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The quick answer
The easiest ocean crafts for 3-5 year olds use the recycling: a paper plate octopus, a loo roll jellyfish, a bubble wrap print turtle and foam sailboats. Keep googly eyes, washable paint, child-safe scissors, PVA glue and foam sheets in the cupboard.
On holiday Verity made a very pink octopus from a paper chain craft kit, and a little fleet of foam sailboats. Here are our favourite ocean crafts, most using stuff from the recycling.
Paper plate octopus
Paint a paper plate, cut it in half and stick on eight paper strip legs (curl them round a pencil). Googly eyes are compulsory.
Loo roll jellyfish
Paint a cardboard tube, snip the bottom half into strips for tentacles, and hang it from string.
Bubble wrap turtle
Paint bubble wrap green and press it onto paper for a shell pattern, then cut out a turtle shape.
Foam sailboats
Foam sheets, a straw for a mast and a triangle sail. Add stickers for flags.
Handy supplies
- Googly eyes (one big pack lasts forever)
- Washable paint and chunky brushes
- Child-safe scissors and PVA glue
- Foam sheets
We get our ocean craft kits from Baker Ross - their sealife section is full of ocean kits, stickers and bits for exactly these crafts.
Questions parents ask
What ocean craft is easiest for a 3 year old?
The bubble wrap turtle. Paint bubble wrap green, press it on paper and you've got a shell pattern. You do the cutting.
What craft supplies are worth buying?
A big pack of googly eyes, washable paint, chunky brushes, child-safe scissors, PVA glue and foam sheets.
How do I make a paper plate octopus?
Paint a paper plate, cut it in half and stick on eight paper strip legs. Curl the legs round a pencil. Googly eyes are compulsory.