printable poster of the Rub a Dub Dub nursery rhyme on the Nursery Rhymes Page .

Ocean Songs

Find lots of Ocean Songs for Music and Movement

Ocean Activities In My Shop

You might like this Animal Environments Sort & Classify pack, which includes ocean, polar, safari, forest, and farm animals and their environments. Available in my shop.

Ocean Preschool Links

• Ocean Unit @ Pre-KPages.com
• Rainbow Fish Craft by Ivory Gilcher
• Starfish @ Teaching 2 and 3 Year Olds

Title image graphics by Kate Hadfield Designs .

Get Free Updates!

Join here to get weekly emails with free printables and activities for Pre-K!

Free Resources

Sign up for the weekly email newsletter to be the first to get all new freebies & updates!

18 Ocean STEM Activities for Kids

By: Author Jacquie Fisher

Posted on Published: July 6, 2022

Categories Educational Activities , Kids Activities & Crafts , Science Experiments

Head under the sea with these cool ocean STEM activities & projects for kids !

We’re diving down deep today to explore ocean zones , marine animals and more with these amazing STEM ocean activities that are perfect for a little summer learning!

If your kids are fans of whales, sharks and the big blue sea, they’ll LOVE these hands-on ocean science activities!

18 Awesome Ocean STEM Activities

The underwater world is so intriguing to kids (and adults for that matter 🙂  There’s so much we don’t yet know about the ocean and it’s contents which makes it the perfect subject to intrigue young minds.

One of my favorite things about ocean projects is the beautiful colors! 

And the fact that they ocean activities almost always involve water which is a big bonus during the hot days of summer 🙂  Here are a few of our favorite ocean projects along with affiliates links to books and others items that are perfect for some under-the-sea fun!

Before you get started, you may want to read a few ocean-related science books.  One of our favorite non-fiction science series is the Let’s Read & Find Out Science books !  They come in different reading levels and are perfect for kids who are always asking ‘why?’ and ‘how?’! 

For ocean life, try these:

Life in a Coral Reef – explores who lives in a coral reef and why reefs are so important to the ocean ecosystems!

How Deep Is the Ocean? – an introduction to the various ocean zones, what you find as you travel through ocean layers and what exists at the bottom of the big blue sea!

What’s It Like to Be a Fish? – a fun look at life as a fish with details about how life in the ocean is different from life on land.

Plus, be sure to check out our list of fun Ocean Activities and Books for Kids too!!

Ocean Science Activities

Learn why the ocean looks blue with this Layers of the Ocean science project ! || Edventures with Kids

Grab this FREE prinable Under the Sea Scavenger Hunt & use live webcams to find all the items || Edventures with Kids

Watch for the tide to go out and then explore your own tide pool || Amy Pessolano

Check out the Ocean Science Unit printable pack for LOTS of learning activities! || Etsy

Explore sea-side habitats and tides on your next beach visit || Edventures with Kids

Ocean-themed Math Projects

Draw a Life-size Whale and see just how big they are with this easy math activity || Edventures with Kids

Create ocean zones using sidewalk chalk with this Ocean Layers STEM Activity scale model || Edventures with Kids

Practice counting with a Shark Number Sensory Bin || Living Montessori Now

Create your own Ocean Slime || Little Bins for Little Hands

Practice adding and number sequencing with Ocean Raiders, an award-winning math game || Amazon

Under the Sea STEM: Engineering Projects

Build your own Ocean in a Jar || Edventures with Kids

Construct a Cartesian Diver Experiment || Wise Owl Factory

Make your own Tide Pool to explore Ocean Science || Buggy & Buddy

Build Ocean Animals from LEGOs to play in the slime! || Little Bins for Little Hands

Ocean Animal Science Activities

Learn about Stingrays with these Fun Facts for Kids || Edventures with Kids

Did you know a group of sharks is called a shiver?  Learn the names of Ocean animal groups with this FREE printable || Edventures with Kids

Print these gorgeous Ocean Animal families & Whales mini-posters || Etsy

Learn How Sharks Float || Preschool Powol Packets

Explore marine life with an Ocean Sensory Table || Stir the Wonder

Discover more about whales with a Whale Sensory Bin || Living Montessori Now

Kids will LOVE this Search & Find Ocean Animal Puzzle with more than 40 types of sea animals!  || Amazon

More Ocean Activities for Kids:

Keep exploring with these fun activities focused on ocean animals and life at the beach!

10 Books for a Day at the Beach

8 Ocean & Beach Activities