Both water and art are healing. There is something calming about the gentle rhythm of the ocean, and there’s something equally soothing about the creative process of making art. When you combine the two, magic happens—especially for preschoolers. Ocean art activities for preschoolers let little ones explore color, texture, and movement while sparking their imagination. From swirling ocean paintings to playful jellyfish crafts, these ocean art projects bring the wonders of the sea straight into your classroom or home.
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OCEAN Lesson Plans
Ocean Process Art
Marbled Shaving Cream Art
If you give a kid some shaving cream with food dye mixed in, they’ll want to swirl it. As they swirl the food dye, they’ll be reminded of calm ocean waves.
And when they press the paper into the shaving cream, they’ll want to see what they created. When they scrape off the excess shaving cream, they will be wowed by the swirling patterns revealed on their beautiful ocean art project.
And then they will definitely, most definitely, want to swirl their hands in the shaving cream and dye them shades of blue.
Materials:
- watercolor paper
- cookie tray
- shaving cream
- shades of blue food dye
- popsicle sticks
Starfish art Project
Ocean Art Activities for Preschoolers
Painting on paper: cool. Painting on bubble wrap: mind-blowing!
Give your preschoolers the chance to explore colors in a whole new way with this crinkly, sensory-rich canvas.
When they press their painted bubble wrap onto starfish printouts, it creates a stunning, one-of-a-kind ocean process art piece every time.
Materials:
- FREE starfish printouts
- bubble wrap
- tempera paints
- paintbrushes
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Jellyfish paper plate craft
Ocean Crafts for Kids
Forget regular paintbrushes—let’s grab a sauce brush! Preschoolers will love how this unique painting tool helps them explore texture and movement as they create adorable jellyfish paper plate crafts.
All you need is a simple paper plate for each child, and they can start swirling and mixing colors to bring their jellyfish to life.
Prep the eyes ahead of time using large and small circle punches, then add a fine motor twist: have preschoolers punch holes along the bottom of the plate, cut yarn, and tie it through to make wiggly tentacles.
The result? A colorful, hands-on ocean masterpiece that’s as fun to make as it is to display!
Materials:
- paper plates
- tempera paints
- sauce brushes
- hole punch
- white & black paper
- yarn
- circle paper punches
Ocean Directed Drawings
Teach Kids How to Draw
From the depths of the ocean to the tip of a pencil, these directed drawings turn simple lines into sharks, crabs, and jellyfish. Preschoolers can follow easy steps to create their own underwater world while strengthening hand-eye coordination and creativity.
Plus, this activity gives little artists a confidence boost as they see their drawings come to life, making it a perfect complement to your selection of ocean art projects.
Materials:
- Ocean Directed Drawings
- black markers
- crayons
Ocean Silhouette Art
Ocean Art Activities for Preschoolers
These ocean coffee filter art projects remind me of Ariel longingly gazing up to be part of that world. Just like Ariel does, preschoolers can view the world from that underwater perspective.
Color coffee filters in swirling shades of blue, then give them a quick spray of water, watching the colors dance like ocean waves.
Then, add black paper cutouts of ocean animals to transform their coffee filters into stunning silhouettes. This ocean process art activity is a hands-on, splashy way to explore color, shapes, and the magic of the sea—all while letting little ones be part of Ariel’s world.
Materials:
- coffee filters
- shades of blue markers
- spray bottle with water
- black paper
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MORE Ocean Activities for Preschoolers
Water and art are both healing, and together, they open a world of creativity for preschoolers. From swirling ocean process art to bubble-wrap starfish, coffee-filter silhouettes, and directed drawings, these hands-on ocean art activities for preschoolers let little ones explore color, texture, and shapes while building confidence and fine motor skills. It’s a fun, calming way to bring the wonder of the ocean into your classroom or home.
