Simple and Fun Fish Craft for Kids

I love fun preschool themes you can try even if you are not in a school setting. 

This one, we tried at home but can totally be incorporated in a school or if you are homeschooling too! 

It’s a wonderful activity that shows the importance of recycling, applying arts and crafts and a bit of early learning if you choose too. 🙂 

I cut out 8 fish from a cardboard box. 

This fish arts and crafts wasn’t anything fancy or hard to accomplish. 

First, I cut the face of the fish and then worked my way around the tail and it was all set and ready to go! 

I’ll be sharing below all the items we used to put this fish craft for children together and some simple paper art and craft ideas. 

Related: Here is a fun ocean themed sensory bottle that can go along with this fun fish themed idea! 

Supplies: 

This post contains affiliate links. 

• Recycled Cardboard Cutout

• Fiskars scissors 

• Pom Poms

• Elmer’s Glue

• Foam Shape Cutouts

• Beads 

If you have other fun manipulatives like buttons, dot markers or anything you feel would work well and stick on to decorate your fish craft then that’s great! 

How do you make a fish craft for preschoolers? 

Fish crafts are so much fun especially around summer time when trips to the ocean and beach are set up. 

This indoor activity for kids is so much fun and a great way to entertain preschoolers and kids at home.

It’s also a nice keepsake! 

Here are the details on how easy this simple paper kid crafts fish was to make:

How do you craft a fish?  

• I cut out 8 fish from a recycled cardboard box. 

• Then, I set them on the table. 

• Set small bunches of all the fun manipulatives you will use to decorate your fish.

• Lastly, add your elmers glue to the table. 

• Voila! The kids can decorate their fish by using their imagination and exploring their creativity! 

Preschool learning crafts

Preschoolers can practice calling out the different colors they have added to the fish. 

If you choose to use coloured cardstock for your fish, you can call out the different colors of each of the fish. 

Maybe, use the manipulatives as scales and add a different amount to each of the fish. 

Then, count them and talk about how each has a different amount of scales. 

Note: If you have a kindergartener, you can also talk about addition/subtraction using the “scales” of two fish next to each other. 

Creative art activities for preschoolers

If you do not have a cardboard box, you can use cardstock paper. 

Some coloured paper craft ideas can be to use coloured paper so all the fish are different colors. 

Maybe you can even talk about the colors of each fish for a fun educational approach with this craft to do with paper. 

These are just some ideas of fun things to make out of paper to create your fish craft!

How do you decorate paper fish? 

Some ideas and manipulatives you can use to decorate your paper fish for incorporating preschool art ideas are: 

• Tissue paper

• Buttons

• Foam shapes

• Markers

• Cut out scales from a cardboard cutout

• Pom poms

How do you craft a fish? Are there any other manipulatives you can think of that would also work? 

How do you craft a rainbow fish? 

These easy crafts made out of paper can also work to create epic rainbow fish activities for your preschoolers alongside the ‘Rainbow Fish’ book. 

Some aquarium activities for preschoolers can be to cut out smaller cardboard cutout fishes. 

Use a cardboard cutout to create an aquarium and add the smaller fish to it. 

Then, use the rainbow fish book to go along with it as well! 

Fish crafts for toddlers

You can also incorporate bigger manipulatives with this fish activity for toddlers. 

Toddlers can apply the bigger manipulatives to create their fish as well. 

Use their toy blocks or duplo to stencil out onto the fish! 

Then, they can match them to the fish like a diy puzzle for kids. 

These are great DIY and matching activities for toddlers you can try out as one of many fish arts and crafts and activity ideas!

Related: Are you looking for a fun Fish printable? I have a couple of fish printables that can be very helpful to go along with your fish craft here! 

I hope you enjoyed these recycled paper crafts ideas and that you try them out at home! 

Have you made an easy art and craft with paper before? 

Do you have any ideas for easy crafts for older kids that can be used with younger kids too? 

Leave a comment below this post letting me know! Maybe, we can try it out too! 🙂 

Don’t forget to check out our pinterest preschool crafts and pin this post to save for later!